The present study focuses on the biological strategy for treating cancer and parasitic infections, such as leishmaniasis antiparasitic activity, forthe crude alcoholic extract ofFicus leaves and their extracted total flavonoids with a comparison between their effects.The flavonoids were extracted from the leaves of the mature Ficuscaricausing the reflux extraction method. Total flavonoids were detected qualitatively by TLC techniquewhich demonstratedthat the plant was rich indifferent flavonoids, especially Rutin, Quercetin, Kaempferol, luteolin and others. Quantitatively, the plant total flavonoids content was 337.3 mg / 100 g fig leaves calculated as rutin.The biologicaleffects of the crude and purified total flavonoid on cell lines (L-20B and MCF7) and two parasites (Leishmaniatropica ,Leishmaniadonvani) were investigated. Maximum growthinhibition rates forthe total flavonoids onthe cell linesL20B andMCF7 reached 43 % at the concentration of 0.169 mg/ml and 28% at the concentration of 2.7 mg/ml, respectively, in comparison with the negative control. The ethanoliccrude extract had a low effect on L20-B cell line, while the inhibition rate forMCF-7 cell linereached 34% at a concentration of 0.084 mg/ml. For Leishmaniatropica,the total flavonoid and crude plant extractcaused maximum inhibition rates of 48% and 56%, respectively,at a concentration of 2.7 mg/ml for both. Cytotoxicity valueon Leshmaniadonovani was 20% for the crude extract at 1.35 mg/ml concentration, whereas it was11% for the total flavonoids  at a concentration of 0.169 mg/ml. In conclusion, the differences in anticancer and anti-parasitic  activitiesareattributed to differentcompounds present in each extract.

Background: medicinal plants are abundant in phytochemicals, which represent the richest bioresource of drugs are used against various diseases. Objective: The present study included an in-vitro antimicrobial investigation for one of wild Iraqi plant Lepidium draba on some skin infectious agents. Methods: The fresh aerial plant parts were macerated in 80% ethanol and subjected to phytochemical general test to investigate the plant active contents. Totat flavonoids were isolated through plant reflex in acidic aqeous solution to obtain the aglycone flavonoids using ethylacetate as an organic solvent. Qualification and quantification of the isolated total flavonoids were done in coressponding to standard s flavonoids. An antimicrobial activity for the crud ethanolic extract and the isolated total flavonoids had been carried out on some skin infectous agents using the following strain: Staph aureus, Pseudomoneus aerogenosa  and Candida albicans. Results: the outcome showed that the plant contain major active constituent included flavonoids Tannins, polysaccharides, alkaloids,saponines and Polyphenolic compounds.The plant contains many types of flavonoids including Rutin, Qurecetin, Kampferol and Luteolin, and each 100 g fresh aerial parts will contain 28 mg total flavonoids. The amount of each type of flavonoids were detected by HPLC technique. the extracted flavonoids at concentation of 4mg/ml showed potent effect upon the gram bacteria  negative pseudomonas aeruginosa  which is known to be more virulence than the gram positive strains but has no effect on Staphylococcus aureus. Also the extracted flavonoids appeared to be  affected against  the Candida albicans growth. Conclusion: the ethanolic extractv of  locally plant L.draba is effecient to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and decrease the chances of skin infection  that provided the justification for therapeutic potential as supplementary or alternative medicine.

