Potential Antioxidant, Antiproliferative and Hepatoprotective Effects of Crataegus Meyeri

Abstract

In this study, the potential antioxidant, antiproliferative and hepatoprotective effects of Crataegus meyeri Pojark. were investigated. The antioxidant activity of the ethanolic flower extracts was evaluated by using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ß-carotene-linoleic acid assays. Total phenolic contents were also measured. The results obtained showed that C.meyeri can act as a high radical scavenger reaching 88.67%. In vitro antiproliferative activity for the same extracts was determined by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay against PC3 and PC14 cells. The extracts of the plant at concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 1.25% were administered orally to the three experimental groups, including partially hepatectomized rats for 42 days. At the end of the experimental period, animals were sacrificed, and blood was collected for the assessment of serum levels of ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase). In biochemical assay, a significant decrease in the levels of serum ALT and AST was found in the experimental groups. Practical Applications: The antioxidant activity studies on Crataegus species have exhibited that these species possess considerable antioxidant potential because of their polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids and procyanidines. In this study, the findings are consistent with these observations. However, our results also demonstrated that C.meyeri exerts a protective effect against partial hepatectomy-induced liver injury in rats and could provide a new potential approach to inhibit the proliferation of human non-small cell lung cancer cells. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.