Phytochemical Screening and In Vitro Evaluation of Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Silene vivianii Steud.

Silene vivianii Steud. is a little-studied species in the Caryophyllaceae family, even though more and more data shows that many Silene taxa have useful pharmacological qualities. The current work sought to assess the phytochemical composition, antioxidant efficacy, and cytotoxic potential of the methanolic extract of S. vivianii. Qualitative phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of significant classes of secondary metabolites, notably elevated levels of flavonoids, alongside moderate quantities of phenols, saponins, tannins, glycosides, and terpenes. Conversely, alkaloids and steroids were identified in minimal amounts, and anthraquinones were not detected. These components are recognized for their substantial contributions to the antioxidant and anticancer properties of medicinal plants. The DPPH radical-scavenging test was used to measure the antioxidant activity, and the results showed a significant dose-dependent response. The extract has a scavenging activity of 75.47% at 500 mg/mL and an IC₅₀ of 27.51 mg/mL, which is a moderate level of antioxidant ability compared to ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ = 12.93 mg/mL). We used the MTT test to see how hazardous the cells were to HepG2 liver cancer cells and WI-38 normal fibroblasts. The extract was selectively toxic to HepG2 cells, with an IC₅₀ of 47.96 µg/mL, and had little effect on normal cells (<10% inhibition), which is a good sign for its therapeutic index. Doxorubicin, used as a reference medication, exhibited greater efficacy while maintaining comparable selectivity for non-cancerous cells. Overall, the results show that Silene vivianii is a prospective source of natural bioactive chemicals that have mild antioxidant benefits and selective cytotoxic effects.