Chemical Profile of Lipophilic Fractions of Different Parts of L. by GC-MS and Evaluation of Their Antiproliferative and Antibacterial Activities.

L. is a perennial shrub particularly used in Algerian folk medicine, but little is known concerning the lipophilic compounds in the most frequently used parts, namely, root bark, pulp, leaves and seeds, which are associated with health benefits. In this vein, the lipophilic fractions of these morphological parts of from Morocco were studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities were evaluated. GC-MS analysis allowed the identification and quantification of 99 lipophilic compounds, including fatty acids, long-chain aliphatic alcohols, pentacyclic triterpenic compounds, sterols, monoglycerides, aromatic compounds and other minor components. Lipophilic extracts of pulp, leaves and seeds were revealed to be mainly composed of fatty acids, representing 54.3-88.6% of the total compounds detected. The leaves and seeds were particularly rich in unsaturated fatty acids, namely, (9,12)-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid (2431 mg kg of dry weight) and (9)-octadec-9-enoic acid (6255 mg kg of dry weight). In contrast, root bark contained a high content of pentacyclic triterpenic compounds, particularly betulinic acid, accounting for 9838 mg kg of dry weight. Root bark extract showed promising antiproliferative activity against a triple-negative breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC) = 4.23 ± 0.18 µg mL of extract. Leaf extract displayed interesting antimicrobial activity against , methicillin-sensitive and , presenting minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values from 1024 to 2048 µg mL of extract. Our results demonstrate that L. is a source of promising bioactive components, which can be exploited as natural ingredients in pharmaceutical formulations.