Phytochemical composition and biological activity of Echium italicum L. plant extracts

The aim of this study was to assess the biological activity of five different extracts of the plant Echium italicum L. and to determine their phytochemical composition. The chloroform, ethyl-acetate, ethanol, acetone and petroleum ether extracts of the plant were examined. The ethanol extract of the plant E.italicum had the highest content of total phenolics and flavonoids, while the chloroform and acetone extracts had the highest tannin content. Several different methods were used to determine the antioxidant activity of the tested extracts, and the ethanol and acetone extracts of the plant displayed the best antioxidant activity. HPLC analysis showed that the main phenolic compounds in the tested extracts were rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and rutin. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts was conducted by to the microdilution method. The results of MIC ranged from 3.91 to 500 mu g/ml. Determinations of cytotoxic activity were done according to the MTT assay on human rhabdomyosarcom cells (RD), a cell line derived from human cervix carcinoma (Hep2c) and a cell line derived from mouse fibroblast carcinoma (L2OB). This study suggests that the examined extracts of the plant E. italicum L. may serve as sources of antioxidants and antibiotic agents.