Hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds in Arenaria montana L. and Chenopodium ambrosioides L. and bioactivity of their infusions and methanolic extracts
Artigo de Conferência
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resumo
Some plants traditionally used have medicinal properties with great potential for therapeutic applications
in the treatment of some diseases since they are a natural source of bioactive compounds [1]. Arenaria
Montana L. and Chenopodium ambrosioides L., commonly used in Portuguese folk medicine, are examples of
those plants acting in the gastrointestinal tract, stomach, indigestion, respiratory system, flu, cold, vomiting,
anthelmintics and in the healing of skin ulcers caused by Leishmania species; furthermore, they revealed
anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties [2,3]. In this work, the chemical composition of the mentioned
plants in hydrophilic (sugars and organic acids) and lipophilic (fatty acids and tocopherols) compounds
was determined by chromatographic techniques. Furthermore, the bioactive properties (antioxidant and
antitumour activities, and hepatotoxicity) of their infusions and methanolic extracts were evaluated and
compared. Radical scavenging activity, reducing power and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in brain
homogenates were used to evaluate antioxidant activity, while antitumor potential was screened in
different human tumour cell lines: MCF-7 (breast carcinoma), NCI-H460 (lung carcinoma), HCT-15 (colon
carcinoma), HeLa (cervical carcinoma) and HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma). Hepatotoxicity in nontumour
liver cells was also accessed using a primary culture established by us (PLP2). C. ambrosioides was
the most active regarding antioxidant activity (EC50 values 0.47-2.53 and 0.25-2.32 mg/mL for methanolic
extract and infusion, respectively). A. montana infusion showed the highest antitumour activity in all the
tested cell lines (GI50 values 58.67-231.08 μg/mL). This plant also gave the highest levels of saturated
(43.16%) and monounsaturated (10.16%) fatty acids and sugars (10.15 g/100 g dw), particularly fructose
(5.46 g/100 g dw). C. ambrosioides showed
the
highest
content
of
α-linolenic acid (48.54%), tocopherols
(202.34 mg/100 g dw), particularly
α-tocopherol (199.37 mg/100 g dw) and organic acids (7.58 g/100 g
dw), mainly oxalic acid (5.64 g/100 g dw). Overall, the studied plants proved to be good sources of natural
bioactive compounds which may have industrial uses.
