Table 3.
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties of S. africana, S. officinalis ‘Icterina’ and S. mexicana aqueous extracts.
| Assays | S. africana | S. officinalis ‘Icterina’ | S. mexicana | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant Activity (EC50, μg/mL) | ||||
| DPPH• | 6.6 ± 0.7 b | 10.4 ± 0.2 a | 10.0 ± 1.1 a | 6.68 ± 0.7 b |
| Ferric reducing power | 21.2 ± 2.7 b | 42.3 ± 3.1 a | 34.0 ± 6.5 a | 16.1 ± 2.0 b |
| TBARS inhibition | 21.0 ± 0.3 c | 23.0 ± 0.2 b | 26.2 ± 0.9 a | 23.0 ± 1.0 b |
| β-Carotene bleaching inhibition | 128.6 ± 6.3 c | 146.6 ± 7.0 b | 164.6 ± 7.7 a | 41.7 ± 0.3 d |
| Anti-Inflammatory Activity (EC50, μg/mL) | ||||
| NO production inhibition | 47.8 ± 2.1 b | 60.3 ± 1.5 a | 66.3 ± 5.4 a | 16.0 ± 1.0 c |
| Cytotoxic activity (GI50, μg/mL) | ||||
| HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma) | 42.5 ± 4.2 a | 48.9 ± 4.4 a | 52.4 ± 4.9 a | 1.0 ± 0.2 b |
| HeLa (cervical carcinoma) | 58.8 ± 4.5 b | 89.2 ± 7.2 a | 61.0 ± 5.6 b | 2.0 ± 0.1 c |
| MCF-7 (breast carcinoma) | 61.3 ± 9.8 a | 71.0 ± 3.4 a | 66.2 ± 4.6 a | 1.0 ± 0.04 b |
| NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer) | 286.6 ± 17.6 a | 273.3 ± 14.3 a | 257.6 ± 21.4 a | 1.0 ± 0.1 b |
| PLP2 (non-tumour cells) | 336.4 ± 10.8 a | 304.9 ± 11.1 a | 296.8 ± 7.3 a | 3.0 ± 1.0 b |
DPPH•—2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical; NO—nitric oxide; TBARS—thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) were used as reference compounds in DPPH and ferric reducing power assays, respectively; Trolox was used as reference compound in the both TBARS and β-carotene inhibition methods; Dexamethasone and ellipticine were used as reference compounds in anti-inflammatory and cytotoxicity activities, respectively. Means followed by the same letters (a, b, c, d) in rows do not differ by Tukey’s test (p > 0.05).