In vitro cytotoxicity of Condalia microphylla and Schinus johnstonii leaf extracts

TORRES C.V.; ESCOBAR F.M.; ARGUELLO C.

Encuentro; IV Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biología de La República Argentina; 2020

In the last decades, the interest for studying the biological activities of natural products for food and/or therapeutic purposes has been increased. Ethnobotanical research reveals that Condalia microphylla (piquillín, Cm) and Schinus johnstonii (molle, Sj) shrubs, from Patagonian Monte, are used as food (alcoholic beverage) and medicine (Cm, fever-reducing and laxative; Sj, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, healing, balsamic, anti-catarrhal, antirheumatic, purgative and antimicrobial). However, determining natural extractsafety is an essential preliminary step indispensable for its use. The aim of this work was to determine the in vitro cytotoxic effect of two leaf extracts from C. microphylla: ethanolic extract (EE-Cm) and methanolic extract (EM-Cm), and methanolic extract from S. johnstonii (EM-Sj) leaves. To this end, the different extracts were tested in a wide range of concentrations (0.025–2 mg/mL) on the eukaryotic cell line Vero (Cercopithecus aethiops). The Neutral Red colorimetric method was used to determine cell viability. Vero cells in untreated culture medium were used as control. The concentration that reduced 50% of cell viability (CC50) was determined from the cell viability vs. extract concentration curve. A dose-response relationship in the three extracts studied, with a relatively low toxicity, was observed. The CC50 for each extract was the following: EE-Cm = 0.775 mg/mL; EM-Cm = 0.480 mg/mL and EM-Sj = 0.170 mg/mL. Our results report for first time the in vitro cytotoxic concentrations from C. microphylla and S. johnstonii leaf extracts, reveal less cytotoxicity of EM from S. johnstonii than C. microphylla, and constitute the initial tests for subsequent cytotoxicity analysis of their fruits.