Psychotria viridis: Chemical constituents from leaves and biological properties

Authors Soares, Debora B. S.; Duarte, Lucienir P.; Cavalcanti, Andre D.; Silva, Fernando C.; Braga, Ariadne D.; Lopes, Miriam T. P.; Takahashi, Jacqueline A.; Vieira-Filho, Sidney A.

Journal ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS , JUN 2017,2:89

DOI 10.1590/0001-3765201720160411 PubMed 28640347

Abstract The phytochemical study of hexane, chloroform and methanol extracts from leaves of Psychotria viridis resulted in the identification of: the pentacyclic triterpenes, ursolic and oleanolic acid; the steroids, 24-methylene-cycloartanol, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol; the glycosylated steroids 3-O-beta-D-glucosyl-asitosterol and 3-O-beta-D-glucosyl-stigmasterol; a polyunsaturated triterpene, squalene; the esters of glycerol, 1-palmitoylglycerol and triacylglycerol; a mixture of long chain hydrocarbons; the aldehyde nonacosanal; the long chain fat acids hentriacontanoic, hexadecanoic and heptadenoic acid; the ester methyl heptadecanoate; the 4-methyl-epi-quinate and two indole alkaloids, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and N-methyltryptamine. The chemical structures were determined by means of spectroscopic (IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY) and spectrometric (CG-MS and LCMS-ESI-ITTOF) methods. The study of biologic properties of P. viridis consisted in the evaluation of the acetylcholinesterase inhibition and cytotoxic activities. The hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts, the substances 24-methylene-cycloartanol, DMT and a mixture of 3-O-beta-D-glucosyl-beta-sitosterol and 3-O-beta-D-glucosyl-stigmasterol showed cholinesterase inhibiting activity. This activity induced by chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts was higher than 90%. The methanol and ethyl acetate extracts inhibit the growth and/or induce the death of the tumor cells strains B16F10 and 4T1, without damaging the integrity of the normal cells BHK and CHO. DMT also demonstrated a marked activity against tumor cell strains B16F10 and 4T1.