Anticancer activity of ethyl-acetate fraction of Sorbaria tomentosa and compounds identification through HPLC and LC-MS analysis

Abstract

Sorbaria tomentosa (Lindl.), is a graceful shrub bearing a science-based health benefits. This study aimed at assessing the anticancer potential of ethyl-acetate fractions (EtOAc) of S. tomentosa, and to identify bioactive natural compounds using HPLC and LC-MS techniques. Prior to the chromatographic analysis, four sub-fractions (SPE-1-SPE-4) were obtained from solid phase extraction (SPE) of EtOAc of the methanolic plant extract. SPE-2 fraction exhibited considerable levels of cytotoxicity (IC50: 50–75 µg/mL) than the rest of the sub-fractions with IC50 ranging in between 230 and 370 µg/mL against A-549, HepG2, and EI-138 human the cancer cell lines. SPE-2 was injected into a semi-preparative reverse HPLC-based-PDA revealing the occurrence of phenolic compounds. LC-MS analysis resulted in the identification of four bioactive phenolic compounds namely trans-p-sinapoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), dunnianoside F (2), linoside A (3), and asplenetin (4) in SPE-2. In conclusion, the isolated compounds from the SPE-2 sub-fraction are the potential source of marked phenolic compounds that might be a promising option as anticancer agents in both cancer prevention and treatment.

Keywords

• Solid phase extraction
• Semi-preparative-HPLC
• LC-MS
• Phytochemical profiling
• Phenolic