Phenolic Content, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Ethanolic Extract of Salix alba

The total phenolic content, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of hot ethanolic extract of Salix alba bark were investigated. The antioxidant properties and the total phenolic contents of the extract were assessed by 1, 1-Diphenyl- 2-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, respectively. The extract showed significant antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. The highest effect was observed on C. albicans, followed by S. aureus then P. aeruginosa. While, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were not affected. The cytoxicity of S. alba extract against the Human Leukemia (HL-60) cell line was evaluated, it had been noticed that the extract significantly reduced the viability of HL-60 cells in a dose- and time-dependent response relationship. Findings from the present study indicate that extract is highly cytotoxic to HL-60 cells. The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of S. alba extract seemed to be positively correlated with their antioxidant potentials.