The Biological and Nutraceutical Properties of Methanolic Extract of Medicago sativa in Iran

Background: Medicago sativa has been used as food by both humans and animals. However, its nutraceutical properties have yet to be clarified, and thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the biological properties of M. sativa.Methods: Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the methanolic extract of M. sativa were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric and Woisky-Salatino methods. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of this plant were examined using in vitro assays. The anti-malarial and anti-platelet aggregation activities were evaluated by heme detoxification and turbidometric methods, respectively. Cytotoxicity and brine shrimp lethality assays were used for toxicological evaluations.Results: M. sativa methanolic extract had ۳۸.۷±۰.۵۷ mg of gallic acid equivalents/g extract and ۲۷.۶±۰.۳۱ mg rutin equivalents/g extract concentration of phenolic and flavonoid contents. The strongest antibacterial activity was against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of ۶۲.۵ mg/mL, and ۶۲.۵ mg/mL, respectively. The extract showed antioxidant activity with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC۵۰) of ۱۷۹.۱ μg/m. Regarding the anti-platelet activity, the extract with a concentration of ۲۰ mg/mL inhibited the arachidonic acid pathway by ۲۳.۷۰%. The brine shrimp lethality assay results showed that LC۵۰ of M. sativa extract was ۱۷.۶۲۰۷۴ μg/mL; while the cytotoxicity assay revealed that the extract at concentration of ۱۰۰۰۰ μg/mL was toxic for human dermal fibroblasts and corneal epithelial cells.Conclusion: Our study elucidated the antibacterial, antioxidant, and antiplatelet aggregation properties of the methanolic extract of M. sativa.

کلیدواژه ها:

Medicago sativa ، Biological activity ، Microbiology ، Nutraceutical property ، Iran