Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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RESEARCH REGARDING OBTAINING HERBAL EXTRACTS WITH ANTITUMOUR ACTIVITY. NOTE II. PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF CHELIDONIUM MAJUS L., MEDICAGO SATIVA L. AND BERBERIS VULGARIS L. DRY EXTRACTS

CERASELA ELENA GÎRD 1#, LIGIA ELENA DUŢU 1#, TEODORA COSTEA 1#, IOANA NENCU 1#*, MARIA LIDIA POPESCU 1#, TEODORA DALILA BALACI 2#, OCTAVIAN TUDOREL OLARU 3#

1."Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Phytotherapy Department, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956, Bucharest, Romania
2."Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956, Bucharest, Romania 3"Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Botany and Cellular Biology Department, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956, Bucharest, Romania

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The aim of our research was the evaluation of the antioxidant activity and cytotoxic properties, together with the phytochemical characterization of selective dry extracts from greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) aerial parts and common barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) bark that might be used to produce a phytomedicine with antitumour activity. Dry extracts (obtained in 50% ethanol) were characterized by quantification of flavones, phenolcarboxylic acids, total polyphenols and berberine, by means of spectrophotometric and HPLC methods. The scavenger activity upon DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS·+ (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) free radicals and ferric reducing power assays were used for the antioxidant capacity evaluation. Our results pointed out that common barberry dry extract has the highest total phenolic content (14.95 g expressed as tannic acid/100 g dry extract), phenolcarboxylic acids (3.64 g expressed as chlorogenic acid/100 g dry extract) and berberine (7.94 g/100 g dry extract). Alfalfa and greater celandine dry extracts have similar flavones content (1.46 g expressed as rutin/100 g dry extract and 1.52 g respectively). Common barberry dry extract showed the best antioxidant activity, irrespective of the method used (EC50 = 0.28 mg/mL - reducing power assay, EC50 = 60.04 mg/mL - DPPH assay and EC50 = 54.08 mg/mL - ABTS·+ assay). Cytotoxic properties against Daphnia magna decreased as follows: common barberry dry extract > greater celandine dry extract > alfalfa dry extract. Our results offer encouraging premises for the formulation of a phytomedicine with potential antitumour activity.