JUNIPERI GALBULUS: SCREENING OF PHYTOCHEMICALS AND BIOACTIVITY INVESTIGATION OF THE AQUEOUS EXTRACT
ALINA-ARABELA JOJIC 1, ALEXANDRA-DENISA SEMENESCU 1,2, IASMINA PREDESCU 1, GEORGE ANDREI DRĂCHICI 1,2, DELIA MUNTEAN 3, FLORINA ARDELEAN 1,2, GRAȚIANA RUSE 1, ARMAND GOGULESCU 3, IRINA ȘOICA 4, ALINA HEGHEȘ 1,5*, DIANA-SIMONA TCHIAKPE-ANTAL 1,2
1 Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
2 Research Centre for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
3 Faculty of Medicine, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
4 Medical School, University College London, 74 Huntley Street, London WC1E 6DE, UK
5 Formulation and Technology of Drugs Research Centre, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
Download Full Article PDF
The cone berries of Juniperus communis L. have a long-standing use in phytotherapy and are included in the European Pharmacopoeia under the name of Juniperi galbulus. While most investigations refer to the effects of the volatile components, the current research focused on a water-soluble fraction of this plant product. The study of antibacterial effects revealed a good susceptibility of Streptococcus pyogenes, while Gram-negative bacteria were resistant. The aqueous fraction had a significant in vitro activity against the A375 human melanoma cell line. The extract achieved a concentration-dependent antiproliferative activity in the MTT assay, as well as a decrease in cell number and confluence directly proportional to the increase in concentration. The impact on the morphology of A375 cells 24 hours after treatment confirmed that the aqueous extract caused a toxic effect on the melanoma cells. Juniper extract damaged the integrity of the cell membrane (as shown by the lactate dehydrogenase test) and affected nuclei (size reduction, formation of apoptotic bodies). These data support the importance of the water-soluble compounds in Juniper cone berries and complete experimental knowledge on volatile components that is already available in the scientific literature.
