Medicinal plants produce various secondary metabolites as a part of their chemical defence and survival in nature. These compounds have a wide range of biological activities. Nowadays, medicinal plants are used as source of allelochemicals and new effective anticancer agents. Our previous studies revealed allelopathic potential of water extracts of Adonis vernalis L. (Ranunculaceae), Origanum vulgare ssp. vulgare L. and Nepeta nuda subsp. nuda (Lamiaceae). Present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the same extracts in vitro on human hepatoma cell line SK-HEP-1. Cell proliferation/viability was assessed using Premixed WST-1 Cell Proliferation Reagent.Adonis water extract (1.83mg/ml) had notable negative influence on cancer cell line tested. Oregano (3.5 mg/ml) also exerted negative effect, but to a lesser degree. On the contrary, nepeta water extract (6.59 mg/ml) had an opposite effect, stimulating cell proliferation. One possible explanation could be the type of extraction: after treatment with nepeta methanol extract (6.59 mg/ml) cell viability was significantly reduced.In conclusion, Adonis vernalis and Nepeta nuda subsp. nuda possess metabolites with growth inhibitory effect on human hepatoma cell line SK-HEP-1. Further research is needed to clarify biological activity of lower concentrations which are appropriate to enable the design of new anticancer drugs.
Traditional knowledge is of real danger to be lost in modern society. This research is a part of an ethnobotanical survey aimed on documentation of current status of folk medicine in Central and Northeastern Bulgaria. Semi-structured interviews with local knowledgeable persons were provided. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices consisting of Fidelity level (FL) and Informant consensus factor (ICF) were calculated as indicatives of local importance of species and prevalent uses of species. The respondents reported 15 category uses: to treat 12 health disorders, for prophylaxis/immune stimulation, other health connected conditions and plants included in the diet as food/spices. The highest number of plants was used for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (65.9%), cardiovascular problems (53.4%) and urinary system problems (46.6%). It should be noted that many herbal medicines are related to disease prevention (52.3%). Maximum FL value (100%) of Hypericum perforatum for digestive and nervous system disorders and Thymus sp. for respiratory system diseases was calculated. Numerous species and specific applications were listed in the paper, contributing to the base ethnobotanical data. Specific use categories indicate most spread health disorders and proved treatments in the studied regions. Results also reflect the growing interest in disease prevention (immune stimulation) and a healthy diet.
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