Isolation, Characterization and in Silico Studies of Secondary Metabolites from Jurinea macrocephala DC. with Antiproliferative Activity

Abstract

In the present work, cytotoxic potential of Jurinea macrocephala DC. (Asteraceae) was evaluated on A549 lung cancer and MCF‐7 breast cancer cell lines. Isolation studies were carried out using various and repetitive chromatographic methods in order to determine the phytochemical profile of the extracts. These studies led to the identification of twelve compounds; four triterpenes (1–4) and eight flavonoids (5–12). Spectroscopic examination (1D and 2D NMR, ESI‐MS) and comparison with relevant literature data were used to deduce the structures of all isolated molecules. To rationalize the obtained cytotoxicity data against breast cancer cell lines, the isolated compounds were docked into the binding site of aromatase, an important target enzyme for the treatment of breast cancer. Molecular docking studies revealed that flavonoids without sugar moieties (5–8) showed the best binding affinities. Overall, these mentioned compounds turned out to be also the most appropriate oral drug candidates after the calculation of their Lipinski parameters.

Evaluation of Fatty Acid Contents and Biological Activities of Jurinea turcica

“…[9][10][11] Researchers have demonstrated the antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities of Jurinea species containing essential phytochemicals. [12,13] Although Jurinea species showed important pharmacological properties in terms of chemical and biological activity, there is no data on J. turcica. In addition, although Jurinea species contain pharmacologically valuable potential chemical compounds, studies evaluating their fatty acid profile and antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities are limited.…”

“…Sesquiterpene lactones are a large class of secondary metabolites with diverse properties associated with anti‐inflammatory and anti‐cancer activities [9–11] . Researchers have demonstrated the antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities of Jurinea species containing essential phytochemicals [12,13] . Although Jurinea species showed important pharmacological properties in terms of chemical and biological activity, there is no data on J. turcica .…”