Determination of cytotoxic, apoptotic, necrotic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Aloe vera and Abies cilicia subsp. cilicica

Cancer is one of the most common pathologies in the world, leading to a reduced standard of living and even death for centuries. Despite promising developments in treatment methods in recent years, the expected level of treatment and success hasn’t yet been achieved due to the side effects and cost of treatment methods and the fact that some drugs are still in the trial phase. This situation has encouraged the scientific community to search for natural agents with lower costs and limited side effects. Abies cilicica, also known as fir, and Aloe vera has been used in both food and traditional medicine from the past to the present. In the literature review, it was found that both A. vera and A. cilicica have many beneficial effects, especially anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and wound-healing properties. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic/necrotic effects of extracts of A. vera from Asphodelaceae and A. cilicica (Ant. Et Kotschy.) subsp. cilicica Carr. from Pinaceae. The best antimicrobial activity was observed against Escerichia coli with a zone diameter of 20.00 ± 3.59 mm and Klebsiella pneumoniae with a zone diameter of 21 ± 5.35 mm. 2KA showed the best effect on antioxidant activity. 2MA + 2KSA showed significant cytotoxic activity on MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. IC50 values of 1EA + 1KA extract (whole A. cilicica and A. vera dissolved in ethanol) against MDA-MB-231 cell line (IC50 458.29 ± 19.01 µg/ml) and MCF-7 cell line (IC50 596.03 ± 5.56 µg/ml) were determined. According to the data obtained from the study, A. vera and A. cilicica were found to have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects both alone and synergistically. It is predicted that they can be used especially in cancer treatment.