## 4 Discussion
[PERSON] and _F. hexapetala_ L. are used in folk and scientific medicine for various diseases, including the treatment of tumours [21; 56]. _F. ulmaria_ [PERSON]. [PERSON]. can exhibit antitumor activity in colorectal carcinogenesis induced by methylnitrosourea in rats [21]. These studies confirm the relevance of the use of species of the genus _Filipendula_ in oncology and their further in-depth study. One of the most common tumours is [PERSON]'s ascites carcinoma; therefore, the experimental study of modelling this tumour is of great importance for medicine and pharmacy. Ehrlich ascites carcinoma is a hyperdiploid tumour that develops rapidly, is transplantable, and eventually transforms into an ascites form. The search for safe, effective drugs of natural origin was important for humanity in cancer therapy [41; 42]. Several scientists have established the effectiveness of plant extracts in the therapy of [PERSON] ascites carcinoma [43; 44; 45]. Considering the cytotoxic effect of the extracts (Figure 4), it was found that the aqueous-alcoholic extract of _F. vulgaris_ caused death in 66% of tumour cells at a dose of 50 mg, which significantly exceeded the effectiveness of the aqueous extract (48%). This result can be explained by better extraction of such biologically active compounds as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins, which promote apoptosis of cancer cells, precisely in the aqueous-alcoholic medium. The high cytotoxicity observed here correlated with the results of other studies demonstrating the effectiveness of alcohol extracts in combating tumour cells. Considering inhibition of the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma growth, on the 7 th and 14 th day of the experiment, the aqueous-alcoholic extract of _F. vulgaris_ demonstrated higher tumour growth inhibition coefficients (62.3% and 65.8%, respectively) than the aqueous extract (39.1% and 30.6%). These data confirm that the _F. vulgaris_ aqueous-alcoholic extract had a more potent antitumor effect, probably due to the combined effect of antioxidant and cytotoxic components. A limitation of the study was the absence of normal cells in toxicity and safety studies of _F. vulgaris_ extracts. These are necessary to include in order to understand that the extracts under study are not cytotoxic to normal cells, acting selectively on cancer cell development. Therefore, the normal cells should be included in further, more detailed studies, where it would be appropriate to also consider the possible effects of more apolar extracts. Studying an effect on haematopoiesis (Table 3), it was found that in the control group, a significant decrease in the number of erythrocytes and haemoglobin was observed, as well as an increase in the level of leukocytes, which is typical for oncological processes because of the influence of tumour intoxication and impaired bone marrow function. Treatment with the _F. vulgaris_ aqueous-alcoholic extract contributed to the normalization of these indicators already on the 7 th day of the experiment, which indicates the ability of the extract to stimulate haematopoiesis and reduce the toxicity of the tumour process. At the same time, the aqueous extract had a less pronounced effect on the levels of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and haemoglobin, which indicates its lower effectiveness in regulating haematopoiesis, probably due to insufficient concentration of active components. In general, the positive effects of plant extracts on haematopoiesis have not been demonstrated in many cases. For example, results have supported the haematopoietic potential of _Aspilia africana_, particularly at moderate doses [57]. The activity of enzymes of the antioxidant system also changed during the experiment (Table 4). The development of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma was accompanied by a decrease in the activity of ceruloplasmin, catalase, and transferrin, which indicates the depletion of antioxidant protection and the activation of free radical processes. Treatment with the _F.