Bioactivity assays on Carlina acaulis and C. acanthifolia root and herb extracts

Abstract

The present study describes investigation on chemical profile and pharmacological properties of hydromethanolic extracts of Carlina acaulis and C. acanthifolia roots and herbs. In order to investigate the antioxidant properties several methods were applied: FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) assay, TBA assay (Fe2+/ascorbic induced lipid peroxidation) and scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and OH radicals. In assessing anti-inflammatory activity the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema test was used, with indomethacin as a reference drug. Anti-ulcer activity of the extracts was investigated using ethanol-induced stress ulcer in rats and ranitidine as a reference drug. Antimicrobial activity was tested on five bacterial strains and one strain of fungi using the agar diffusion method. Investigated extracts exhibited considerable dose-dependent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activities. Extracts of herbs were more active than the corresponding root extracts. All extracts exhibited moderate activity against all tested microorganisms. Herb extracts of C. acaulis and C. acanthifolia, as well as their root extracts exhibited similar bioactivity, which could be explained with their similar chemical composition revealed by HPLC analysis. The pharmacological activities of investigated Carlina extracts demonstrated here will serve as the basis for their further investigations in order to estimate their impact on human health and nutrition.