Investigation of antioxidant and cytotoxic effects of some medicinal plants used in Aydin region

In this study, antioxidant activity of different extracts (diethyl ether, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and water (infusion and decoction)) prepared at different concentrations (10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 and 300 µg/ml) from 4 medicinal plants (Euphorbia platyphyllos L. Vitex agnus-castus L., Dracunculus vulgaris Schott. and Asphodelus aestivus Brot.) used by people for dietary, spicing and treatment purposes in Aydın region was investigated using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) method through DPHH free radical scavenging activity. In vitro cytotoxic effect of these extracts on MCF-7 human metastatic breast cancer cells was examined using Trypan Blue Exclusion Method and the effects of extracts on genetic material (DNA) of MCF?7 cells were researched using Comet assay method (SSGE-Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis). Rutin, a standard antioxidant, was used as control group in DPPH scavenging method and MCF-7 cells growing in culture medium and MCF-7 cells growing in culture medium+DMSO were used as controls in cytotoxicity experiments and comet assay.As a result, when DPPH radical scavenging activity of the extracts obtained from these plants is compared to rutin, differences were observed according to both extract type and concentrations. Among the experimented plants, extracts of E. platyphyllos represented the highest radical scavenging activity, and methanol extract turned out to be the most effective extract. Extracts obtained from D. vulgaris Schott stood out as the least effective in terms of DPPH radical scavenging activity.In vitro cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cells of extracts used in the experiments increased depending on application period and concentration increase (p<0,05). The highest cytotoxic effect on MCF- cells was represented by decoction extract, whereas the extracts with highest in vitro cytotoxic effect were obtained from V.agnus-castus.Selected high concentrations of plant extracts, which created high cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cells, led to significant DNA damage on MCF-7 cancer cells in comparison with control groups; this damage created on MCF-7 cells has statistical significance, too (p<0,05). Aqueous extracts displayed the highest genotoxic effect on MCF-7 cells; and the highest damaging effect was obtained with extracts taken from E. platyphyllos L.Key Words: Medicinal plants, Euphorbia platyphyllos L., Vitex agnus-castus L., Dracunculus vulgaris Schott., Asphodelus aestivus Brot., Comet assay, DPPH scavenging activity, MCF-7 cells, cytotoxicity, Trypan Blue Exclusion Method