The antioxidant and anti-tumor activities of the Lebanese Centranthus Longiflorus L.

Rawan Makki; Hassan Rammal; Hussein Farhan; Mohamad Nasser; Zeinab El Dirani; Akram Hijazi; Bassam Badran

Authors

Rawan Makki Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Hassan Rammal Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon and Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Hussein Farhan Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Mohamad Nasser Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Zeinab El Dirani Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Akram Hijazi Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Bassam Badran Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Lebanon

Keywords:

antioxidant activity, antiproliferative activity, Centranthus longiflorus, phytochemical screening

Abstract

This study aimed to examine both the impact of growth period on the chemical composition and the in vitro anti-oxidant and anti-proliferative properties for Centranthus longiflorus. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts from leaves and stems, collected from two harvests, were tested to diagnose their different secondary metabolites content. This was conducted through classical phytochemical screening tests. In addition, a test for their antioxidant (DPPH and H₂O₂ radical scavenging) and for cell viability (Neutral red assay on HeLa cells), were conducted. The results have shown that both aqueous and ethanolic extracts from the different parts of the two C. longiflorus harvests contain alkaloid, coumarin, saponin, flavonoid, polyphenols, volatile oils and reducing sugars in different concentrations. Moreover, an antioxidant activity was observed by this plant where it inhibited the viability of HeLa cell line in a time-dependent (0–72 h) and dose-dependent (0–250 μM) manner. As such, the in vitro anti-oxidant and antiproliferative effects that were revealed from the two harvests of C. longiflorus reflect the significant potential use of this plant in the development of a new anti-cancer agent.