cytobiochemical potentials of rosa damascenamill. extract

background and objectives: there is a profound inclination among people toward consumption of herbs and herbal products. some of these products are harmful while health-promoting potentials of some others should be discovered. in the present study the antibacterial, antioxidant, acute and subchronic and cancer cell toxicity of methanolic and aqueous extracts of rosa damascena mill. was studied. materials and methods: antimicrobial activities were determined by agar disc diffusion method. total phenol content was estimated. antioxidative properties of the extracts were determined by bleaching of beta carotene or 2,20-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (dpph). the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (frap) was expressed as gallic acid equivalents or known fe (ii) concentration for rose extracts and blood sera respectively. acute and subchronic toxicity and cytotoxicity of the extracts were tested using animal model or hela cells. hematology and clinical chemistry parameters were noted. results: staphylococcus aureus was found susceptible. the total phenol contents of the methanolic and aqueous extracts were 132.67±3.51 and 117.33±6.81 μg gallic acid equivalent/mg sample, respectively. antioxidative effects were higher than those of the synthetic antioxidants were. a dose dependent levels of frap was noted in blood sera of rats gavaged with the extracts. decrease in cholesterol/hdl and ldl/hdl ratios, fasting glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid is suggestive of promising therapeutic potentials of the extract. inhibitory concentration of 50% (ic50) of 4.5 µg/ml was determined for cytotoxicity of the extract against hela cell line. conclusion: the results suggest application of rose extract as a natural antioxidant and health-promoting agent.