Phytochemical analysis and biological evaluation of three selected Cordia species from Panama

• Published in: Industrial crops and products Vol. 120; pp. 84 - 89
• Main Authors: Marini, Georgia, Graikou, Konstantia, Zengin, Gökhan, Karikas, George A., Gupta, Mahabir P., Chinou, Ioanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15-09-2018
• Subjects: Antioxidant activity; Boraginaceae; Cordia; Enzyme inhibitory activity; Flavonol glucosides; Phenolics; Cordia; Flavonol glucosides; Enzyme inhibitory activity; Boraginaceae; Phenolics; Antioxidant activity
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.04.037

•Isolation of eleven secondary metabolites from the leaves of three Cordia species.•Three flavonols are reported for the first time in the Boraginaceae family.•Evaluation of the antioxidant properties of the methanolic leaf extracts.•Enzyme inhibitory activity against cholinesterases, α-amylase and α-glucosidase.•Potential further uses in food supplements’ area and phytotherapeutical applications.
The aim of the present study was the phytochemical analysis of the leaves from three not previously studied tropical species Cordia bicolor, Cordia megalantha and Cordia dentata (Boraginaceae) collected from Panama. The genus Cordia is one of the major and most important of the family and involves a wide range of therapeutic uses in traditional medicine. Eleven known compounds allantoin (1), rosmarinic acid (2), caffeic acid (3), isoquercetin (4), rutin (5), quercetin-3-Ο-β-d-neohesperidoside (6), kaempferol 3-Ο-β-d-neohesperidoside (7), helichrysoside (8), kaempferol 3-O-(2″-O-α-l-rhamnosyl-6″trans-p-coumaroyl)-β-d-glucoside (9), quercetin 3-O-(6″ trans-p-coumaroyl)-β-d-galactoside (10), 4-hydroxyphenyl lactic acid (11), have been isolated and structurally elucidated. Compounds 6 and 7 have been isolated for the first time in Cordia genus, compounds 8-10 are reported for the first time in the Boraginaceae family, while secondary metabolite 9 is isolated as natural product for the second time. The methanolic extracts of the plants have been assayed for their antioxidant properties by free radical scavenging, reducing power, phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating assay. Enzyme inhibitory activity has been also evaluated against cholinesterases, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. C. megalantha exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity compared to the other studied Cordia species and a high inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase, which suggests that this herbal material could be used for further studies as a potential source for therapeutic applications.