Chemical composition and biological activities of Helicteres vegae and Heliopsis sinaloensis

Abstract

Context: Helicteres vegae Cristóbal (Sterculiaceae) (Hv) and Heliopsis sinaloensis B.L. Turner (Asteraceae) (Hs) are endangered and poorly studied plant species; related plants have been used against chronic-degenerative and infectious diseases. Therefore, Hv and Hs could be sources of bioactive compounds against these illnesses.

Objective: To determine the chemical composition and biological activities (antioxidant, antimutagenic and antimicrobial) of Hv and Hs leaves (L) and stems (S).

Materials and methods: Methanol extracts (ME) of each plant/tissue were evaluated for their phytochemicals; phenolics (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS); antioxidant activity (AA) (0.125–4 mg/mL) (DPPH, ABTS, ORAC and β-carotene discoloration); antimutagenicity (0.5 and 1 mg/plate) (Ames assay, tester strain Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium YG1024, 1-nitropyrene as mutagen); activity against human pathogens (1 mg/mL); and toxicity (0.01–2 mg/mL) (Artemia salina assay).

Results: All ME showed flavonoids and triterpenes/steroids. The ME-SHv had the highest content of total phenolics (TP) (2245.82 ± 21.45 mg GAE/100 g d.w.) and condensed tannins (603.71 ± 1.115 mg CE/100 g d.w.). The compounds identified were flavonoids (kaempferol 7-O-coumaroylhexoside, and two kaempferol 7-O-rhamnosylhexosides) and phenolics [rosmarinic acid, and 3′-O-(8″-Z-caffeoyl) rosmarinic acid]. The ME-LHs showed the highest content of flavonoids (357.88 mg RE/g d.w.) and phenolic acids (238.58 mg CAE/g d.w.) by HPLC. The ME-SHv showed the highest AA. All ME were strong antimutagens (63.3-85.7%). Only the Hs extracts were toxic (ME-LHs, LC₅₀ = 94.9 ± 1.7 μg/mL; ME-SHs, LC₅₀ = 89.03 ± 4.42 μg/mL).

Discussion and conclusions: Both Hv and Hs are potential sources of preventive and therapeutic agents against chronic-degenerative diseases.

Keywords:

• Phenolics
• antimicrobial
• antimutagenic
• antioxidant
• flavonoids
• liquid chromatography
• electrospray ionization
• mass spectrometry
• toxicity

Acknowledgements

Authors acknowledge the technical assistance of Yesmi Patricia Ahumada-Santos (School of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Autonomous University of Sinaloa). As well as the language/grammar (US English) review by MVZ Nadia Gallardo Romero (Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, US).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the CONACYT [grant number CB201 0-156645-Z] Mexico and PROFAPI (Autonomous University of Sinaloa) [grant number PROFAPI2014-062].