Identification of phenolic compounds from medicinal and mellif- erous plants and their cytotoxic activity in cancer cells

Abstract — The aim of this work is to carry out a phytochemical analysis and biological screenings of vegetable ex-tracts from Sida acuta and Malva sylvestris leaves, Castanea sativa and Eucalyptus camaldulensis pollen. Chemical analyses was focused on secondary metabolites, particularly phenolic compounds, which have several roles in the plant physiological processes and had demonstrated significant capacity in the prevention and care of human health diseases. Solid phase extraction (SPE) and analyses with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) allowed the identification of 5,7-dimethoxycoumarin, kaempferol, quercetin, genistein, apigenin and myricetin. Moreover, the M. sylvestris and S. acuta extracts demonstrated a cytotoxic activity on murine and human cancer cell lines by using a MTT assay. Key words: antineoplastic activity, phenolic compounds, phytochemical analysis, plant extracts