Ecdysteroids, Flavonoids, and Phenylpropanoids from Silene nutans

Chemical and Biological Characterization of Metabolites from Silene viridiflora Using Mass Spectrometric and Cell-Based Assays

A comprehensive metabolite profiling of the medicinal plant Silene viridiflora using an UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method is described for the first time. A total of 71 compounds were identified and annotated, the most common of which were flavonoids, triterpene glycosides, and ecdysteroids. The three major compounds schaftoside, 26-hydroxyecdysone, and silviridoside can be chosen as the markers for the assessment of the quality of S. viridiflora preparations. The methanol extract and a variety of metabolites identified in S. viridiflora were screened for their cytotoxic and Wnt pathway-inhibiting activities against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the deadliest form of cancer in women. 2-Deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone with submicromolar IC50 was identified as a result. The structure-activity relationship derived from the data from the in vitro proliferation assay showed that the hydroxyl group present at position C-2 of steroid core reduces the ecdysteroids' cytotoxicity against cancer cells.

Caucasian Gentiana Species: Untargeted LC-MS Metabolic Profiling, Antioxidant and Digestive Enzyme Inhibiting Activity of Six Plants

The members of Gentiana genus are widely distributed in the Caucasus region where they are used as phytoremedies, but they still have not been studied for their chemical composition and bioactivity. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and electrospray triple quadrupole mass detection (HPLC-DAD-ESI-QQQ-MS) was used to investigate metabolites of herb and roots of six gentians (Gentiana asclepiadea, G. cruciata, G. gelida, G. paradoxa, G. pneumonanthe, G. septemfida) grown in the Caucasus. In total, 137 compounds were found including three carbohydrates, 71 iridoid glycosides (mostly loganic acid), loganin, swertiamarin, gentiopicroside and sweroside derivatives, 40 flavones C-, O-, C,O-glycosides (such as luteolin, apigenin, chrysoeriol, and acacetin derivatives), two phenolic O-glycosides, five hydroxycinnamates, eight xanthones, and seven triterpene glycosides. Most of these compounds were identified in gentian samples for the first time. Quantitative differences were found in levels of seven iridoid glycosides, nine glycosylflavones, and two xanthones obtained by HPLC-DAD assay. The gentian extracts were evaluated for their radical-scavenging properties against DPPH and superoxide anion radicals, lipid peroxidation inhibition, and α-amylase/α-glycosidase inhibition. The herb extracts showed higher activity than root extracts. Positive correlations were found between the content of quantified phenolics and antioxidant and digestive enzymes inhibiting activity. The findings presented in our work suggest that the Caucasian gentians are a good source of bioactive phytocompounds with antioxidant and antidiabetic potential.