Antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential of seeds and flowers crude extracts of sunflower

Abstract

Abstract Oil-producing crops, including Helianthus annuus L. (H. annuus, Sunflower), have been used for the treatment of different human diseases since ancient times. This study aims to determine the antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential of different polarities of seeds and flower extracts of locally grown H. annuus by well-established bioassays. To achieve the objects, the plant extracts were prepared from both flowers and seeds powder samples individually with methanol solvent by using a Soxhlet extraction method. The antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential of the flowers and seed extracts were determined by the in vitro diffusion and brine shrimp method (BSL). The results of the antimicrobial potential of both prepared flower and seed extracts of various polarities at different concentrations showed promising potential against the gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains, within the range of inhibition zone 0–20 mm. Among the flower extracts, the highest potential was obtained in water extract and the lowest potential was in butanol extract followed by water > ethyl acetate > hexane > methanol > chloroform > butanol extracts. However, from the seed extracts, the highest potential was obtained in water extract and the lowest potential was in the methanol extract followed by water > hexane > butanol > ethyl acetate > chloroform > methanol extract. On the other hand, the results of cytotoxicity among the flowers extracts against the brine shrimp method where the highest LC50 against brine shrimp nauplii were found to be 31.25 μg/mL in water extract and the lowest LC50 was 1345.86 μg/mL in chloroform extract followed by water > ethyl acetate > hexane > butanol > methanol > chloroform extract. Similarly, different polarities of seed extracts, the highest LC50 against brine shrimp nauplii was shown to be 109.56 μg/mL in butanol extract and the lowest LC50 was 1513.56 μg/mL in ethyl acetate extract followed by butanol > hexane > water > methanol > chloroform > ethyl acetate extract. In conclusion, the results showed that both flowers and seeds extracts at various concentrations have promising potential against the positive and negative bacterial strains and the highest potential water extract could be used as natural broad-spectrum antibiotics as herbal medicine to treat different human infectious diseases.