AbstractObjective: The aim of this study is to investigate the in vitro cytotoxicity and iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) inhibitory, and antioxidant activity in order to assess the traditional usage of Liquidambar orientalis Mill resin extract.Methods: Different solvent extracts of Liquidambar orientalis Mill resin were prepared. The cytotoxicity of extracts was determined using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)- 2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazoliumbromide) assay. HeLa (Human cervix adenocarcinoma), A-549 (Human alveolar adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (Human breast adenocarcinoma), CaCo-2 (Human colon colorectal adenocarcinoma), mPANC96 (Human pancreas adenocarcinoma), PC-3 (Human prostate adenocarcinoma), U87MG (Human glioblastoma- astrocytoma) and as a normal cell line HEK293 (Human embryonic kidney cells) and Vero (African green monkey kidney epithelial cells) were used for testing cytotoxicity. RAW 264.7 (murine macrophage cell lines) was used to determine the inhibition levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). HL-60 (human acute myeloid leukemia) was used to determine antioxidant activity as DCF production per cent.Results: Hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and water extracts were prepared, and their iNOS inhibitory, cytotoxic and antioxidant activity were investigated. The estimated IC50 values of extracts varied from 6.68 to 48.90 μg/ ml after treatment with different doses of extracts for 48 h. Inhibition of the hexane, dichloromethane, methanol, and water extracts on LPS-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophage were showed that the all extracts inhibited NO production in activated RAW 264.7 cells, except methanol extract. Hexane, dichloromethane and methanol extracts inhibited NO production with ICConclusion: This study is the first report showing the potential of Liquidambar orientalis Mill resin extracts for cytotoxicity, iNOS inhibition and the antioxidant activity as an alternative therapeutic approach for traditional uses. The results demonstrated that Liquidambar orientalis dichloromethane resin extracts showed strongest cytotoxic effect while all extracts except methanolic extracts exhibited moderate iNOS inhibition. All extracts other than hexane have a potent antioxidant effect in the cellular-based assay. In conclusion, further studies should focus on the purification of the active components of this extracts and to investigate the possible mode of action to obtain a better understanding of their potential use as cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents.
Briarenols Q–T: Briaranes from A Cultured Octocoral Briareum stechei (Kükenthal, 1908)
