PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENTS AND ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANT EXTRACTS

Background: Several plants can be used to extract phytochemicals and compounds with different bioactivities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer characteristics. Using plant extracts with bioactive activities is superior to the usage of synthetic chemicals present in drug production. Method: Determination chemical composition were performed for plant leave powder. Aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts from Calendula tripterocarpa and Lepidium sativum were prepared and estimation the total phenolic and flavonoid content. Identified of phenolic and flavonoid compounds using HPLC. Antitumor activity of extracts on cell line (HEPG2 and MCF-7) were performed and estimated. Results: Calendula tripterocarpa leaves methanolic extract have the highest content of both total phenols and flavonoids, which were 144.03 mg GAE/g and 25.01 mg QE/g, respectively. While, the total polyphenols and flavonoids of Lepidium sativum seeds, were 107.21 mg GAE/g and 12.18 mg QE/g, respectively. The results of antitumor activity showed the dead cell percentage by methanolic extract of Calendula tripterocarpa were (510.1 and533.4) of HEPG2 and MCF-7) at concentration of 15μg/ml. Followed by methanolic extract of Lepidium sativum, which were (407.2 and 452.5) of HEPG2 and MCF-7) at the same a concentration. Increasing the concentration to 30and 60μg/ml the resulted in more higher percentage of HEPG2 and MCF-7dead cell. Conclusion: Calendula tripterocarpa and Lepidium sativum have antitumor activity against liver and breast cancers cell lines, and the most effective extract of both plants was the methanolic extract.