Cytotoxic Activity and Evaluation of In Vitro Release of Apigenin 7-O-Glucoside From the Topical Pharmaceutical Formulation Containing Matricaria recutita L. Flower Extract

The extracts from flower heads of Matricaria recutita L. have various biological effects, most notably anti-inflammatory. The most important flavonoid is apigenin, which is mostly found in the form of apigenin-7-O-glucoside. Apigenin-7-O-glucoside is assessed as a marker in Matricaria recutita L. extracts due to its anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, a new, cost-effective, and accurate HPLC-PDA method was developed and implemented for the quantification of apigenin-7-O-glucoside in liquid extracts of the flowers of Matricaria recutita L. grown in Türkiye (Bandırma/Balıkesir) and Türkiye (Arnavutköy/Istanbul) regions. The extraction solvent was ethanol 95.4% v/v (containing 0.12% sodium hydroxide, 0.22% sodium acetate). The apigenin-7-O-glucoside content of the extracts was detected. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts were analyzed. Since the extract prepared from the herb grown in Arnavutköy/Istanbul region has higher apigenin-7-O-glycoside, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, a topical cream containing this extract was formulated. An in vitro release test was performed for apigenin-7-O-glucoside to examine the pharmaceutical quality and performance of the cream compared to the reference cream. The test cream showed a faster release than the reference product. In addition, the physicochemical stability of the test product was monitored for 90 days. It is expected to be more effective than the reference product in in vivo studies due to the faster release of the test product. The cell viability profile and apoptotic effect of the extracts and the test cream were evaluated on fibroblast (CCD-1079Sk) and melanoma (SK-MEL-28) cell lines.