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Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Artemisia absinthium and Citrus paradisi extracts repress viability of aggressive liver cancer cell line

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Abstract

Background

Numerous reports show that herbal medicines can be utilized in the treatment of different liver disorders. In this study, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities of individual as well as combined 80% ethanolic extracts of Artemisia absinthium leaves and Citrus paradisi peels were investigated.

Methods and results

Values of total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), DPPH-radical scavenging activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were measured to explore the antioxidant capacity. To assess antibacterial activity, four bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were used. Anticancer activity was assessed on Huh-7 (liver cancer) and Vero (non-cancerous) cell lines. FRAP activity of combined plants extract was higher as compared to their individual effect; the trend did not hold in the case of DPPH-radical scavenging activity. Antibacterial activity of combined extracts by disk diffusion method was observed only against E.coli. MTT results indicated that both plants had a cytotoxic effect on Huh-7 cell line but did not show any effect on Vero cell line. Our data showed a strong negative correlation between the amount of TPC, TFC, & DPPH radicals-scavenging activity and viability of Huh-7 cell line.However, no effect was shown on the non-cancerous cell line.

Conclusion

The ethanolic extracts of Artemisia absinthium leaves and Citrus paradisi peels can be used against liver cancer because of their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by grant from Akhuwat Faisalabad Institute of Research Science and Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Akhuwat Faisalabad Institute of Research Science and Technology (A-FIRST), 38000, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ali, Rida Iqbal, Muhammad Safdar, Muhammad Sajjad & Tayyaba Huma

  2. Institute of Pharmacy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), 38000, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Sehrish Murtaza

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Ghulam Mustafa & Shazia Anwer Bukhari

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  1. Muhammad Ali
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Ali, M., Iqbal, R., Safdar, M. et al. Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Artemisia absinthium and Citrus paradisi extracts repress viability of aggressive liver cancer cell line. Mol Biol Rep 48, 7703–7710 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-021-06777-0

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