In vitro Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Extracts of Endemic Tanacetum erzincanense Together with Phenolic Content by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS

In this study, phenolic composition, and in vitro biological activities of ethyl acetate (EAE) and methanol (ME) extracts obtained from the aerial parts of endemic Tanacetum erzincanense were investigated. Total phenolic and flavonoid content of the extracts were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride colorimetric methods, respectively. Antioxidant capacity of the extracts was evaluated over radical scavenging (DPPH and ABTS) and metal ion reducing power (FRAP and CUPRAC) tests. Individual phenolic compounds in ME was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF/MS). Cell inhibitory potential of the extracts was tested against colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), and hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells by 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay. The results showed that ME contains higher TPC (64.4 mg GAE/g) and TFC (62.2 mg QE/g) than those of EAE (41.5 mg GAE/g and 40.0 mg QE/g). LC-ESI-QTOF/MS analysis revealed that ME is rich in phenolic compounds, namely, chlorogenic acid, apigenin, quercetin, luteolin, and diosmetin. Antioxidant assay results indicated that ME possess stronger activity than EAE and a power that competes with synthetic antioxidants. XTT assay results demonstrated that although both extracts displayed a considerable cytotoxicity against the tested cancer cell lines in a time and dose-dependent manner, ME expressed its selective inhibitory action towards MCF-7 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 20.4 μg/mL for 72 h. These results may serve as a basis for further in vivo studies to examine the potential applications of T. erzincanense in food and pharmaceutical industries.