Pharmacological activities of Cuscuta reflexa (Shwe-nwe) stem and Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F.H. Wigg. (Dai-Si) leaf extracts

Abstract

Cuscuta reflexa (Shwe-nwe; SN) stem and Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F.H. Wigg. (Dai-si; DS) leaf were explored chemically and followed by antioxidant and antiproliferation activities determination. The samples were collected from Taunggyi University Campus, Taunggyi Township, Shan State in 2018. The preliminary phytochemical results showed that the presence of carbohydrate, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolic compound, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenoids, and organic acids are present in both samples. The samples (SN and DS) were observed to compose by protein (11.08 and 11.75%), moisture (26.0 and 8.59%), fat (2, 4 and1.81%), and fiber (14.08 and 10.81%) were found to be determined by using the AOAC method. In addition, the elements such as K, Cl, Fe, P and S are found as major elements in SN whereas Fe, K, Ca, Na, Si, Al, Mg in DS were found using ED XRF method. The total phenol contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (FCR) method. The total phenolic contents of MeOH and water extracts were 4.12, and 8.26 μg GAE/mg for SN and 2.13 and 1.04 μg GAE/mg for DS respectively. As pharmacological activities, the order of anti-proliferative effect against HepG2 cell line was observed to be methanol extract of DS (IC50=161.7 µg/ml) > SN (IC50= 183.7 µg/ml) by MTT assay. The antioxidant activity of DS ethanol extract (IC50 = 3.62 µg/ml) was found to be most potent and followed by DS methanol extract (IC50= 3.75 µg/ml), DS aqueous extract (IC50 = 4.48 µg/ml), SN methanol extract (IC50 = 5.81 µg/ml), SN aqueous extract (IC50 = 7.24 µg/ml), and SN ethanol extract (IC50 =12.21 µg/ml) determined by DPPH radical scavenging assay. Both samples possess significant pharmacological activities and potentially could be applied as herbal medicine.