Biological potentials and cytotoxicity of various extracts from endemic Origanum minutiflorum O. Schwarz & P.H. Davis

The aim of the present study was to investigate antioxidative, antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of endemic Origanum minutiflorum (O. Schwarz & P.H. Davis). Antioxidant activities of the extracts from O. minutiflorum were evaluated by using DPPH radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching and metal chelating activity assays. In addition, the amounts of total phenol components in the plant extracts were determined. In the β-carotene bleaching test, the extracts exhibited in the range of 58.1 ± 0.2% – 98.2 ± 0.3% inhibition against linoleic acid oxidation. The antimicrobial efficiency of the plant was evaluated according to agar well diffusion and microdilution broth methods. The n-hexane extract of O. minutiflorum having an inhibition zone of 20.2 ± 0.2 mm, had the maximum antibacterial efficiency against Shigella sonnei RSKK 878. Cytotoxic effects of the extracts were determined by MTT assay. O. minutiflorum extracts (at concentration of 10–100 μg/ml) did not show any cytotoxic effect on baby hamster kidney fibroblast cell line. The results showed that O. minutiflorum could be used as a natural source in food industry.