Seasonality impact on the anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative potential and the lignan composition of Bursera microphylla

Bursera microphylla A. Gray (Burseraceae) is a native plant of the Sonoran Desert, used in traditional medicine against different illnesses. The biological potential of B. microphylla has been associated with some groups of bioactive metabolites; amongst the most interesting for its biological effect are the lignan-type compounds. To date, the biological potential of fruits, leaves and stems of B. microphylla has not been widely explored; additionally, it is unknown if the seasons of the year modulate their biological activities and the profile of bioactive compounds. The objective of the present research was to determine the seasonality effect on the anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative potential and the lignan composition of B. microphylla. Ethanolic extracts of stems, leaves and fruits collected during spring, summer, autumn and winter (2019–2020) were obtained. The antiproliferative activity was evaluated against the cell lines C-33 A, HeLa, A549 and ARPE-19 by MTT assay. The anti-inflammatory effect was determined in RAW 264.7-activated with LPS through the quantification of nitric oxide (NO) using the Griess method. The profile of bioactive compounds was investigated by ESI-IT-MSn analysis. Fruits extracts exhibited the highest potential to inhibit the NO production, followed by the stems and leaves extracts. In the same way, fruits extracts displayed the highest antiproliferative activity followed by the stems and leaves extracts. C-33 A was the most sensitive to the treatments, followed by HeLa, A549 and ARPE-19. The chemical analysis allowed the identification of 5 new lignan-type compounds in the extract (hinokinin, 3,4-dimethoxy-3′,4′-methylenedioxylignano-9,9′-epoxylignan- 9′-ol, 7′,8′-dehydropodophyllotoxin, β-peltatin A-methyl ether and 7′, 8′-dehydroacetylpodophyllotoxin). The results show that seasonality modulates the anti-inflammatory, the antiproliferative potential, and the chemical composition of the extracts. The above suggests that B. microphylla could represent a potential source of phytochemicals for the development of pharmacological therapies for inflammation and cancer.