Evaluation of in vitro Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Crude Ethanol Extract and Fractions of Achillea sintenisii Hub. Mor.

Abstract

Objective: The Achillea species have been used to treat various ailments due to its anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, spasmolytic and cholagogue effects in the Turkish traditional medicine. However, there is no biological activity studies on some Achillea species except for the well-knowns. This work aimed to determine the antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the crude ethanolic extracts and fractions of Achillea sintenisii using in vitro methods. 
 Methods: The antioxidant activity was investigated by DPPH (1,1´-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2´-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging, total phenol and total flavonoid content, and iron chelating methods. Antimicrobial activity evaluated by micro-plate dilution method against five test organisms. Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT method using MCF-7 breast cancer cell line and PC-3 prostate cancer cell line. Apoptosis was also measured by AO/EB staining. 
 Results: The n-Hexane fractions showed the highest antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities, respectively. Administration of the extracts on the cancer cells showed a concentration dependent inhibition on cell proliferation. The anti-proliferation effect could be via apoptosis and associated with the cell death. 
 Conclusion: The results showed that the extracts demonstrated antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity, also supports the claims of traditional usage.