Determination of the cytotoxic effect on human colon cancer and phenolic substance content of the endemic species Sideritis ozturkii Aytaç & Aksoy

Sideritis L. species that we based on in this study are annual or perennial flowering plants which are widely used as herbal medicine, and also called mountain tea or shepherd's tea. They are common in the Mediterranean Region, the Balkans, Iberian Peninsula, Greece, Central Asia and Anatolia. They are xerophytic shrub or herbs between 8 and 90 cm. They usually grow on arid cliffs, calcareous slopes, high-altitude mountainous regions (650-1400 m). Full bloom usually occurs in July. It is commonly used in Albania, Greece, Kosova, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Asia, Central Europe and Anatolia as herbal tea and for therapeutic purposes. It is usually used to aid digestion, strengthen the immune system, suppress common cold, allergy, sinusitis and influenza and as therapeutic for pain and mild anxiety. The methanol extracts obtained from the flower and leaf parts of the species Sideritis ozturkii Aytac & Aksoy, which is endemic in Turkey, were applied at different concentrations and for different times on DLD-1 human colorectal cancer cells cultured in RPMI-1640 medium. The cytotoxicity measurements were made through the use of MTT and the cytotoxicity indices were calculated using an Elisa Reader. As a result of the study, it was determined that the flower and leaf extracts obtained from the species Sideritis ozturkii exhibit cytotoxic activity on DLD-1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. It is believed that the extracts obtained from the species Sideritis ozturkii could be beneficial as a natural anti-proliferative agent.