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. 2025 Apr 17;18(4):587.
doi: 10.3390/ph18040587.

Lipophilic Extracts of Portulaca oleracea L.: Analysis of Bioactive Fatty Acids Targeting Microbial and Cancer Pathways

Dejan Stojković  1 , Jelena Živković  2 , Stefani Bolevich  3 , Gokhan Zengin  4 , Mehmet Veysi Cetiz  5 , Sergey Bolevich  3 , Marina Soković  1   3
Affiliations

Lipophilic Extracts of Portulaca oleracea L.: Analysis of Bioactive Fatty Acids Targeting Microbial and Cancer Pathways

Dejan Stojković et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/Objectives:Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) is a widely distributed plant known for its medicinal and nutritional properties. This study aims to evaluate the fatty acid composition and bioactivities of crude lipophilic extracts (chloroform/methanol 2:1) from purslane collected in Serbia and Greece, with a focus on its antimicrobial and anticancer potential. Methods: Chemical analysis was conducted to determine the fatty acid composition of the extracts. Antibacterial activity was assessed using standard microdilution assays, while antibiofilm assays evaluated the extracts' ability to inhibit biofilm formation. Cytotoxicity was tested on cancer cell lines (MCF7, HeLa, CaCo2, HepG2) and normal keratinocyte cells (HaCaT). Molecular docking and dynamics simulations were performed to explore the interactions of bioactive fatty acids with microbial and cancer-related proteins. Results: The analysis revealed significant levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with linoleic acid as the predominant fatty acid in both samples (31.42% and 34.51%). The Greek extract exhibited stronger antibacterial activity than the Serbian extract, particularly against Aspergillus versicolor, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiofilm assays showed up to 89.54% destruction at MIC levels, with notable reductions in exopolysaccharide and extracellular DNA production, especially for Greek samples. Cytotoxicity testing indicated moderate effects on cancer cell lines (IC50 = 178.17-397.31 µg/mL) while being non-toxic to keratinocytes. Molecular docking identified strong interactions between key fatty acids and microbial and cancer-related proteins. Conclusions: These results highlight purslane's potential as a source of bioactive compounds, particularly in antimicrobial and anticancer applications. The findings suggest that purslane extracts could be developed for therapeutic purposes targeting microbial infections and cancer.

Keywords: antimicrobial; cytotoxicity; fatty acids; molecular informatics; polyunsaturated fatty acids; purslane.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main chemical compounds found in Portulaca oleracea.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of purslane extracts on the invasion capacity of S. aureus in HaCaT cells. The results are expressed as average values of three replicates ± SD.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Binding interactions of proteins with compounds showing the best binding energy. (a) Interaction between palmitic acid and PrfA. (b) Interaction between oleic acid and LasR. (c) Interaction between palmitoleic acid and EGFR.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Presentation of molecular dynamics simulations in graphical form: (a) RMSD of palmitic acid_PrfA, oleic acid_LasR, and linolenic acid_AKT-1 complexes. (b) RMSF palmitic acid_PrfA, oleic acid_LasR, and linolenic acid_AKT-1 complexes. (c) Solvent accessibility of palmitic acid_PrfA, oleic acid_LasR, and linolenic acid_AKT-1 complexes. (d) Minimum distance of palmitic acid_PrfA, oleic acid_LasR, and linolenic acid_AKT-1 complexes.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Hydrogen bonds in complexes. (a) Hydrogen bonds in linolenic acid_AKT-1 complex. (b) Hydrogen bonds in oleic_acid_LasR complex. (c) Hydrogen bonds in palmitic acid_PrfA complex.
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