Hassan Valizadeh
1, Ali Sonboli
2, Fatemeh Mahmoodi Kordi
3, Hossein Dehghan
4, Mir Babak Bahadori
5*1 Faculty of Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Miyaneh Branch, Miyaneh, Iran
2 Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G. C., Tehran, Ira
3 Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
4 Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
5 Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Background:
Although
ferns possess great potential because of some interesting medicinal properties,
the phytochemical potential of ferns is relatively unexplored. Due to the lack
of scientific evidence to support the traditional use of fern species in Iran,
the present work focuses on evaluating the phenolic content, cytotoxicity and
antioxidant properties of these plants. Methods: Toxicity of
extracts was assessed by the brine shrimp test. Screening of antioxidant
capacity of the rhizome and aerial parts of eight fern species was carried out
using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. The total phenol content (TPC)
of the methanol extracts were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Results:
Compared to podophyllotoxin (with LC50 of 30 µg/ml), Athyrium
filix-femina and Pteris cretica demonstrated a significant cytotoxic
activity (with LC50 of 6.1 and 15.5 µg/ml, respectively). The
methanol extract of Polystichum aculeatum was found to have significant
antioxidant properties with IC50 value of 0.45 ± 0.02 µg/ml. Athyrium
filix-femina exhibited the strongest ABTS radical scavenging activity
(29.85 ± 1.39 µmol Trolox/g plant). Conclusion: Rhizome parts
generally had higher DPPH scavenging capacity and showed better ABTS scavenging
activity than aerial parts. Results showed that these ferns could be used for
discovery of new and biologically active natural compounds.