Assessment of Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities and Identification of Phenolic Compounds of Centaurea solstitialis and Urospermum picroides from Turkey

HIGHLIGHTS The phenolic composition, antioxidant activity and cytotoxic potential of the extracts of C. solstitialis and U. picroides were investigated. Caffeic acid was found as the most abundant phenolic compound in the extracts. Both species showed promising antioxidant activity towards different assays. The highest cytotoxic potential was observed in the extract of C. solstitialis.

Abstract It is known that some genera of the Asteraceae family are commonly used in Turkish folk medicine. Several studies have investigated the biological effects of different extracts of Centaurea and Urospermum species, but studies involving the phenolic composition of C. solstitialis and U. picroides extracts are very limited. This study aimed to investigate the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of C. solstitialis and U. picroides and evaluate their possible cytotoxic effect. RP-HPLC analysis was used to elucidate the phenolic profiles of the ethanolic extracts of flowering parts of C. solstitialis and U. picroides.The both ethanolic extracts were assessed for their antioxidant properties using DPPH, FRAP, phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating assays. Furthermore, the effect of the extracts on cell viability was evaluated against MCF-7 and PC-3 cancer cells and HEK293 cell line using the MTT assay. The most abundant phenolic compound in both extracts was determined to be caffeic acid, and the amount of this compound was 24078.03 and 14329.59 µg g-1 in the extracts of C. solstitialis and U. picroides, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was found similar. Compared with U. picroides extract, C. solstitialis extract had higher potential on the inhibition of cell viability. The IC50 value of C. solstitialis on MCF cells was found as 58.53 µg mL-1. These data suggest that the extracts of C. solstitialis and U. picroides may be considered as novel and alternative natural antioxidant and anticancer sources.

The Effects of Injected Geophyte Plant (Sternbergia candida) Extract on the Hemato-Immunological Parameters in Gilthead Seabream, Sparus aurata (L. 1758)

Abstract This study investigated effects of a geophyte plant extract (Sternbergia candida) on some hemato-immunological parameters in gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata (L. 1758). To serve this purpose, the plant was collected and extracted in ethanol solvent. A total 300 fish were used in experiment. Three groups were designed including control group, 0.5 mg/fish and 2 mg/fish and plant extract was given by intraperitoneal injection. Following injections on the 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th and 35th days, blood samples were collected from each group. Some of the hemato-immunological parameters in serum and blood samples such as, phagocytic activity (NBT (+) cells), total leukocyte level, lysozyme activity, total protein, hematocrit level and the differential leucocyte were examined. Present results show that intraperitoneal injection of S. candida plant extract increases some non-specific immune parameters. In the determination of the non-specific immune responses of the gilthead seabream, blood samples collected from 2mg/fish group indicated that maximum levels of pre-determined parameters were reached on days 7, 14, and 21 following the injection. According to these finding, administration of geophyte plant is suggested in seabream to improve non-specific immune response and health status.