Abstract

Puya chilensis Mol. is a plant of the Bromeliaceae family, which has been traditionally used for medicinal applications in various digestive disorders. In this study, the phytoconstituents of six extracts of stems and flowers of P. chilensis were evaluated: phenols, flavonoids and total anthraquinones, as well as their antioxidant capacity and cytotoxicity in colon cancer cell lines HT-29. The data demonstrate that the ethyl acetate extract of P. chilensis flowers is cytotoxic in HT-29 cell lines (IC50 = 41.70 mu g/mL) without causing toxic effects on healthy colon cells (IC50 > 100 mu g/mL); also, this extract concentrated the highest amount of phenols (4.63 mu g GAE/g d.e.), flavonoids (31.5 mu g QE/g d.e.) and anthraquinones (12.60 mu g EE/g d.e.) among all the extracts tested, which also correlated with its highlighted antioxidant capacity (DPPH center dot IC50 = 4.15 mg/mL and FRAP 26.52 mM TEAC) over the other extracts. About thirty-five compounds were identified in this extract-the fatty acid esters present have been shown to have therapeutic effects on several types of cancer and could explain its antiproliferative activity.