A unique phenolic extraction method from olive oil macerate of Hypericum perforatum using DMSO: Assessment of in vitro anticancer activity, LC-MS/MS profile, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity

Abstract

Abstract Hypericum perforatum, one of the most prominent traditional medicinal plants widely consumed worldwide due to its antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antidepressant, anticancer effects, are also utilized in external applications for the treatment of wounds and burns. H. perforatum has been attracting the scientists’ interest with its rich phenolic content and various biological activities over the decades. In this study, we report, for the first time, anticancer activity of DMSO extract from olive oil macerate of H. perforatum against human prostate cancer cells (PC-3) in vitro. To assess the content of the DMSO extract, LC-MS/MS, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity analyses were performed. According to in vitro MTT cell proliferation assay, the IC50 value of the obtained DMSO extract was found 0.21% against PC-3 cells. Among 19 compounds analyzed in LC-MS/MS, quercetin was found the most dominant compound with 18688.7 µg/L. The total phenolic contents and total antioxidant capacity of the extract from olive oil macerate of H. perforatum were found 417.75 µg gallic acid equivalent/ml extract and 3.32 mM Trolox equivalent, respectively. Our results showed that DMSO extract from olive oil macerate of H. perforatum with its rich phenolic content displayed a promising anticancer activity against PC-3 cells in vitro. Also, the new method we presented for the first time in this study, presents an alternative extraction method for herbal products exhibiting complex phytochemical components, such as oily macerates.