Introduction. Marigolds are characterized by a rich composition of biologically active substances, a complex effect on the body and low side effects. They are widely cultivated in Ukraine. However, activity of plants extracts depending on many factors, including the part of the plant, geographical source, extraction method, etc. So, we prepared extracts from marigold Tagetes patula L. flowers in 64% and 70% ethanol. The effects of the extracts on the morphological and functional properties of cells, antioxidant potential and antiviral activity were studied.
Methods. The influence of the extracts on viability of tumor cells (A549 – lung cancer and Нер-2 – laryngo carcinoma) were studied using fluorescence microscopy, MTT and trypan blue assays. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured by the free radical scavenging capacity according to the DPPH test. Antiviral activity was determined using yield reduction assay.
Results. Morphological changes of human tumor cell were detected, namely their rounding, granularity, increase in size, and swelling. The mitochondrial activity of the cells at the used concentrations of extracts was within 45 - 100%. However, a study of cell membrane permeability revealed inhibition of A549 and Hep-2 cells viability under the influence of extracts by 18-79% and 19-66%, respectively. In addition, analysis of the mitotic activity of tumor cells under the action of the extracts showed a significant decrease in their mitotic index. High antiradical activity and the ability of both extracts to absorb DPPH radical were shown. Also, a similar pronounced antiherpetic efficiency of both extracts was established, the decreasing of herpes simplex virus type 1 infectious titer was in the range of 1.7 - 4.7 log10 TCID50/ml.
Conclusions. These findings suggest, that extracts obtained from marigold Tagetes patula L. flowers may hold promise as a potential therapeutic agents.
