Abstract
This study aimed to explore for the first time the biological properties such as antifungal, antitumoral and antioxidant of Danube Delta Nymphaea alba (N. alba) leaf and root methanolic extracts. The toxicity studies of N. alba extracts showed no inhibitory effect on wheat seed germination by evaluating the most sensitive physiological parameters (Germination %, Germination index, Vigor index) and using confocal laser scanning microscopy images. The analyzed extracts were found to have high antifungal activity against Candida glabrata with MIC values of 1.717 µg/mL for leaf and 1.935 µg/mL for root. The antitumor activity of the both extracts against A2780/A2780cisR ovarian, LNCaP prostate and MCF-7 breast cancer cells was promising with IC50 values ranging from 23–274 µg/mL for leaf and 18–152 µg/mL for root, and the combination of N. alba extracts with cisplatin showed a synergistic effect (coefficient of drug interaction <1). The antioxidant properties were assessed by β-carotene bleaching, ABTS and FRAP assays and cyclic voltammetry. Quercetin, the most prominent antioxidant, was quantified in very good yields by spectroelectrochemical assay.
Highlights
Plants are known to be rich sources of bioactive compounds [1]
Considering the literature data, we investigated the toxicity of the N. alba leaf and root extracts on wheat seed germination in order to evaluate the hazardous potential of these extracts in case of potential uses in the pharmaceutical industry
Higher plants are suitable for toxicity studies, as they are recognized as excellent indicators of cytogenetic and mutagenic effects of chemicals
Summary
Plants are known to be rich sources of bioactive compounds [1]. Generally, plant bioactive compounds differ greatly in terms of their quality and quantity, depending on the plant or on the various constituent parts of the plant [2] and they have been widely assessed for their biological properties [3]. The bioactivity of plant extracts generally depends on the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids, carotenoids, terpenoids or chlorophyll [4]. New compounds from the plant world can play an important role in the development of more effective and safer drugs to combat infection diseases or cancer [5]. 9, 7 an important role in the development of more effective and safer drugs to combat infection diseases or cancer [5]. Fungal infections are another major cause of morbidity/mortality worldwide, with invasive
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