Abstract
Introduction: Urginea maritima L. (U. maritima) has been utilized in traditional medicine, but in many cases, it is not based on scientific evidence due to limited studies, particularly in Palestine. Objective: This study aimed to assess the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic properties of four solvents fractions extracted from U. maritima bulbs collected from Palestine for the first time. Methods: The DPPH method was used to quantify antioxidant activity. Antimicrobial activity was tested employing the broth microdilution method. Anti-proliferative activity was evaluated utilizing colorimetric methods. Results: The DPPH free radical scavenging assay revealed that the U. maritima aqueous and methanol fractions demonstrated no antioxidant properties. In contrast, acetone and hexane fractions exhibited significant activity with IC50 values of 24 and 10.33 μg/mL, respectively. Acetone and hexane fractions had a broader spectrum of antimicrobial activity (ranging from 0.8 to 6.3 mg/mL) compared to aqueous and methanol fractions. Aqueous fractions reduced cell viability by 50% within 24-48 h. Methanol and acetone fractions reduced cell viability by 40% after 4 and 24 h (p-value <0.0001), while prolonged exposure to methanol, acetone, and hexane fractions for 48 hresulted in a substantial decrease in cell viability by 70% to 90% (p-value <0.0001). Conclusion: Our findings have revealed that acetone and hexane fractions exhibited strong antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities compared to the aqueous and methanol fractions. These observations offer significant insights into the potential therapeutic applications of U. maritima in combatting oxidative stress, microbial infections, and perhaps cancer. Further in vivo investigations are necessary to validate these findings in the future.