LC‐ESI‐MS/MS Analysis, Antioxidant Activity, DNA‐Protective Effects, and Antiproliferative Potential of the Hydromethanolic Leaf Extract of <i>Hypericum androsaemum</i> L.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Plant biomolecules represent an invaluable reservoir of potential drugs, opening new avenues for phytochemical exploration. This study aimed to determine the chemical profile and evaluate the anticancer potential against HT29 and HepG2 cells, antioxidant capacity, and DNA‐protective activity of hydromethanolic leaf extracts from Hypericum androsaemum at full flowering (HaF) and post‐flowering (HaPF) stages. The extracts were rich in phenolic compounds and flavonoids, which was confirmed by LC‐ESI‐MS/MS analysis, revealing 12 compounds including shikimic acid, chlorogenic acid, isoquercitrin, and quercetin as the major phenolic constituents. These compounds reached their highest concentrations during floral ontogeny (HaF). This abundance of antioxidant molecules conferred substantial DNA‐protective activity (79.5% for HaF and 59.09% for HaPF) and significant antioxidant power to the HaF extract, as demonstrated by DPPH method (IC 50 = 7.22 ± 0.8 µg/mL) and ABTS (IC 50 = 0.87 ± 0.10 µg/mL) scavenging assays. Our findings also revealed that H. androsaemum acts as a potent reducing agent, capable of reducing ferric (FRAP assay) and silver ions. The extracts exhibited highly significant selective antiproliferative activity against HepG2 and HT29 cancer cells, with IC 50 values of 260.42 ± 2.23 µg/mL at 24 h, 42.58 ± 5.43 µg/mL at 48 h, and 185.48 ± 6.45 µg/mL at 24 h, 100.06 ± 9.87 µg/mL at 48 h, respectively. These results demonstrate that hydromethanolic leaf extract of H. androsaemum is rich in phenolic components possessing antiproliferative potent activity.