Oxidative stress is a major cause of many diseases, it can damage the tissues and
lead to lipid peroxidation and DNA strand breakage. Nowadays, researchers have
centered medicinal plants in their concern, to benefit from their active component as
antioxidant reagents. This study aims to investigate the protective and hemolytic
activity, as well as qualitative and quantitative chemical content of plants from Syrian
Flora. Ethanol 70% extracts of three plants of Asteraceae; Onopordum
carduiforme, Centaurea verutum, and Achillea santolina were prepared to test their
protective antioxidant effect on erythrocytes membrane against the oxidative
hemolysis which was induced using AAPH. The hemolytic effect of these plants was
also evaluated. In addition to the quantitative content of phenols TPC and flavonoids
TFC compounds using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride colorimetric methods
respectively. The basic phytochemical screening was conducted using the standard
methods.The results showed a low hemolytic effect of the extracts on erythrocytes,
using the concentrations of (1-5 mg/ml). Moreover, they reduced membrane lipid
peroxidation significantly; where O. carduiforme showed the highest efficacy
of protective activity against hemolytic damage. The phytochemical screening of the
plants' extracts showed phenols, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, cardiac glycosides,
terpenoids, steroids, and carbohydrates presence, whereas no alkaloids or saponins
were found. TPC and TFC content ranges were between (9.22 ± 0.412 and 13.716 ±
0.431 mg GAE/g DW) and (2.224 ± 0.346 and 8.958 ± 0.216 mg RUE/g DW)
respectively.