Phenolic Compounds of Endemic Buxus Plants in Caspian Hyrcanian Forest (Buxus Hyrcana Pojark) and Their Biological Activities

Abstract

The present paper describes the bioactive constituents and the antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiproliferative properties of extracts from fruits, stems and leaves of Buxus hyrcana Pojark, flowering plant species of the genus Buxus. The obtained data of HPLC and GC-MS analyses show that gallic acid, resorcinol, epicatechin, and ferulic acid are the major phenolic constituents, and quercetin and genistein are the major flavonoid and isoflavonoid compounds present in all parts of B. hyrcana. In addition, GC-MS measurements showed that main constituents in B. hyrcana extracts were glycerin 1,2,3-propanetriol (52%), 2,3-butanediol (49.56%), and 2-hexyl-1-octanol (9.64%). The leaf extract exhibited maximum antioxidant activity as compared to the stem and fruit extracts. The leaf extract also showed higher activity against Gram-negative bacteria, while the stem extract exhibited higher activity against Gram-positive species. In addition, all extracts demonstrated moderate to strong cytotoxic activity against human hepatocytes (Chang liver cells) and breast cancer cell line. This is the first report on bioactive compound profiles and their biological potential in extracts of various aerials part of B. hyrcana. Present studies will open ways to a large spectrum of natural bioactive compounds and their use in pharmaceutical and food industries as antioxidant, antibacterial, and nutraceutical constituents.