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Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, genotoxic and anticancer activities of lichen Cetraria islandica

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Abstract

In this study, the antioxidant, antimicrobial, genotoxic and anticancer activities of Cetraria islandica methanol extract were determined by using free radical and superoxide anion scavenging activity, reducing power, determination of total phenolic compounds and flavonoid contents, broth microdilution minimal inhibitory concentration against five bacterial and five fungal species, cytokinesis block micronucleus (MN) assay on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and the microculture tetrazolium test on FemX (human melanoma) and LS174 (human colon carcinoma) cell lines. As a result of the study, we found that C. islandica methanol extract exhibited moderate free-radical-scavenging activity with IC50 values 678.38 μg/ml. Moreover, the tested extract had effective reducing power and superoxide anion radical scavenging. The minimal inhibitory concentration values against the tested microorganisms ranged from 0.312 to 5 mg/ml. The extract increased MN frequency in a dose dependent manner, but it was significant in higher tested concentrations (50, 100 and 200 μg/ml). No significant differences were observed between NDI values in all treatments and untreated PBLs. In addition, the tested extract had strong anticancer activity towards both cell lines with IC50 values of 22.68 and 33.74 μg/ml. It can be concluded that the tested extract exhibited a certain level of in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, genotoxic and anticancer activities.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Grant No. III41010; 173032, 175011).

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, 34000, Kragujevac, Serbia

    Darko Grujičić, Ivana Stošić, Marijana Kosanić, Branislav Ranković & Olivera Milošević-Djordjević

  2. Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Tatjana Stanojković

  3. Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000, Kragujevac, Serbia

    Olivera Milošević-Djordjević

Authors
  1. Darko Grujičić
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  2. Ivana Stošić
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  4. Tatjana Stanojković
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  5. Branislav Ranković
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  6. Olivera Milošević-Djordjević
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Correspondence to Olivera Milošević-Djordjević.

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Grujičić, D., Stošić, I., Kosanić, M. et al. Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, genotoxic and anticancer activities of lichen Cetraria islandica . Cytotechnology 66, 803–813 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-013-9629-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-013-9629-4

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