Polar Constituents of Marrubium thessalum Boiss. & Heldr. (Lamiaceae) and their Cytotoxic/Cytostatic Activity

Abstract

The methanol extract of the aerial parts of Marrubium thessalum Boiss. & Heldr. (Lamiaceae) afforded 30 phenolic metabolites, belonging to the classes of phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoids and simple phenolic compounds. The crude methanol extract as well as the secondary metabolites were screened for their cytotoxic/cytostatic effects against four human cancer cell lines, specifically HeLa, MCF-7, FM3 and HCT-116 and demonstrated considerable cell growth-inhibitory activity. The differential cytotoxicity of the compounds implied possible structure-activity relationships. Selected compounds were evaluated for their toxicity against human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, where some of them showed marginal toxic effects. The results suggest that M. thessalum produces secondary metabolites that demonstrate selective anticancer activity concomitantly with reduced toxicity on lymphocytes. The structure of such compounds can eventually lead to the development of novel pharmaceutical agents.

Polar Constituents, Essential Oil and Antioxidant Activity of Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris L.)

“…It was reported for the first time in the Stachys genus, whereas it has been found in the Lamiaceae family a few times in Marrubium thessalum Boiss . & Heldr . This compound is definitely more frequent in members of the Scrophulariaceae family.…”

Phenylethanoid Glycosides: Research Advances in Their Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Activity and Pharmacokinetics

“…Cytotoxic activities of 121 and 127 against human larynx epidermoid carcinoma, human rhabdomyosarcoma and human MCF-7 cell lines were determined with the IC 50 from 36.24 µg/mL to 64.6 µg/mL, and apoptotic cell death was observed in histological analysis [74]. In another study, compounds 119, 120, 121, 125, 129, and decaffeoyl-acteoside (134) from Marrubium thessalum were assayed by MTT and 3 H-thymidine incorporation assays, and 120 and 121 showed tumor toxicity, while, they also showed low toxicity against peripheral blood mononuclear cells [95].…”

Antioxidant properties and phenolic variation in wild populations of Marrubium vulgare L. (Lamiaceae)

“…The antioxidant, cholinesterase inhibitory, antibacterial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-oedematogenic activities of Marrubium extracts have been pharmacologically demonstrated in several modern studies (Orhan et al, 2010). The genus Marrubium is a rich source of diterpenoids, flavonoids and phenylethanoid glycosides (Argyropoulou et al, 2009(Argyropoulou et al, , 2011(Argyropoulou et al, , 2012Dendougui et al, 2011;Karioti et al, 2005Karioti et al, , 2007aPiozzi et al, 2006;Rigano et al, 2006;Takeda et al, 2000).…”