Abstract

For many centuries, medicinal herbs and their derivatives have been used to treat or prevent various diseases. However, environmental factors such as the season for collection of plant may change the therapeutic efficacy. The present work investigates seasonal variations of phenolic, flavonoid content, antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic potential of hydroalcoholic extract of Rheum khorasanicum (HER). R. khorasanicum was collected in three different months: December, February, and April. The Folin-Ciocalteu assay was applied to measure the total phenolic content of HER. Antioxidant activities (DPPH and FRAP) were also determined. Next, the extracts were evaluated for antibacterial potential against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the microdilution method. Finally, the effect of extracts on the viability of C6, A549, and HT-29 cells was evaluated via the MTT assay. All three extracts contained considerable phenolic and flavonoid contents and showed desirable antioxidant activity. The April sample exhibited the greatest phenolic and flavonoid content and significant antioxidant activity potential in the FRAP test. In addition, the April sample had the highest antibacterial activity and cytotoxic effect on the cancerous cell lines. The April extract showed more antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxic effect, probably because of its higher phenolic and flavonoid contents than other samples. These results demonstrate that the harvest timing ofR.khorasanicumaffects the plant's phenolic content and its antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities.

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