Studies on the chemical constituents and anticancer activity of Saxifraga stolonifera (L) Meeb.

Saxifraga stolonifera, an evergreen dicotyledon, has been identified as an important resource in Chinese medicine due to its anticancer activity. In the present report, chemical components of S. stolonifera (L) Meeb which is found in Guizhou province were investigated. Ten compounds were isolated from ethanol extracts of S. stolonifera plant and were identified as n-C(31)H(64) (1), (n-C(17)H(35))(2)CO (2), beta-sitosterol (3), n-C(29)H(60) (4), Bergenin (5), Protocatechuic acid (6), Gallic acid (7), Quercitrin 3-O-alpha-l-rhamnoside (8), Quercetin (9), and Quercetin 3-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (10). Among them, n-C(31)H(64) (1), (n-C(17)H(35))(2)CO (2), beta-sitosterol (3), and n-C(29)H(60) (4) were isolated from this plant for the first time. The anticancer activities of S. stolonifera constituents on human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-823 were evaluated by MTT assay and microscopic observation, DNA fragmentation, and flow cytometry analysis assay. It was found that quercetin could inhibit cell viability after 72 h of exposure. Furthermore, DNA ladder assay revealed that quercetin could induce DNA strand break in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. Flow cytometric analysis shows that quercetin can induce 11.82% BGC-823 cell apoptosis in 48 h. These data reveal that quercetin is a potential agent capable of inducing apoptosis in BGC-823 cells.