Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant, Enzyme Inhibitory and Cytotoxic Activities of Flowers and Leaves of Malva Sylvestris L.

Abstract

The objective of the study was to assess the biological functions and chemical composition of Malva sylvestris L. from Ida Mountain of Türkiye, a medicinal plant used for a variety of therapeutic applications. The antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, Iron (II) chelate activity), enzyme inhibition (acetylcholinesterase), and cytotoxic properties of methanol extracts prepared from leaves and flowers were investigated. The chemical composition of the extracts was evaluated in terms of spectrophotometric (total phenol and total flavonoid) and chromatographic (HPLC) techniques. IC50 value of the DPPH radical scavenging effect of the flower extract, with the highest total phenol and flavonoid content, was found to be 0.5 mg/mL. The ABTS radical scavenging effect was 2.56 mmol/ L Trolox. While the extracts’ chelating activity was not as great as that of EDTA, the enzyme inhibition of the flower extract was determined to be 37.67%. Flower extract was shown to have the most cytotoxic activity in both Hela and Hep G2 cell lines. In HPLC analysis, amounts of the detected phenolic compounds were determined, and method validation was performed. This research has given us a better understanding of the traditional use of the M. sylvestris plant from Türkiye, which stands out for its therapeutic properties.