Lycium europaeum is used as a medicinal herb in many countries. In this study, cyclohexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water were used as solvents in the extraction of L. europaeum fruits. The contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, total tannins and condensed tannins as well as the biological activities of these extracts were investigated using various in vitro and ex vivo assays. Results showed that all solvent extracts of L. europaeum had no anticancer activity against cancerous (A-549 and DLD-1) and non-cancerous (WS-1) human cells. Methanol and ethyl acetate were the most effective solvent for extraction of phenolic compounds and also exhibited the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The methanol extract of L. europaeum fruits was the richest in phenolic compounds with the predominance of ferulic acid, catechin and narengin. These results supported the use of L. europaeum fruit as natural source of bioactive compound for pharmaceutical applications.
Keywords: Lycium europaeum fruits; anti-inflammatory activity; anticancer activity; antioxidant activity; phytochemical analysis.