Studies on the In Vitro Antiproliferative, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition Activities Associated with Chrysanthemum coronarium Essential Oil.

The essential oil of the Jordanian Chrysanthemum coronarium L. (garland) was isolated by hydrodistillation from dried flowerheads material. The oil was essayed for its in vitro scavenging activity using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The results demonstrate that the oil exhibits moderate radical scavenging activity relative to the strong antioxidant ascorbic acid. In addition, cholinesterase inhibitory activity of C. coronarium essential oil was evaluated for the first time. Applying Ellman's colorimetric method, interesting cholinesterase inhibitory activity, which is not dose dependent, was evident for the oil. Furthermore, antimicrobial activities of the oil against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were evaluated. While it fails to inhibit Gram-negative bacteria growth, the antibacterial effects demonstrated by the oil were more pronounced against the Gram-positive strains. Moreover, the examined oil was assessed for its in vitro antiproliferative properties where it demonstrated variable activities towards different human cancer cell lines, of which the colon cancer was the most sensitive to the oil treatment.

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of Anthemis palestina essential oil.

BACKGROUND: Anthemis palestina (Asteraceae) extends across the Mediterranean region, southwest Asia and eastern Africa. Although traditionally used for several applications, in vitro investigation of biological functions associated with Anthemis palestina essential oil had never been reported. METHODS: The air-dried flowers of Anthemis palestina were subjected to hydrodistillation to yield the oil. The antioxidant activity of the hydrodistilled oil was characterized using various in vitro model systems such as DPPH, ferric-reducing antioxidant power and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Antibacterial activity was tested against six bacterial species, representing both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Antifungal activity was evaluated using three Candida species. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for each examined microorganism was determined using the microdilution method. The oil's antiproliferative effects against eight human cancer cell lines were also studied and the lethal doses that resulted in 50% reduction of cell viability (LD50) were determined. RESULTS: The results indicate that the essential oil of Anthemis palestina exhibited substantial antioxidant activities as demonstrated with DPPH, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. In addition, a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of the oil was revealed with better susceptibility of Gram positive bacteria towards the oil. The MIC values ranged between 6-75 µg/ml. Besides, the oil demonstrated a moderate inhibitory effect on the three Candida species examined; with MIC values ranging between 48-95 µg/ml. Potent cytotoxic activities, especially against HeLa cell line; with LD50 of 32 µg/ml, BJAB cell line; with LD50 of 57 µg/ml, and Caco-2 cell line; with LD50 of 61 µg/ml, were observed. CONCLUSION: The results obtained indicate high potential of Anthemis palestina essential oil as bioactive oil, for nutraceutical and medical applications, possessing antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities.

Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of the methanolic extracts of selected Jordanian medicinal plants.

BACKGROUND: The search for novel xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors with a higher therapeutic activity and fewer side effects are desired not only to treat gout but also to combat various other diseases associated with the XO activity. At present, the potential of developing successful natural products for the management of XO-related diseases is still largely unexplored. In the present study, we have screened the methanolic extracts of various Jordanian medicinal plants for their XO inhibitory activities using an optimized protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methanolic extracts of 23 medicinal plants, belonging to 12 families, were tested in vitro, at 200 µg/ml concentrations, for their XO inhibitory potential. The dose-dependent inhibition profiles of the most active plants were further evaluated by estimating the IC(50) values of their corresponding extracts. RESULTS: Six plants were found most active (% inhibition more than 39%). These plants are Salvia spinosa L. (IC(50) = 53.7 µg/ml), Anthemis palestina Boiss. (168.0 µg/ml), Chrysanthemum coronarium L. (199.5 µg/ml), Achillea biebersteinii Afansiev (360.0 µg/ml), Rosmarinus officinalis L. (650.0 µg/ml), and Ginkgo biloba L. (595.8 µg/ml). Moreover, four more plants, namely Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (28.7% inhibition), Helianthemum ledifolium (L.) Mill. (28.4%), Majorana syriaca (L.) Kostel. (25.1%), and Mentha spicata L. (22.5%) showed a XO inhibitory activity in the range of 22-30%. CONCLUSION: The study showed that many of the tested plant species are potential sources of natural XO inhibitors that can be developed, upon further investigation, into successful herbal drugs for treatment of gout and other XO-related disorders.