Antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of four different extracts derived from the aerial parts of Chiliadenus iphinoides

Abstract

Chiliadenus iphinoides is a Mediterranean basin plant and utilized in traditional medicine in Palestine. Thus, the aim was to investigate, for the first time, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of C. iphinoides gathered from Jenin-Palestine. The DPPH technique was used to measure antioxidant activity. Antimicrobial activity was tested employing broth microdilution and agar-well diffusion methods. Anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities were evaluated utilizing colorimetric methods. Aqueous, methanol, acetone and hexane extracts and trolox exhibited antioxidant activities with IC50 values of 5.2, 7.5, 4.2, 218 and 0.8 μg/ml, respectively. Acetone extracts had the most potent and broad spectrum antimicrobial activity followed by hexane and then methanol extracts, while aqueous extracts had no effect except against S. sonnei. Both hexane and acetone extracts had strong anti-proliferative effects followed by methanol extracts. Caspase-3 activity was induced by hexane extract 2 folds, similar to doxorubicin effect, a chemotherapeutic medicine. In the current study we demonstrated that acetone and hexane extracts possessed a strong antiproliferative property compared to methanol extract. Thiswas mediated via apoptosis; suggesting that they represent an attractive source of bioactive anticancer molecules. Acetone, hexane and methanol extracts possess broad spectrum antimicrobial effects. Acetone, aqueous and methanol extracts have strong antioxidant effects. Interestingly, aqueous extract is a potential safe source of antioxidant agents and natural preservatives instead of chemical preservatives in pharmaceutical and food products. However, it is necessary to validate these findings in vivo in the future.