The Faculty of Pharmacy discussed the master’s thesis entitled (Study of phytochemical investigation and evaluation of cytotoxicity of the extract of the Iraqi Lactuca Serriola ) by the student Mortada Saleh Hussein, in the Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, and his supervisor, Lacturer Dr. Ayad Abed Ali Chiad. The study aimed to extract and verify the phytochemical component of the aerial part of the Iraqi Lactuca Serriola and to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of the plant extract . The thesis included collecting the aerial part of the wild lettuce plant, drying and extracting by Soxhlet using 750 ml of 85% methanol (hot method). A rotary evaporator was used to concentrate the extract, yielding a greenish black methanol (ME) extract. The resulting extract was successfully partitioned using solvents of different polarities, including hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol, respectively. The resulting parts were subjected to a general phytochemical examination. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) using different solvent systems and UV at (254 and 365) nm with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to perform an initial identification of the various active ingredients. The compounds were isolated and purified by preparative layer chromatography (PLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and combi flash column chromatography. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results confirmed the presence of phytosterols in hexane fractions. Catechin, quercetin, and rutin in ethyl acetate fractions. chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, lactucin, rutin, and quercetin are six identified active components of the n-butanol fraction. Seven active components were isolated from the aerial part of the Iraqi Lactuca serriola plant by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and composite flash column chromatography .The isolated compounds were identified and characterized using thin layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, and high-performance compact mass spectrometry. The cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cells (AMJ13) showed that the aerial parts of Lactuca serriola extract of ethyl acetate have a high level of anticancer activity.
