Phytochemistry, Antioxidant Activity, Antiproliferative Effect, and Acute Toxicity Testing of Two Moroccan Species.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

() and () have been largely used in Moroccan folk medicine. The objective of the study was to investigate the phytochemical composition, the antioxidant activity, the antiproliferative effect, and the acute toxicity of the methanolic extract of and roots.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Phytochemical composition of the methanolic extract of and roots were studied using qualitative and quantitative methods, the antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH assay, the antiproliferative effects against human cancer cell lines (T-24, HT-29, and Hep G-2) was assessed using WST1 assay, and the acute toxicity was carried out orally by gavage of single dose 2000 mg/kg to mice for 14 days.

RESULTS

The two studied plants have different classes of secondary metabolites. The concentrations of the total polyphenolic content of and root extracts were estimated at 360 ± 20 mg GAE/g and 280 ± 27 mg GAE/g, respectively. The total flavonoids content of and extracts were estimated at 35 ± 8 mg QE/g and 235 ± 7 mg QE/g, respectively. and extracts exhibited promising DPPH activity with IC values of 150 ± 8 g/ml and 160 ± 10 g/ml, respectively. The extracts exerted also antiproliferative effects on all tested cancer cell lines (T-24, HT-29, and Hep G-2) with IC values ranging from 6 ± 1 g/ml to 380 ± 7 g/ml. Regarding the results of acute toxicity study, no signs of toxicities nor mortalities were observed on the oral treated mice with 2000 mg/kg of the two investigated exacts.

CONCLUSION

The methanolic extracts of and possess several phytochemicals that exhibited promising free radical scavenging activity and antiproliferative effects.