Phenolic Compounds from Ruta chalepensis Var. angustifolia as Potential HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors: Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation and Preliminary Identification of Active Metabolites
- 1Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Epigmenio González 500, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
- 2Eco-Intensification of Agro-Industrial Eco-Processes, Laboratory of Engineering Science for Environment LaSIE-UMR-CNRS 7356, Institute Littoral Urbain Durable Intelligent, La Rochelle University, 17042 La Rochelle, France
Abstract
Ruta chalepensis L. var. angustifolia (Pers.) Willk. (Rutaceae) has been traditionally associated with hypocholesterolemic effects, although the bioactive metabolites responsible for this activity remain largely unknown. This study aimed to fractionate the methanolic extract of R. chalepensis var. angustifolia, identify its major phenolic constituents, and evaluate their inhibitory activity against 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. The methanolic extract was fractionated by open column chromatography, and selected fractions were analyzed by thin layer chromatography and HPLC-DAD. Rutin was identified as one of the major flavonoids, while three chromatographically pure fractions corresponded to unidentified phenolic compounds. Their inhibitory activity was assessed using a commercial HMG-CoA reductase assay. Pravastatin showed 87.5% inhibition and served as the positive control. Among the isolated fractions, one unidentified phenolic fraction exhibited the highest inhibitory activity (66.0%), exceeding that of rutin (45.8%), whereas another fraction showed negligible activity (8.3%). These findings indicate that the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory potential of R. chalepensis var. angustifolia cannot be attributed solely to rutin and suggest the presence of additional bioactive phenolic metabolites. Further structural characterization and mechanistic studies are required to identify the active compound and confirm its hypocholesterolemic potential in biological systems.
Related
- Wild Nepeta sibirica L. from Eastern Kazakhstan: Botanical Characterization, Essential-Oil Composition, Chemogeographic Context, and Preliminary Bioactivity
- Bioactivity foundation model for hit identification and hit-to-lead optimization from sequence data
- Auditory object identification and localisation training for hyperacusis: preliminary effects on sound tolerance and noise acceptance
- Proteomic and lipidomic characterization of Hemipyrellia ligurriens larval extracts using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS: Identification of putative antimicrobial molecules and preliminary functional assessment
- LC-MS Identification and Preliminary Pharmacological Study of the Aqueous and Ethanol Extracts from Combretum glutinosum Perr ex DC. (Combretaceae)
BibTeX
@article{teresamartinez2026phenolic,
title = {{Phenolic Compounds from Ruta chalepensis Var. angustifolia as Potential HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors: Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation and Preliminary Identification of Active Metabolites}},
author = {Giselle Teresa-Martínez and Patricia Rodríguez-Castillo and Anayantzin Torres-Morales and Goretti Arvizu-Espinoza and Carmen Téllez-Pérez and Anaberta Cardador-Martínez and Maritza Alonzo-Macías},
journal = {Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31193552},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666599},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Phenolic Compounds from Ruta chalepensis Var. angustifolia as Potential HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors: Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation and Preliminary Identification of Active Metabolites
AU - Giselle Teresa-Martínez
AU - Patricia Rodríguez-Castillo
AU - Anayantzin Torres-Morales
AU - Goretti Arvizu-Espinoza
AU - Carmen Téllez-Pérez
AU - Anaberta Cardador-Martínez
AU - Maritza Alonzo-Macías
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/molecules31193552
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666599
AB - Ruta chalepensis L. var. angustifolia (Pers.) Willk. (Rutaceae) has been traditionally associated with hypocholesterolemic effects, although the bioactive metabolites responsible for this activity remain largely unknown. This study aimed to fractionate the methanolic extract of R. chalepensis var. angustifolia, identify its major phenolic constituents, and evaluate their inhibitory activity against 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. The methanolic extract was fractionated by open column chromatography, and selected fractions were analyzed by thin layer chromatography and HPLC-DAD. Rutin was identified as one of the major flavonoids, while three chromatographically pure fractions corresponded to unidentified phenolic compounds. Their inhibitory activity was assessed using a commercial HMG-CoA reductase assay. Pravastatin showed 87.5% inhibition and served as the positive control. Among the isolated fractions, one unidentified phenolic fraction exhibited the highest inhibitory activity (66.0%), exceeding that of rutin (45.8%), whereas another fraction showed negligible activity (8.3%). These findings indicate that the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory potential of R. chalepensis var. angustifolia cannot be attributed solely to rutin and suggest the presence of additional bioactive phenolic metabolites. Further structural characterization and mechanistic studies are required to identify the active compound and confirm its hypocholesterolemic potential in biological systems.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -