Investigation of the protective effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Satureja khuzestanica on PC12 cells and its phytochemical properties using two extraction methods

Subject Areas : Environmental ecology

Roya Moghimi ^{1 *} , H. Rafati ² , A. Ali Ahmadi ³ , Akram Taleghani ⁴

1 - Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
2 -
3 - Department of BiologyMedicinal Plants and Drugs Res. Inst.Shahid Beheshti Univ.
4 - Department of chemistry, Faculty of science, Gonbad Kavous university

Received: 2024-11-29 Accepted : 2025-03-05 Published : 2025-03-21

Keywords: Satureja khuzestanica Total phenolic content Flavonoid content Antioxidant activity Neuronal cells Alzheimer's disease,

Abstract :

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases. Alzheimer's disease is one of the major health challenges of the modern era. Satureja khuzestanica, a plant endemic of Iran, has numerous medicinal properties. In this study, the hydroalcoholic extracts of S. khuzestanica were prepared using two different extraction methods: maceration and sonication. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant activity using the DPPH assay, were evaluated. Additionally, the cytotoxic and neuroprotective effects of the extracts were investigated on PC₁₂ neuronal cells to assess their potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The sonication extraction method yielded the highest total phenolic content of 705.8 ± 28.8 mg QE/g extract. The flavonoid content was also higher in the sonication extract compared to the maceration extract. The sonication extract exhibited a remarkable antioxidant activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 2.6 ± 0.0 μg/mL (the IC₅₀ value for the BHT standard was 13.7 ± 0.3 μg/mL). The results of the cytotoxicity assay showed that the hydroalcoholic extract did not exhibit cytotoxicity towards the PC₁₂ cells, and at a concentration of 25 μg/mL, the extract was able to protect the neuronal cells against oxidative stress. The findings of this study provide new insights into the potential application of medicinal plants, such as S. khuzestanica, in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The hydroalcoholic extract obtained using the sonication method exhibited superior phytochemical characteristics and more potent neuroprotective properties compared to the maceration extract. Future studies evaluating the efficacy of these extracts in animal or human models of Alzheimer's disease would be valuable.

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