Investigation of composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic characteristics from Juniperus sabina and Ferula communis extracts

Abstract

Plants have been one the most valuable sources of biologically active compounds. This study investigates the chemical composition, as well as the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of methanolic and ethanolic extracts from Juniperus sabina and Ferula communis leaves, grown in Cyprus. Total phenolic and flavonoids content of methanol and ethanol extracts were quantified. Chemical constituents of the leaf extracts were analysed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Mome inositol was the predominant component in the J. Sabina’s extracts. The most dominant component in F. communis ethanolic extract was phytol, while in FCL methanolic extract 1,3,4,5 tetrahydroxycyclohexanecarboxylic acid. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging ability. Antioxidant activity results revealed concentration dependent activity for methanolic and ethanolic extracts from the plant leaves. Antibacterial activity of plant extracts was tested against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria using disk diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentration methods. Cytotoxic activity of plant extracts were evaluated on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, where they demonstrated their potential on the viability of both cell lines. The biological activity revealed by plants is due to the bioactive compounds found in the extracts. These bioactive components could be used as anticancer drug candidates.

Effects of age and tissue of Juniperus sabina L. on its phytochemical characteristics, anti-cholinesterase, antidiabetes, and anti-drug resistant bacteria activities

“…Figure 3 showed that 11 compounds had higher content in Group I and Group II, mainly in the leaves and branches of adult J. sabina . The leaves and branches of J. sabina were the main medicinal tissues in traditional ethnopharmacological applications, which also showed consistency with our clustering results ( Kavaz and Faraj, 2023 ). Significantly, the compounds detected in this study were low in young J. sabina , so age was probably a key factor in the quality of the medicinal tissues of J. sabina ( Ghasemzadeh et al., 2014 ).…”

“…Juniperus L, represented by 70 species in the world and 23 species in China, belongs to the Cupressaceae family ( Esteban et al., 2023 ; Kavaz and Faraj, 2023 ; Lim et al., 2023 ). The wood, bark and leaves of the juniper genus are rich sources of natural products that can be used as fragrances in alcoholic beverages and cosmetics, with high commercial application value ( Rangel et al., 2018 ).…”

“…Previous phytochemical studies of Juniperus species showed a rich chemical content, including diterpenes, triterpenes, phenolic acids, flavonoids and lignans ( Tavares and Seca, 2018 ; Lim et al., 2023 ). The relevant in vitro and in vivo studies indicated that many Juniperus species possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, hypotensive, anticancer, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective properties ( Al-Snafi, 2018a ; Al-Snafi, 2018b ; Gonçalves et al., 2022 ; Rehman et al., 2022 ; Spengler et al., 2022 ; Kavaz and Faraj, 2023 ).…”

New Insights into the Potential Inhibitory Effects of Native Plants from Cyprus on Pathogenic Bacteria and Diabetes-Related Enzymes

“…F. communis is the second Apiaceae plant in the shortlist of most active native plants. The inhibitory effect of alcoholic and organic extracts derived from F. communis has been determined, but MIC values tested were significantly higher (2000-12,000 µg mL −1 ) for other strains of B. cereus, E. coli, and S. aureus [36]. T. aegyptiacum also belongs to the Apiaceae family and is distributed to the Cyprus and Middle-East regions.…”

Germination Kinetics of Ferula communis L. Seeds, a Potentially Multipurpose-Use Wild Species

“…Ferula species have a long history of extract application in various medical and therapeutic contexts due to their well-documented significant biological activities. These extracts have been utilized in both human and veterinary practice to address a wide range of ailments, including headaches, digestive disorders, rheumatism, arthritis, and tumoral activity [2][3][4][5][6][7]. The biological activities of plant extracts from areal parts and roots were investigated in in vitro experiments involving several fungi, demonstrating fungitoxic effects on colony growth [8].…”