L. branches phytochemical profile and antiproliferative activity on human cancer cell lines.

The methanolic extract of L. branches and its fractions were evaluated for their cell growth inhibitory activity on different human cancer cell lines (C32, LoVo and SKBr3) and the normal BJ fibroblasts. All tested samples were effective against the melanoma cell line C32, with IC values ranging from 22.8 ± 0.8 to 78.7 ± 1.2 μg/mL, the antiproliferative activity of the dichloromethane fraction being significantly higher. This fraction was also effective against the LoVo adenocarcinoma cell line, with an IC value of 53.0 ± 2.1 μg/mL. The ethyl acetate and dichloromethane fractions showed the highest lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, verified by means of the β-carotene bleaching test. The phytochemical profiles of branches extract were established by means of GC-MS and HPTLC. Overall, branches of L. could represent a rich source of bioactive compounds, potentially useful in the pharmaceutical field.