ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND CYTOTOXICITY OF PLANTS COMMONLY USED IN VETERINARY MEDICINE

Ethanolic extracts of Thai medicinal plants traditionally used in veterinary practices, Cassia siamea, Pueraria mirifica, Kaempferia parviflora, and Tinospora crispa, were investigated for their antioxidant property. To characterize the antioxidant potential, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay was performed. The extracts of C. siamea, P. mirifica, K. parviflora, and T. crispa exhibited antioxidant activity in a concentration dependent manner with EC₅₀ values of 0.039±0.005, 0.051±0.010, 0.082±0.015, and 0.141±0.033 mg/ml, respectively. Among these, C. siamea and P. mirifica exhibited potential antioxidant. To allay safety concerns on use in veterinary medicine, cytotoxic effect of these extracts using XTT reduction assay was evaluated on mouse P19 embryonal carcinoma cells. Extracts showing the highest cytotoxicity were those of K. parviflora, and T. crispa. Conversely, both P. mirifica and C. siamea dramatically increased the percentage of cell viability when compared to untreated cells. In conclusion, P. mirifica and C. siamea showed the highest antioxidant activity as well as highest promotion of cell proliferation. Our study could be beneficial for the development of herbal extracts for pharmaceutical application or food supplements in order to promote growth of livestock.