Quantitative analysis of cucurbitane-type triterpenes in Ibervillea sonorae extracts: Relationship study with their antiproliferative activity

[Display omitted] •Ibervillea sonorae root extracts contain different cucurbtacins.•A validated HPLC method to quantify isolated cucurbitacins was developed.•Bioactive cucurbitacins in different extracts were determined with the developed method. Ibervillea sonorae (Cucurbitaceae) is a Mexican plant commonly used by local population for its hypoglycaemic activity. Root extracts showed also other different biological activities, including antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Main components of this plant are cucurbitacins, steroid-like triterpenes that possess, among others, antiproliferative activity. In previous studies, kinoin A and cucurbitacin IIb extracted from I. sonorae showed antiproliferative and apoptotic effects against different cancer cell lines. Based on all the above, a RP-HPLC method was developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of these two compounds in I. sonorae root extracts obtained with different extraction conditions. In the present study, the quantitative analysis of kinoin B diglycoside in all the extracts was performed as well. As a result, no direct correlation was found between the antiproliferative activity (IC50) against human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) and the composition of the above three compounds. Only a slight statically significant negative correlation was observed between IC50s and the content of kinoin A (r = 0.29, p = 0.12), meaning that, at least in part, this is the main compound among the three, contributing to the antiproliferative activity on the real samples. Accordingly, a synergistic effect by the phytocomplex components can account for the observed antiproliferative activity of the methanolic extracts towards HeLa cells.