Phytochemical and pharmacological investigation of the non-volatile compounds of Lepidium cartilagineum (J. C. Mayer) Thell. and determination of the essential oil composition of its flowers and fruits

Eighteen compounds, among them phenylpropanoids (1–2), neolignans (3–9), a megastigmane (10), a phenyl glucoside (11), flavonoids (12–14), and N-containing compounds (15–18) were isolated from the methanolic extract of the whole plant of L. cartilagineum. The structures of the compounds were determined by NMR and MS measurements. The composition of the essential oils prepared from the flowers and fruits of L. cartilagineum was investigated using GC and GC–MS measurements. The essential oils were rich in aliphatic aldehydes and hydrocarbons, but low in sulfur-containing compounds, e.g., isothiocyanates. The extracts prepared from the aerial parts and roots of the plant, the essential oil, and the isolated compounds (1–9) were tested for antiproliferative activity against COLO 205 and COLO 320 cell lines and antibacterial activity on Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol γ’-methyl ether (5) possessed marked antiproliferative activity against both human tumor cell lines. Neither the extracts nor the compounds affected the growth of the bacteria and did not influence the biofilm formation of L. rhamnosus. Based on the results, it can be concluded that L. cartilagineum is non-toxic to the human gut microbiome forming L. rhamnosus.