Antioxidant and proliferative effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Symphytum officinale on 3T3 Swiss albino mouse fibroblast cell line

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the antioxidant and proliferative effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Symphytum officinale. Antioxidant activities of extracts were determined by 2,2diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging and Folin-Ciocalteu assays. Proliferative effects of the extracts were evaluated on 3T3 Swiss albino mouse fibroblast cells by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and neutral red uptake (NRU) assays. According to the results, ethanolic extract exhibited stronger radical scavenging activity against DPPH radical (IC50 value of 39.97 μg/ml) in comparison with aqueous extract (IC50 value of 96.21 μg/ml). Similarly, superoxide radical scavenging activity of ethanolic extract (IC50 value of 190.76 μg/ml) was found to be higher than aqueous extract (IC50 value of 307.42 μg/ml). The total phenolic contents of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of S. officinale were found as 116.93 mg GAE/g and 99.49 mg GAE/g, respectively; showing that the greater amount of phenolic compounds leads to more potent radical scavenging effect. Also, the results of cell proliferation assays indicated that both extracts have proliferative activity on 3T3 Swiss albino mouse fibroblast cells. Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of S. officinale showed promising antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity and proliferative effect, thus justifying their traditional use.