RESUMEN
The roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza are the source of the traditional Chinese medicine danshen and the class of tanshinones, particular quinoid nor-diterpenoids of the abietane type. Of these compounds, cryptotanshinone, dihydrotanshinone I, tanshinone I, and tanshinone IIA, have been extensively studied for their anticancer potential, not only but as well because of their high abundance in S. miltiorrhiza and their thus easy availability. However, also additional Salvia species are known to contain tanshinones, mainly such of the subgenus Glutinaria, of which S. glutinosa is the only species widely occurring in Europe. Using UHPLC-DAD-MS, the tanshinone profile of S. glutinosa roots collected from two different locations was compared to the profile in S. miltiorrhiza roots. In addition, tanshinone IIA and another six diterpenoids from S. glutinosa were investigated for their antiproliferative and cytotoxic potential against MDA-MB-231 and HL-60 cells. Apart from dihydrotanshinone I, which has been previously characterized due to its anticancer properties, we determined danshenol A as a highly antiproliferative and cytotoxic agent, significantly surpassing the effects of dihydrotanshinone I. With regard to the diterpenoid profile, S. miltiorrhiza showed a higher concentration for most of the tanshinones, except for (+)-danshexinkun A, which was present in comparable amounts in both species. Danshenol A, in contrast, was only present in S. glutinosa as were dehydroabietic acid and (+)-pisiferic acid. The results of our study underlines the long traditional use of danshen due to its high amount on tanshinones, but also demonstrates the potential value of investigating closely related species for the discovery of new biologically active lead compounds.
RESUMEN
The herb of Trigonella caerulea (Fabaceae), commonly known as blue fenugreek, is used for the production of traditional cheese and bread varieties in the Alpine region. Despite its frequent consumption, only one study so far has focused on the constituent pattern of blue fenugreek, revealing qualitative information on some flavor-determining constituents. However, with regard to the volatile constituents present in the herb, the applied methods were insufficient and did not take relevant terpenoids into account. In the present study, we analyzed the phytochemical composition of T. caerulea herb applying a set of analytical methods, such as headspace-GC, GC-MS, LC-MS, and NMR spectroscopy. We thus determined the most dominant primary and specialized metabolites and assessed the fatty acid profile as well as the amounts of taste-relevant α-keto acids. In addition, eleven volatiles were quantified, of which tiglic aldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, methyl benzoate, n-hexanal, and trans-menthone were identified as most significantly contributing to the aroma of blue fenugreek. Moreover, pinitol was found accumulated in the herb, whereas preparative works led to the isolation of six flavonol glycosides. Hence, our study shows a detailed analysis of the phytochemical profile of blue fenugreek and provides an explanation for its characteristic aroma and its health-beneficial effects.
RESUMEN
The aim of the research was to explore qualitative and quantitative phytochemical constituents of different extracts from Agrimonia eupatoria L., Hypericum alpestre subsp. polygonifolium (Rupr.) Avet. & Takht., Rumex obtusifolius Willd and Sanguisorba officinalis L. and analyze their bioactive constituents using TLC-bioautography technique. In TLC analysis different solvent systems as mobile phases were used in order to make assumptions about the nature of active antibacterial compounds. The highest total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin content was detected in methanol extract of A. eupatoria (358.9 µg Gallic acid equivalent per mg dry weight), acetone extract of H. alpestre (216.75 µg Quercetin equivalent per mg dry weight) and acetone extract of R. obtusifolius (76.24 µg Catechin equivalent per mg dry weight), respectively. TLC-bioautography analysis using mobile phases with different polarity allowed to separate different bands from tested plants methanol and acetone extracts possessing antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus MDC 5233. Thus, it was revealed, that polar compounds could have considerable contribution to the antibacterial activity of acetone and methanol extracts of H. alpestre and R. obtusifolius. It was hypothesized, that complex compounds can be responsible for the antibacterial action of extracts of A. eupatoria and S. officinalis. Based on obtained data, A. eupatoria, H. alpestre, R. obtusifolius and S. officinalis plants can be recommended as sources of new antibacterial agents.
