Bioactive extracts from Senecio samnitum Huet

The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of extracts from Senecio samnitum Huet are reported. Extracts from S. samnitum were able to inhibit the in vitro proliferation of four human tumor cell lines. The dichloromethane extract demonstrated effective cytotoxic activity with IC50 of 22.89 microg mL(-1) on the Caco-2 cell line and the EtOAc extract had IC50 value of 11.91 microg mL(-1) against the COR-L23 cell line. The n-hexane extract displayed the best antibacterial activity against Gram positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus. The antifungal activity of all extracts was also seen, particularly against the dermatophytes Trichophyton tonsurans and Microsporum gypseum for the methanol and n-hexane extracts.