Phytochemical and biological study of centaurea cineraria l. cultivated in syria

Abstract

In the current study, C. cineraria plant was subjected to chemical and biological study. The plant extract was screened for its phytochemical constituents, its quantitative content of phenolics, and its activity in scavenging free radical (DPPH). The plant was subjected to a biological study, which includes investigating the potential cytotoxic effect of the plant towards human erythrocytes membranes, and the ability of the plant to protect erythrocytes against oxidative hemolysis. The results indicated that the extract did not contain saponins. Our study also showed that the extract contains a good content of phenolics (41.12±0.6) mg GAE/g, and has good DPPH radical scavenging activity (79.96%±1.14). The results showed that the extract does not have a toxic effect on erythrocytes membranes, and it is highly effective in protecting the membranes from oxidative damage (IC50 value was 408.86 μg/ml). We hope that future studies will focus on the pharmaceutical aspects of this plant, and will not be considered as ornamental plant only.