Cytotoxicity and phytochemical investigation of Satureja atropatana Bunge

Satureja (Lamiaceae), mostly known as „Marzeh“ in Persian language has several medicinal usage in Iranian folk medicine such as relieving pains, treating infectious diseases, skin inflammations and digestive disorders.

In this study full flowering aerial parts of S. atropatana, an endemic species in North-west of Iran, were dried and extracted with diethylether, ethylacetate, methanol and aqueous-methanol (1:1) successively. Cytotoxic activities of the dried extracts were investigated under Brine shrimp lethality test (BST). Major constituents of the extracts were then isolated and purified by column chromatography using normal phase and reverse phase Silica gel and Sephadex LH-20. Isolated compounds were finally identified using different spectroscopic methods.

Among different fractions of Satureja atropatana tested under BST, the most nonpolar one, diethylethere fraction, was considered as the most active fraction (LC₅₀ =513µg/ml). During isolation process, four flavonoid aglycones: 5,6,4'-trihydroxy 7,8,3'-trimethoxy flavone(1), 5,6,3'-trihydroxy 7,8,4'-trimethoxy flavone(2), 5,6-dihydroxy 7,8,3',4'-tetramethoxy flavone(3), luteolin(4), a chalcone: nubigenol(5), two triterpenes: ursolic acid(6), oleanolic acid(7), three monoterpenes: thymoquinone(8), thymol(9), carvacrol(10), and a phytosterol: Beta-sitosterol(11), were identified. The most active components against Artemia nauplii were compound 6 (LC₅₀₌29µg/ml) and 7 (LC₅₀=17µg/ml)