Abstract: In this study, the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of total flavonoids from Kunlun chrysanthemum flower (KCTF) were evaluated together with its protective effect on liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice and anti-proliferative effect on tumor cells. The antioxidant capacity was measured by free radical scavenging capacity in vitro, as well as superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde content in vivo. Moreover, the anti-proliferative activity was determined using HeLa cells and esophageal cancer Eca-109 cells. Results indicated that KCTF had significant antioxidant activity and inhibited the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, KCTF had no significant hepatoprotective effect. KCTF possessed potent inhibitory activity with average half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of (133.60 ± 0.12) and (192.00 ± 0.08) μg/mL for HeLa and Eca-109 cells, respectively. Therefore, KCTF may have potential application in functional food industries due to its antioxidant, bacteriostatic and anti-proliferative effects.

Key words: total flavonoids from Kunlun chrysanthemum, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, anti-proliferative effect, protective effect on liver injury