Abstract
Background
Artemisia campestris L. (AC) leaves are widely recognized for their importance in traditional medicine. Despite the considerable amount of research conducted on this plant overworld, the chemical composition and the biological activity of the leaves grown in Tunisia remains poorly investigated. In this study of AC, various solvent-based extraction methods were employed (hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol) to investigate its bioactive constituents by LC-MS analysis, and their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal and anticancer activities.
Results
Data analysis revealed diverse compound profiles in AC extracts. Methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts exhibited higher polyphenolic content and antioxidant activities, while Hexane showed superior phytosterol extraction. Ethyl acetate extract displayed potent antimicrobial activity against multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, all extracts demonstrated, for the first time, robust antifungal efficacy against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. Cytotoxicity assays revealed the significant impact of methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts on metastatic breast cancer and multiple myeloma, examined for the first time in our study. Moreover, further analysis on multiple myeloma cells highlighted that the ethyl acetate extract induced apoptotic and necrotic cell death and resulted in an S phase cell cycle blockage, underscoring its therapeutic potential.
Conclusions
This investigation uncovers novel findings in AC, notably the identification of lupeol, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol, previously unreported. The study sheds light on the promising role of AC extracts in therapeutic interventions and underscores the need for continued research to harness its full potential in medicine and pharmaceutical development.