Determination of phenolic constituents with LC-MS/MS and cytotoxicity evaluation of ‘tar’ from Pinus nigra Arnold (Pinaceae)

In folk medicine, 'tar' is an essential drug in every situation and is obtained from Pinus nigra Arnold (Pinaceae), which is very common in Anatolia, especially in the Mediterranean Basin. This study aims to evaluate the chemical composition and determine cytotoxicity effects on the HeLa cell line and L929 cell line of the tar. The analysis of tar by LC-MS/MS revealed ten phenolic compounds: oxalic acid, salicylic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid, and 3-hydroxycinnamic acid. Besides, total phenolic content (62.31 ± 0.31 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid content (3.43 ± 0.0006 mg QE/g) were determined. Cell viability was determined by MTT analysis. Tar has a significant cytotoxicity effect on the HeLa cell line in concentrations 100, 50, 25, 12.5, and 6.25 µg/mL. IC50 value of tar on HeLa cell was 132.9 µg/mL.