Planta Med 2010; 76 - P187
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1264485

Phytochemical profile and in vitro activities of Capsella bursa-pastoris L. extracts

C Grosso 1, J Vinholes 1, R Gonçalves 1, A Jäger 2, P Valentão 1, P Andrade 1
  • 1REQUIMTE/Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Porto University, R. Aníbal Cunha, 164, 4050 Porto, Portugal
  • 2Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Capsella bursa-pastoris (Cruciferae) leaves and roots have been used as an edible vegetable in some countries. Moreover, this species is applied in traditional medicine, as anti-bleeding, anticancer and wound-healing agents and to treat diabetes and fever. Phenolics, namely flavonoids, are well known bioactive compounds. Thus, the plant aerial parts were subjected to methanol (MeOH) and methanol:water (MeOH/H2O) extractions and five flavonoids, including free and glycosylated derivatives, were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD. The major compound found in both extracts was kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside. Cell free assays were used to evaluate the plant potentiality as radical scavenger, against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·), superoxide (O2 ·–) and nitric oxide (·NO), as well as to determine their capacity for inhibition of both lipid peroxidation and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. A dose-dependent response was observed in all assays and, in a general way, MeOH/H2O extract proved to be more efficient antioxidant and AChE inhibitor.

Acknowledgements: Clara Grosso thanks the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for the Post-Doc fellowship (SFRH/BPD/63922/2009)