The Phytochemical Profile and Anticancer Activity of Anthemis tinctoria and Angelica sylvestris Used in Estonian Ethnomedicine

Abstract

The aerial parts of Anthemis tinctoria L. and Angelica sylvestris L. and the roots of A. sylvestris have been used as traditional anticancer remedies in Estonian ethnomedicine. The aim of this study was to investigate content of essential oils (by gas chromatography) and polyphenolic compounds (using two different methods of high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS)) of both plant species, as well as the in vitro anti-cancer effects of their essential oils and methanolic extracts. The average (n = 5 samples) yield of essential oils was 0.15%, 0.13%, and 0.17%, respectively. The principal compounds of the essential oil from the aerial parts of A. tinctoria were palmitic acid (15.3%), p-cymene (12.6%), and α-muurolene (12.5%), and α-pinene (45.4%), p-cymene (15.5%), and β-myrcene (13.3%) in aerial parts of A. sylvestris, while isocaryophyllene oxide (31.9%), α-bisabolol (17.5%), and α-pinene (12.4%) were the main constituents in the roots. The most abundant phenolic compounds in aerial parts were the derivatives of caffeic acid, quinic acid, and quercetin; the main compounds in roots of A. sylvestris were chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, and naringenin. The strongest anticancer effects were observed in essential oils of A. sylvestris roots and aerial parts on human carcinoma in the mouth cells (KB, IC50 19.73 μg/mL and 19.84 μg/mL, respectively). The essential oil of A. tinctoria showed a strong effect on KB and LNCaP cells (27.75–29.96 μg/mL). The methanolic extracts of both plants had no effect on the cancer cells studied.

Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Estonian Galium Species

“…Plants are a natural source of active compounds, phytochemicals, many of which with favourable bioactivity for humans. Analytical investigation allows for the determination of the phytochemical composition and confirmation of specific therapeutic properties of the plants already acknowledged for their potential by ethnomedicine [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The Galium L. genus, comprising about 667 species found worldwide, over a third of which can be found in Europe, includes several species that have been used in traditional medicine to alleviate a variety of ailments [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Cytotoxic Activities and the Allantoinase Inhibitory Effect of the Leaf Extract of the Carnivorous Pitcher Plant Nepenthes miranda

“…Through GC-MS, the contents abundant in N. mirandaleaf-acetone were detected and identified (Table 3). We found that the top four contents, plumbagin (28.52%) [57][58][59][60], lupenone (11.45%) [69][70][71], palmitic acid (5.49%) [72][73][74], and stigmast-5-en-3-ol (5.06%) [75], especially plumbagin and lupenone, are anticancer compounds. This might be why N. miranda-leaf-acetone possesses strong cytotoxic activities.…”

New Aspect of Composition and Biological Properties of Glechoma hederacea L. Herb: Detailed Phytochemical Analysis and Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anticoagulant Activity and Toxicity in Selected Human Cells and Plasma In Vitro

“…Purification and fractionation of the extract isolated from G. hederacea resulted in three fractions: 20% fraction, 60% fraction, and 85% fraction. Major components of the above-mentioned preparations were tentatively identified and classified on the basis of their MS and UV spectra, chemical analysis, and literature data [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ] ( Table 1 ). For example, the total concentration of phenolic acids in the extract was 177.64 mg/g, while the total flavonoid content was 115.8 mg/g ( Table 2 and Table 3 ).…”