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Cytotoxic Potential of Major Metabolites Isolated from Centaurea sinaica Aerial Parts
Abdullah Ali Al Melhem1, Gamal A Mohamed1, Abdulrahman E Koshak1
1Department of Natural Products and Alternative Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Background:
Centaurea sinaica DC (Asteraceae) is traditionally used in treating various ailments, yet its phytochemical composition and cytotoxic potential remain underexplored.
Objective:
To isolate and identify the major metabolites from the methanolic extract of C. sinaica aerial parts and evaluate their cytotoxic activity against selected human cancer cell lines.
Results:
Six known compounds were isolated and identified: chlorohyssopifolin A (1), cirsiliol (2), isovitexin (3), isoorientin (4), kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (5), and rutin (6), based on physical, chemical, and spectral analyses (¹H and ¹³C NMR). Cytotoxic evaluation using the sulforhodamine B assay revealed that chlorohyssopifolin A exhibited the highest activity with IC₅₀ values of 4.8 ± 0.6 µM (SKOV-3), 6.8 ± 0.5 µM (MCF-7), and 0.6 ± 0.1 µM (PC-3). Cirsiliol showed moderate cytotoxicity against PC-3 (IC₅₀ = 18.5 ± 1.6 µM), while the remaining compounds were inactive.
Conclusion:
Centaurea sinaica is a promising source of bioactive metabolites. Chlorohyssopifolin A displayed potent and selective cytotoxicity, particularly against prostate cancer cells, warranting further in-vivo and mechanistic studies.
