Cytotoxic Effect and Antioxidant Capacity of Different Extracts of Centaurea virgate Lam.

Background and purpose: Centaurea virgate Lam. (Gole-Gandome-Booteii or Gole-Gandome-Tarkeii in Persian) from Asteraceae, is one of the medicinal plants which is used in numerous regions, including western regions of Iran. This study aimed at investigating the cytotoxic activity and antioxidant capacity of C.virgata extracts. Materials and methods: Petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts were prepared from plant aerial parts. Using MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay, cytotoxic effects of different concentrations of extract were investigated on HepG2, MCF7, HT-29 and A549 cancerous cell lines. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was measured by 2,2-Diphenyl- Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Potential (FRAP) assays. Results: According to the DPPH test, ethyl acetate extract showed moderate antioxidant activity compared to other extracts. The highest cytotoxic activity was found in dichloromethane extract (IC50 = 54.44 μg/ml) against A549 cell line, while other extracts did not show considerable toxicity. Conclusion: According to several reports on cytotoxicity and antioxidant effects of Centaurea plant group, further phytochemical and pharmacological studies are needed to clarify these results.