Phytochemical profile, cytotoxic, antioxidant, and allelopathic potentials of aqueous leaf extracts of Olea europaea

Abstract

Although bioactivities of Olea europaea (OE) have been widely described, most of them were related to its methanolic extracts or its essential oils, While data related to aqueous extracts still very scarce. Thus, in this study, the phytochemical composition, the antioxidant activity, the cytotoxic potential, and the allelopathic potential of aqueous leaf extracts from two varieties of Olea europaea were investigated and compared. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify the constituents of the tested plants, and spectrophotometric methods to evaluate antioxidant activities. The cytotoxic potential was investigated using murine oligodendrocytes (158N) while germination seeds’ test was used for allelopathic activity. HPLC analysis showed the presence of 10 phenolic compounds in both extracts. Chemlali variety showed the highest antioxidant and allelopathic activities. Regarding the cytotoxicity effect, a significant increase in cell viability was observed with both of our extracts compared to untreated cells. These results confirm that aqueous extracts from OE produce a range of substances with potential antioxidant, antifungal, and allelopathic effects without toxic effects. Thus, they could be used as an alternative of chemical compounds.