Abstract

Cancer and microbial infectious diseases are considered a global threat. Plants have been investigated across the world to exploit their potential anticancer and antimicrobial effective agents. In this study, two medicinal plant species native to Saudi Arabia, namely; Artemisia judaica and Artemisia sieberi were screened to assess their antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial potential activities as well as phytochemical compositions. The collected aerial parts were extracted by maceration with methanol. Cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities were investigated using the MTT and MIC assays, respectively. Free radical scavenging and antioxidant potential were assessed respectively by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) methods. The total flavonoid and phenolic contents of the crude methanolic extract were quantified using standard methods. Artemisia judaica displayed a strong cytotoxicity compared to A. sieberi while both species showed approximately similar bacterial and fungal growth inhibition. In contrast, A. sieberi displayed the highest phenol and flavonoid contents between the two species which was consistent with the higher antioxidant activity found in A. sieberi. It is concluded that both Artemisia species could be a promising source of antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial agents.

Key words: Artemisia judaica, Artemisia sieberi, anticancer, antimicrobial.