Total Phenolic Content, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity of Three Jacaranda Species (Bignoniaceae)

Species of the genus Jacaranda are often cited for their significant pharmacological potential, including antitumor and antioxidant activity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of hot and cold extraction methods for methanolic extracts of leaves and twigs of the species Jacaranda caroba, Jacaranda mimosifolia, and Jacaranda oxyphylla, as well as their cytotoxic capacities. Leaves and twigs were dried and subjected to extraction with hexane, chloroform, and methanol to obtain crude extracts. For antioxidant activity, the cold extraction of J. mimosifolia twigs yielded the best results, while the hot extraction provided the best results for J. caroba leaf extract. Regarding cytotoxic activity against THP-1 and PBMC cell lines, the chloroform and methanolic extracts from J. mimosifolia twigs exhibited the best selectivity indices (SI = 5.17 and SI = 5.50, respectively), results superior to those of the standard drug Cytarabine (SI = 4.4).