Evaluation of the cytotoxicity and anthelmintic activity of Olea europaea (stem and leaves) methanolic extract: in vitro investigation

Several diseases, including cancer and parasites, may be treated with medicinal plants. The purpose of this study was to examine in vitro the phytochemical profile, cytotoxic, and anthelmintic properties of Olea europaea stem and leaves methanolic extracts (OESME and OELME, respectively). Using FT-IR technology, phytochemical makeup was examined, and evaluation of antioxidant activity by ABTS and FRAP methods for plant extracts was examined. An MTT test was used to analyze the cytotoxicity of OESME and OELME against breast (MCF-7) and lung (A549) cell lines. The anthelmintic effect of OESME and OELME against Eisenia fetida was tested in vitro. Albendazole (10 mg/mL) was utilized as a positive control, and distilled water as a negative control. Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved 14 and 15 phytochemical compounds in OESME and OELME, respectively. The findings showed that OESME exhibited a higher ABTS inhibition at 100 µg/mL (96.8 ± 0.02 mg GAE/L) compared to OELME (94.9 ± 0.04 mg GAE/L). The FRAP assay also revealed increased antioxidant activity peaking at 100 µg/mL, with OELME at 0.455 ± 0.002 mg GAE/L and OESME at 0.51 ± 0.003 mg GAE/L. Furthermore, OESME and OELME exhibited moderate cytotoxic effects against A549 and MCF-7 cell lines. The IC₅₀ for OESME on the A549 cell line was 303.5 ± 3.25 μg/mL, while for OELME, it was 252.5 ± 3.9 μg/mL. In the MCF-7 cell line, the IC₅₀ values were 326.5 ± 2.87 μg/mL for OESME and 363.3 ± 3.04 μg/mL for OELME. In terms of anthelminthic activity, paralysis and death occurred within 35.728 ± 2.396 and 39.158 ± 4.068 minutes, respectively, at the most efficacious dose of OESME and OELME (200 mg/mL). Mebendazole, on the other hand, demonstrated paralysis and death at 13.91 ± 0.373 and 18.2 ± 0.980 minutes, respectively. A significant surface structural anomaly was found by histologically analyzing the treated worms compared to the control group. Our results demonstrated the anthelminthic action and cytotoxicity of O. europaea extracts, which encourages more in-vivo research to be done in the quest for more affordable and effective therapeutic sides.