ANTIOXIDANT AND CYTOTOXIC POTENTIALS OF LALLEMANTIA IBERICA

Abstract

Lallemantia iberica, known commonly asdragon's head, is a flowering plant in the mint family,Lamiaceae. The plant has been cultivated for its seeds in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe since prehistoric times. The seeds have been used infolk medicineas stimulant anddiuretic [1, 2]. The leaves are used as apotherbin Iran [3]. In this study, the methanolic extract from the seeds ofLallemantia iberica (Lamiaceae), collected from Kermanshah area was obtained by soxhelet apparatus and its antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavengingassay andits cytotoxic activity was estimated using brine shrimp lethality assay. The results showed that the plant possesses moderate antioxidant and good cytotoxic potentials.