Antioxidant and antitumour activities of extracts from Patrinia villosa and its active constituents

• Published in: Journal of functional foods 2015-06, Vol.16, p.289-294
• Main Authors: Lei, Jia-Chuan, Yang, Cheng-Xiong, Yang, Yuan, Zhang, Wu, Yu, Jian-Qing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anticancer; Antioxidant; Patrinia villosa; Phenolic compound
• ISSN: 1756-4646; 2214-9414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2015.04.037

•Ethyl acetate fraction from P. villosa exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity.•The fraction also demonstrated significant antitumour activity.•Phenolic compounds are mainly responsible for antioxidant activity.•Ursolic acid is one of main constituents responsible for antitumour activity. Patrinia villosa Juss is a famous medicinal herb and is used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agent. Its tender leaves have also been used as a wild vegetable in China. In this study, the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of various fractions of ethanol extract from P. villosa were investigated, the ethyl acetate fraction (EE-PV) exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect on four cancer cell lines. EE-PV also significantly inhibited the tumour growth in vivo. EE-PV was subjected to bioassay-guided isolation of active compounds by column chromatography. Phenolic compounds such as 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3-methoxyflavone and p-hydroxybenzoic acid are mainly responsible for antioxidant activity. Ursolic acid as one of main constituents contributed to the antitumour activity of EE-PV. These results suggest that this plant extract could be considered as a potential source of functional food and pharmaceutical for preventing cancer and reducing the risk of chronic diseases associated with oxidative damage.