https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.61.04.23.8071

Total Antioxidant Potential, Total Phenolic Profile and Cytotoxic Activity Against Brain Cancer: Melocan and Galdirik^§

Diaa Al Yassine¹, Nourhane El Massri¹, Gunnur Demircan², Gulay Bulut³, Demet Akin⁴ and Zeynep Tacer-Caba^5*

¹Graduate School of Engineering, Bioengineering Program, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

²Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Demiroglu Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey

³Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey

⁴Department of Pharmacology, Bahçeşehir University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

⁵Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

Article history:

Received: 2 January 2023

Accepted: 15 November 2023

Keywords:

C6 glioblastoma; Smilax excelsa L.; Trachystemon orientalis; brain cancer

Summary:

Research background. Brain cancer is known to be one of the most difficult types of cancer to cure. It has a serious impact on the lives of diagnosed people due to the insufficient treatment options and their side effects. The search for new alternative treatments is therefore ongoing. Melocan (Smilax excelsa L.) and galdirik (Trachystemon orientalis) are of great importance in both traditional culinary culture and traditional medicine around the Black Sea; however, the knowledge about their antioxidant and cytotoxic effects remains fairly limited.

Experimental approach. The aim of this study is to determine the antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of Smilax excelsa and Trachystemon orientalis on the C6 glioblastoma cell line. The plants of Smilax excelsa and Trachystemon orientalis were dried and extracted and then their total phenolic content (TPC) and phenolic profiles were studied. In addition, their total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) were determined using an assay kit. We also analysed the total antioxidant activity (TAA) using the DPPH radical scavenging assay and the cytotoxic effect on the glioma cells using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) assay.

Results and conclusions. According to the results, the water extracts of Smilax excelsa and Trachystemon orientalis had higher TPC (expressed in gallic acid equivalents on dry mass basis: 1158.17 and 262 mg/100 g, respectively) than the ethanol extracts. TAA expressed in Trolox equivalents on dry mass basis was 192.86 and 131.92 mg/100 g for Smilax excelsa and Trachystemon orientalis, respectively. The MTT assay showed that Trachystemon orientalis had a greater cytotoxic effect. In conclusion, the findings of the current study are promising for the development of new drugs.

Novelty and scientific contribution. This is the first study that aims to evaluate the potential cytotoxic activity of two local Turkish plants, Smilax excelsa and Trachystemon orientalis, against C6 glioblastoma cells. The results confirm that both plants could be used as good therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer in the future.

^§This paper was presented at the 10th International Congress of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists, 30 November-2 December 2022, Zagreb, Croatia