Antioxidative Properties and Toxicity of White Rose Extract

Background: rosa damascena is a traditional medicinal plant used in asia to treat several ailments. this study reports in vitro and in vivo antioxidative properties and toxicity of methanolic and aqueous extracts of white rose, an indigenous variety of rosa damascena from iran. methods: the antimicrobial activities, total phenolics, antioxidative properties and the blood sera ferric-reducing antioxidant power (frap) of the extracts were determined using standard methods. acute and subchronic toxicity and cytotoxicity of the extracts were tested. hematology and clinical chemistry parameters were investigated. results: s.aureus only was susceptible. the total phenol contents of the methanolic and aqueous extracts were 137.67±9.50 and 138.67±5.69 μg gallic acid equivalent/mg sample respectively. dpph scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition effects were higher than those of the synthetic antioxidants. a dose dependent frap was noted in blood sera of rats fed with the extracts. cholesterol/hdl and ldl/hdl ratios, fasting glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid levels decreased. ic50 of 4.5 µg/ml was determined for cytotoxicity of the extract against hela cell line. conclusion: antioxidative activity and cytotoxicity of white rose suggests its promising applications as a natural antioxidant and health promoting agent for the treatment and prevention of free radicals associated diseases