Composition and Biological Activity of Flavonoid-containing Fractions of an Extract from Gratiola officinalis L.

Introduction: Gratiola officinalis L. (hedge hyssop), a medicinal plant of the Scrophulariaceae family, has diuretic, purgative, and vermifuge properties. It is used as a herbal tea to treat chronic gastroenteritis, renal colic, jaundice, and intestinal worms. Previously, we have found that an extract from G. officinalis is nontoxic and has antitumor, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, anticachexic, and other properties. Our aims in this study were to separate the G. officinalis extract into individual fractions, to identify the most biologically active fractions, and to examine the chemical composition of these fractions and their biological activity toward A498 renal carcinoma cells.

Methods: The G. officinalis extract was fractionated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and each fraction was tested for antitumor activity. The active fractions were characterized by UV-visible electron spectral analysis, circular dichroism analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Results: Two antitumor-active fractions of a flavonoid nature were isolated and chromatographically purified. On the basis of the nuclear magnetic resonance data, the aglycone fragment of the main component of one fraction was found to be structured as 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-hydroxychroman-4-one, or 3',4'-dimethoxy-7- hydroxyflavanone.

Conclusion: The antitumor effect of the most active fraction containing 7-O-glucoside of apigenin, glycoside 7,3'-di-O-luteolin and trace amounts of eupatilin against renal carcinoma A498 cells was manifested in its cytotoxic, cytostatic, apoptotic and autophagosomal activities. In addition, we found 3-(1-2)-glucoside of soyaspogenol B, which is a pentacyclic triterpenoid in the structure.