Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry for metabolite profiling and biological activity of Stellaria pallida (Dumort) Pire

Medicinal plants have a wide variety of valuable biological activities. Stellaria pallida (Dumort) Pire is a well-known plant; however, this species' phytochemical and biological activity assessment is rare. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/QTOF-MS) was used for the metabolic profiling of Stellaria pallida. The total phenol and flavonoid contents were colorimetrically evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride reagents, respectively. The total antioxidant capacity was investigated, and free radical scavenging activities against DPPH, superoxide anion radical (O-2(-)), ABTS(+), and Fe2+ chelating capacity were determined. The cytotoxic effect was tested on the Hep-G2, HeLa, HCT116, and MCF-7 cell lines. Cytopathic effect inhibition assay was applied to determine the antiviral activity. Methanol extract contained 25.8 mg GAE/g dry weight and 29.5 mg QE/g dry weight of total phenol and flavonoid contents, respectively. Twenty-two metabolites were identified; three fundamental flavonoid aglycones (apigenin, quercetin, and kaempferol) with their O and/or C-glycosides. Methanol extract significantly scavenged DPPH, superoxide anion radical (O-2(-)), and ABTS(+) and showed significant Fe2+ chelating capacity. It showed a significant selective cytotoxic effect, with IC50 ranging from 3.55 mu g/mL to 4.84 mu g/mL against MCF-7 and Hep-G2, respectively. In addition, the methanol extract showed a wide range of antiviral activity. Stellaria pallida has promising therapeutic potential and could be considered a possible source of natural compounds with several activities.