Profiles of phenolic compounds by FT-ICR MS and antioxidative and antiproliferative activities of Stryphnodendron obovatum Benth leaf extracts

Abstract

Stryphnodendron obovatum Benth is a Brazilian Cerrado tree, which is rich in catechin derivatives, being therefore widely used in folk medicine. Its seeds, beans and bark have been used for various medicinal purposes, but few reports have tried to correlate their biological activity with their chemical composition. In this study, we have profiled the main phenolic constituents of S. obovatum leaf extracts by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), and tried to establish a correlation of metabolites and antioxidant and in vitro antiproliferative activities. In the methanolic extract flavonoid derivatives were detected and they presented the most promising scavenging activities for methanolic extracts (EC₅₀ 0.86 ± 0.01 μg mL⁻¹), being slightly more active than Trolox (EC₅₀ 1.13 ± 0.09 μg mL⁻¹). In the hydroethanolic extract, catechin derivatives as well as protocatechuic acid-glucoside were detected and found to be a little less active than the control (EC₅₀ 1.39 ± 0.01 μg mL⁻¹). The best performance in terms of antiproliferative activity was found for the methanolic extract for renal cell lines (TGI 40.6 g mL⁻¹).