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. 2023 Mar 1;28(5):2281.
doi: 10.3390/molecules28052281.

Chemical Profile, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity of a Phenolic-Rich Fraction from the Leaves of Brassica fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa (Brassicaceae) Growing Wild in Sicily (Italy)

Federica Davì  1   2 , Maria Fernanda Taviano  1 , Rosaria Acquaviva  3   4   5 , Giuseppe Antonio Malfa  3   4   5 , Emilia Cavò  1   2 , Paola Arena  1   2 , Salvatore Ragusa  5 , Francesco Cacciola  6 , Yassine Oulad El Majdoub  1 , Luigi Mondello  1   7   8 , Natalizia Miceli  1
Affiliations

Chemical Profile, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity of a Phenolic-Rich Fraction from the Leaves of Brassica fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa (Brassicaceae) Growing Wild in Sicily (Italy)

Federica Davì et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Recently, our research team has started a study on Brassica fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa, an edible plant traditionally used to treat various ailments, little investigated to date. Good in vitro antioxidant properties were highlighted for the leaf hydroalcoholic extract, with the secondary higher than the primary ones. In continuation of the ongoing research, this work was designed to elucidate the antioxidant properties of the phenolic compounds contained in the extract. For this purpose, a phenolic-rich ethyl acetate fraction (Bff-EAF) was obtained from the crude extract by liquid-liquid extraction. The phenolic composition was characterized by HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS analysis and the antioxidant potential was investigated by different in vitro methods. Furthermore, the cytotoxic properties were evaluated by MTT, LDH and ROS determinations on human colorectal epithelial adenocarcinoma cells (CaCo-2) and human normal fibroblasts (HFF-1). Twenty phenolic compounds (flavonoid and phenolic acid derivatives) were identified in Bff-EAF. The fraction exhibited good radical scavenging activity in the DPPH test (IC50 = 0.81 ± 0.02 mg/mL), and moderate reducing power (ASE/mL = 13.10 ± 0.94) and chelating properties (IC50 = 2.27 ± 0.18 mg/mL), contrary to what previously observed for the crude extract. Bff-EAF reduced in a dose-dependent manner CaCo-2 cell proliferation after 72 h of treatment. This effect was accompanied by the destabilization of the cellular redox state due to the antioxidant and pro-oxidant activities displayed by the fraction at lower and higher concentrations. No cytotoxic effect was observed on HFF-1 fibroblasts, used as control cell line.

Keywords: Mediterranean cabbage; Sicilian vascular flora; biological activities; edible wild plants; polyphenols; traditional medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HPLC-PDA chromatograms of the polyphenolic compounds, extracted at 330 nm wavelenght, of Bff-EAF. For peak identification, see Table 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Free radical scavenging activity (DPPH test) (A), reducing power (B), and ferrous ion chelating activity (C) of Bff-EAF. Values are expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 3).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cell viability in HFF-1 (A) and CaCo-2 (B) cells untreated and treated for 72 h with Bff-EAF at different concentrations (0.0625–1 mg/mL). Values are the mean ± SD of four experiments in triplicate. * Significant vs. untreated control cells: p < 0.001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
LDH released in CaCo-2 cells untreated and treated for 72 h with Bff-EAF at different concentrations (0.125–1 mg/mL). Values are the mean ± SD of four experiments in triplicate. * Significant vs. untreated control cells: p < 0.001.
Figure 5
Figure 5
ROS levels in HFF-1 (A) and CaCo-2 (B) cells untreated and treated for 72 h with Bff-EAF at different concentrations (0.0625–1 mg/mL). Values are the mean ± SD of four experiments in triplicate. * Significant vs. untreated control cells: p < 0.001.
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