Abstract
Alkanna tinctoria (L.) Tausch produced naphthoquinones known as
DNA-topoisomerases inhibitors has been used as the traditional therapeutic agent, especially wound healing in
Turkey. The antimicrobial activity against 9 clinical microorganisms and
cytotoxicity on canine mammary carcinoma cell line (CMT-U27) of Alkanna tinctoria root extracts (methanol,
ethanol and acetonitrile) were researched by using MTT analysis. Alkanet root extracts showed antimicrobial activity
against 2 (Proteus spp. and S. haemolyticus)
out of 9 microorganisms. In vitro study towards CMT-U27 cancer cells, acetonitrile
root extract at 100 µg/mL concentration showed
strong and significant anti-proliferative effect. Our
results are manifested that the Alkanet acetonitrile root extract can be
evaluated as potential therapeutic agent, immediately after identification of bio-active metabolits in extract.