Antioxidant and antitumour activities of extracts from Patrinia villosa and its active constituents

• Ethyl acetate fraction from P. villosa exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity.
• The fraction also demonstrated significant antitumour activity.
• Phenolic compounds are mainly responsible for antioxidant activity.
• Ursolic acid is one of main constituents responsible for antitumour activity.

Patrinia villosa Juss is a famous medicinal herb and is used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agent. Its tender leaves have also been used as a wild vegetable in China. In this study, the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of various fractions of ethanol extract from P. villosa were investigated, the ethyl acetate fraction (EE-PV) exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect on four cancer cell lines. EE-PV also significantly inhibited the tumour growth in vivo. EE-PV was subjected to bioassay-guided isolation of active compounds by column chromatography. Phenolic compounds such as 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3-methoxyflavone and p-hydroxybenzoic acid are mainly responsible for antioxidant activity. Ursolic acid as one of main constituents contributed to the antitumour activity of EE-PV. These results suggest that this plant extract could be considered as a potential source of functional food and pharmaceutical for preventing cancer and reducing the risk of chronic diseases associated with oxidative damage.