Assessment of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cholinesterase and cytotoxic activities of pomegranate (Punica granatum) leaves

This study evaluated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cholinesterase and cytotoxic activities of extracts with different polarities (hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, ethanol and methanol) obtained from Punica granatum leaves. Total phenolics (8.8–127.3 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight), flavonoids (1.2–76.9 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry weight), tannins (63.7–260.8 mg catechin equivalent/kg dry weight) and anthocyanins (0.41–3.73 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent/g dry weight) of different extracts were evaluated. The methanolic extract presented a good IC50 by DPPH and ABTS assays (5.62 and 1.31 mg/l respectively). The strongest 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibition activities were obtained for the ethanol extract (IC50 values of 6.20, 14.83 and 2.65 mg/l, respectively) and the best cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells was obtained for the methanol extract (IC50 = 31 mg/l). These important biological activities showed that P. granatum leaves could be a potential source of the active molecules intended for applications in pharmaceutical industry, but only after additional in vivo experiments.