Chemical and Pharmacological Potential of Coccoloba cowellii, an Endemic Endangered Plant from Cuba

Coccoloba cowellii Britton (Polygonaceae) is an endemic and critically endangered plant that only grows in Camaguey, a province of Cuba. In this study, a total of 13 compounds were identified in a methanolic leaf extract, employing a dereplication of the UHPLC-HRMS data by means of feature-based molecular networking (FBMN) analysis in the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Network (GNPS), together with the interpretation of the MS/MS data and comparison with the literature. The major constituents were glucuronides and glycosides of myricetin and quercetin, as well as epichatechin-3-O-gallate, catechin, epicatechin and gallic acid, all of them being reported for the first time in C. cowellii leaves. The leaf extract was also tested against various microorganisms, and it showed a strong antifungal effect against Candida albicans ATCC B59630 (azole-resistant) (IC50 2.1 mu g/mL) and Cryptococcus neoformans ATCC B66663 (IC50 4.1 mu g/mL) with no cytotoxicity (CC50 > 64.0 mu g/mL) on MRC-5 SV2 cells, determined by the resazurin assay. Additionally, the extract strongly inhibited COX-1 and COX-2 enzyme activity using a cell-free experiment in a dose-dependent manner, being significantly more active on COX-1 (IC50 4.9 mu g/mL) than on COX-2 (IC50 10.4 mu g/mL). The constituents identified as well as the pharmacological activities measured highlight the potential of C. cowellii leaves, increasing the interest in the implementation of conservation strategies for this species.

Publication year:2021

Keywords:Coccoloba cowellii, endemic plant, UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS, flavonoids, antifungal, antibacterial, COX-1, 2 inhibition

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

BOF-publication weight:1

Authors:International

Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Open