Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of capitula, leaf and stem extracts of Tanacetum cilicicum (Boiss.) Grierson

In this study, various extracts obtained different parts of Tanacetum cilicicum were investigated for in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Antioxidant activity was tested with three methods; namely 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, 2.2′‐azinobis (3‐ethylbenzothiazolin‐6‐sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging capacity, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of extracts were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Also, anti-inflammatory activity of these extracts was evaluated by 5-lipoxygenase inhibition assay. Ethyl acetate extract of capitula of T. cilicicum (TCCEA) showed the highest antioxidant activity with IC 50 values of 22.44 and 30.86 µg/mL against DPPH and ABTS radicals, respectively. At the same time, the highest ferric reducing power was found in the TCCEA (42.2 mg TE/g extract). The highest total phenolic contents have been detected in TCCEA and ethyl acetate extract of leaves of T. cilicicum (TCLEA) with value of 174.1 and 175.6 mg GAE/g extract, respectively. Similarly, the highest total flavonoid contents have been detected in TCCEA and TCLEA with values of 26.94 and 30.48 mg QE/g extract, respectively. TCCEA exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activity with IC 50 value of 9.44 µg/mL when compared to standard indomethacine (22.39 µg/mL). These results demonstrate that TCCEA has a significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Also, the results show that TCCEA is a good candidate for further bioactivity-guided fractionation in the search for new active anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds.