Investigation of the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of the extracts obtained from Alcea heldreichii (Boiss.) Boiss. (Malvaceae)

This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activities of ethanol extracts obtained from the different parts (leaf, flower, fruit, stem and whole plant) of the plant Alcea heldreichii (Boiss.) Boiss. (Malvaceae) against 13 bacterial strains, and their cytotoxic effects on the cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) and the human kidney epithelial cell line (293T). Leaf, flower, fruit, stem and whole plant parts of the A. heldreichii species were dried. Dried plant specimens were grinded, and then the samples were extracted with ethanol on a Soxhlet instrument for 4 hours. Then, plant extracts were obtained by evaporating the ethanol by using an evaporator. These procedures were performed separately for leaf, flower, fruit, stem and the whole plant, respectively. Disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method were used to determine the antimicrobial activities of the extracts. WST-1 test was used to determine the cytotoxic effects of the extracts. The findings of the present study showed that ethanol extracts obtained from the plant A. heldreichii did not exert any antimicrobial activity against the bacterial strains tested. Cytotoxicity test results that plant extracts showed cytotoxic effects on the cervical adenocarcinoma cell line (HeLa) and the human kidney epithelial cell line (293T).