A bioanalytical approach of chemical composition, bioactivity and cytotoxicity of <i>Berteroa incana</i> L. herb

<p><i>Berteroa incana</i> is a wild herb widespread in temperate zones which was practically not studied for its biological effects. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of <i>B. incana</i> were assessed for the content in polyphenols and the related antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and the polysaccharide extract for the content in saccharides and the associated cytostatic effect. The results obtained highlighted that the methanolic extracts of <i>B. incana</i> contain moderate amounts of polyphenols, the most representative been isoquercitrin 4.41 ± 0.02 mg100 g⁻¹dry weight plant material (DW), quercetin 4.21 ± 0.05, sinapic acid 5.23 ± 0.12 and ferulic acid 5.05 ± 0.12 mg 100 g⁻¹DW, with correlated moderate antioxidant activities (IC₅₀ 13.40 ± 0.01 μg mL⁻¹) and absent antibacterial activity. The polysaccharide fraction showed high content in saccharides, especially in arabinose (312.22 ± 7.54 mg g⁻¹ polysaccharide extract) and glucose (279.22 ± 5.59), and promising cytostatic effect.</p