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Background: Ephedra chilensis K Presl, known locally as pingo-pingo, is a Chilean endemic plant used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory and used in other treatments. However, unlike for the other Ephedra species, there have been no reports on the antioxidant and cytotoxic effects of this plant. The present study aims to explore the potential applications of E. chilensis extract as a cytotoxic agent against in vitro cancer cell lines and to explore the relationship between this extract and antioxidant activity. Methods: Total anthraquinone, flavonoid, and phenolic contents, as well as antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP, and TRAP assays) and cytotoxic effect on several cancer cell lines (MCF-7, PC-3, DU-145, and HT-29) were measured for the hexane, dichloromethane and ethanol extracts of E. chilensis. In addition, several correlations among the phytochemical content, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxic effect were evaluated. Finally, GC-MS analyses of the most active extracts were carried out to identify their major components and to relate these components to the cytotoxic effect. Results: Antioxidant activity was found in the EtOH extracts of Ephedra, and the results were correlated with the phenolic content. For the cytotoxic activity, the non-polar extracts of E. chilensis had the highest antiproliferative effect for the MCF-7 and PC-3 cancer lines; the extract was shown to be up to three times more selective than doxorubicin. However, the cytotoxic effect was not correlated with the antioxidant activity. Lastly, the GC-MS analysis showed a high concentration of saturated fatty acids (mainly n-hexadecanoic acid) and terpenoids (mainly 4-(hydroxy-ethyl)-γbutanolactone). Conclusion: The cytotoxic activity and selectivity of the non-polar extracts of E. chilensis for the MCF-7 and PC-3 cell lines could be related to the terpenic compounds and fatty acids of the extracts or to the synergistic effect of all of the compounds in the extracts. These non-polar extracts can be used for the development of new drugs against breast and prostate cancer.

Three anthraquinones, the well known emodin (3) and physcion (6) and the new anthraquinone glycoside emodin-8-β-D-idopyranoside (7) were isolated from leaves of Muehlenbeckia hastulata. The antioxidant activity of these compounds was measured using the DPPH assay; all three showed weaker antioxidant activity than gallic acid.

Different natural and synthetic chalcones have exhibited selective inhibition on monoamine oxidase B (MAOÀ B) activity, demonstrating potential interest for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Herein we report the synthesis of seven new prenylated chalcones (7a-g) obtained from the natural compound 5 (4-hydroxy-3-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)phenylethanone), previously isolated from S. graveolens. Five of these compounds exhibit high inhibition and selectivity against MAOÀ B, with IC 50 values in the low micromolar range. In addition, the antioxidant activity of this series was measured, being three compounds better than the reference, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Compound 7 f [(2E)-3-(4-(dimethylamino) phenyl)-1-(4-hydroxy-3-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)phenyl)prop-2en-1-one] proved to be the best compound within the studied series (IC 50 MAO-B = 8.19 μM and k DPPH = 3.73). Finally, molecular docking was performed to better understand the binding properties of these derivatives. Important features for MAOÀ B inhibitory activity were observed: hydrogen-bonding interaction between Tyr435 and nearness with Tyr398 and FAD co-factor. Therefore, these molecules are good candidates for the design of a lead compound for Parkinson's disease.

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