Determination of chemical composition and antioxidant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and enzyme inhibition activities of Rumex acetosella L. plant extract

The phenolic composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial activity, enzyme inhibition activity, and cytotoxic activity potentials of the plant Rumex acetosella L. (R. acetosella) were examined in this study. Materials and Methods: The chemical composition of R. acetosella methanol extract was identified by the LC–MS/MS method. The antioxidant activity was tested using β-carotene/linoleic acid, DPPH free radical scavenging, ABTS cation radical scavenging, CUPRAC reducing power, and metal chelating activity methods. The cytotoxic activity was determined by the MTT assay using human ovarian adenocarcinoma (Skov-3), glioblastoma (U87), human dermal fibroblasts (HDF), and human colorectal adenocarcinoma (CaCo-2) cell lines. The antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts was tested on gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeuriginosa) and gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) using the in vitro minimum inhibition concentration method (MIC). Enzyme inhibition activity of R. acetosella methanol extract was measured spectrophotometrically against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes. Results: The findings showed that the major components of the methanol extract content were luteolin-7-O-glucoside (1.599 m/L), polydatin (91,024 m/L), and shikimic acid (0.773 m/L). It was determined that the extract and standard antioxidant (a-tocopherol) results in DPPH•, and ABTS• + tests performed to determine the antioxidant activity were close to each other, and this value was more effective than the standard antioxidant (α-tocopherol) in the CUPRAC test. These results suggested that the plant’s antioxidant potential was higher when compared with reference antioxidant compounds. It was determined that the methanol extract of R. acetosella had a weaker effect on the growth of the tested microorganisms than the antibiotics used as standard. The activity of the GST and AChE enzymes was found to be severely inhibited by the methanol extract of R. acetosella. Conclusion: Based on these findings, R. acetosella L. is a medicinal and commercially beneficial plant that warrants further investigation.