Abstract. Hasan ZYM, Al-Halbosiy MMF, Al-Lihaibi RK, Al-Nauimi EH. 2022. Short Communication: Antimicrobial of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) volatile oil and cytotoxic effects against L20B and MCF-7cell lines. Biodiversitas 23: 5298-5301. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) has been used in different countries in folk remedies for coughs, malaria, pneumonia, and others for many years. The development of bacterial resistance to available antibiotics has obligated finding for new agents to serve as potent antibacterial drugs. The present investigation deals with the effect of volatile lemongrass oil cultivated in Iraq, on different bacterial species and evaluates the cytotoxic activity of the extracted oil on L20B and MCF-7cell cancer cell lines. The plant samples were collected from the college of science /Baghdad University /scientific garden and classified as C. citratus L. by the plant herbarium at the same college. The volatile plant oil was extracted from fresh leaves at the laboratory of the plant biotechnology department of Biotechnology Research Center at Al-Nahrain university/Iraq. With the aid of the Clevenger apparatus, a hydro-distillation method was employed to quantify the lemon grass’s volatile oil. The extracted essential oil and the plant crud maceration were screened for their antibacterial activity against two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, and Vibrio cholera) and two Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) using the well-diffusion method and disc diffusion method. The biological survey also included the cytotoxic effect of oil subjected to the anticancer activity in vitro on two cancer cell lines; L20B mouse cell line that expresses the genes for human cellular receptors for polioviruses, and the second line was the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. As a result of this screening study, it was shown that the plant seemed to be rich in essential oil content. The Iraqi cultivated plant produced 1.5%v/w essential oil. The volatile oil affected both Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains in comparison to the crud plant extract among the selected bacterial cultures, the highest antibacterial activity was recorded against the Gram-positive strain S. aureus by well diffusion method. Besides, the plant oil showed an inhibitory effect on L20B cell line with a percent inhibitory growth rate reaching 47.1% at 1.125 ?l/mL of the oil concentration. While for the other cell line, MCF-7 cell line, the inhibitory growth rate percentage appeared for almost all concentrations in comparison with control after 24 hours, and even at a concentration of 0.3125?l/mL, the inhibitory growth rate percentage reached up to 86%. This study was conducted to high lightened the benefits of this plant as little study had been done for an Iraqi cultivated plant and the results showed the potent biological effects of the plant especially the volatile oil as an antimicrobial and as a potent cancer inhibitory agent.

The present study included an in-vitro and in-vivo insecticidal investigation for one of wild Iraqi plant Capparis spinosa total flavonids on locally chicken lice (Menacanthus stramineus). Extraction of total flavonoids from 115g of fresh plant samples by reflex extraction with 600ml distilled water with (10% v/ v) HCl, for 8 hours continuously and the aglycon part was obtained with ethyl acetate. The acetate layer was dried and the residue was weighted and subjected for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Three flavonoids concentrations of Capparis spinosa total Flavonoid (5,3 and 1) mg/ml in 100ml distilled water to treat a collected sample of Bird Lice (Menacanthus stramineus) in vitro and in vivo at different life stages in comparison to a traditional anti lice drug treatment permethrin (0.5mg/ml) as positive control. Distilled water application was considered as negative control. Results of present study showed that the plant was rich with different types of flavonoids and the effect of flavonoid extracts of the Capparis spinosa plant in the decimation of the different stage of chicken body lice, as the concentration factor had non-significant effect on the killing of adult and a significant effect on the killing of eggs/nymph, and this effect increased with the increase in the concentrations of the extract.

The natural stilbene compound resveratrol (RSV) was extracted and purified locally from the black grape skin (Vitis vinifera) cultivated in Iraq. Cultures of human peripheral lymphocytes were obtained from the blood samples of patients with and without lymphoma to be treated with RSV at different concentrations. Three RSV concentration levels were subjected to isolated lymphocytes from blood samples of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and without lymphoma to estimate the change in TNF-α and IL-10. Resveratrol seemed to differently affect cytokines level in normal and lymphoma lymphocytes in relation to its concentration. The lowest resveratrol concentration (50 µg/ml) decreased TNF-α levels for patients without lymphoma and all NHL patients in contrast to the HL sample. Treating normal lymphocytes with a higher dose (1000 µg/ml) might elevate the levels of TNF-α in almost all samples. There was an inverse relationship between both cytokines in most treatments; with the increase in TNF-α level, there was a decrease in IL-10 level except in HL and normal lymphocytes treatment. The locally purified resveratrol could serve as a multi-target drug that modulates the immune system to improve body defense in patients suffering from lymphoma and in patients without lymphoma by altering cytokine levels in response to different resveratrol concentrations in a different manner.