Context: Cancer is a serious clinical problem to the health care system. Anticancer drugs have been extracted from plants containing phenolic compounds. Leucenia species (Fabaceae) contain a variety of bioactive components of numerous biological and pharmacological properties.
Objective: This study explored the constitutive polyphenols of Leucenia leucocephala Lam. growing in Egypt and evaluated the antioxidant and cytotoxic activity.
Materials and methods: Chemical structures of the isolated compounds from the leaves of L. leucocephala were established by spectral techniques (UV, 1H, and 13C NMR, MS).
Results: Chromatographic separation of 80% MeOH extract of the leaves of L. leucocephala have resulted in a novel flavonoid-galloyl glycoside [myricetin 3-O-(2′,3′4′-tri-O-galloyl)-α-l-rhamnopyranoside] with three known polyphenolic compounds isolated for the first time from this species (apigenin 7-O-β-d-glucuronopyranoside methyl ester, luteolin 7-O-β-d-glucuronopyranoside methyl ester, and 1,3,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-d-glucopyranose) and seven known previously isolated compounds. Also, 80% methanol extract exhibited high antioxidant activity (SC50 = 3.94 µg/ml), which is correlated with its phenolic content. The extract also showed cytotoxic activity against Hep G2 (IC50 value 1.41 µg/ml) confirming its anticancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma. Among the tested compounds (4–8) for antioxidant property, compound 7 was the most active compound (SC50 = 2.49 µg/ml). Also compounds 7 and 8 exhibited high cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 2.41 and 2.81 µg/ml, respectively).
Discussion and conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the leaves of L. leucocephala contain a considerable amount of polyphenolic compounds with high antioxidant properties, thus it has great potential as a source for natural health products.
