Sideritis sipylea Boiss. (Fam. Lamiaceae) is an endemic plant of the North Aegean Islands (Greece), commonly known as ironwort. Traditionally, it has been used as aerial part decoction or infusion for the treatment of different ailments [1]. However, few studies have been carried out to establish the scientific basis of its ethnopharmacological use. In this context, present study aimed to assess the phytochemical profile and biological activities of different fractions obtained from a polar extract of S. sipylea from Lesvos Island.
S. sipylea extract was subjected to chromatographic fractionation with different EtOAc/MeOH mixtures, so obtaining three fractions, namely S10, S20 and S50. Samples were phytochemically analyzed by applying spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods [1,2]. Regarding biological properties, the scavenger activity towards DPPH, ABTS and nitric oxide radicals, and the inhibition of advanced glycation end-products (AGE) formation have been investigated [3]. Moreover, cytoprotective and antiproliferative properties were evaluated in different human cell lines, both normal and malignant, by MTT and Neutral Red assays, after 24h of treatment with the samples [3].
The phytochemical analysis highlighted the presence of flavonoids, iridoids and phenolic acids in the samples. Particularly, S10 fraction mainly contained iridoids, isoverbascoside and isoscutellarein glycosides, while S20 and S50 lavandulifolioside and chlorogenic acid, respectively. Under our experimental conditions, all the samples were able to scavenge DPPH, ABTS, and nitric oxide radicals, being S10 fraction the most potent; moreover, a moderate inhibition of AGE formation was highlighted for S10 and S20. These fractions were also the most effective to counteract the oxidative damage induced by tBOOH in normal cholangiocytes. Conversely, only S10 was able to reduce cancer cell viability, being most potent in pancreatic cancer cells BxPC3.
In conclusion, present results highlight a possible interest on S10 and S20 fractions from S. sipylea as a source of bioactive molecules and stimulate further studies in order to characterize their possible application for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical purposes.
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