Bio-activity guided isolation of 1,5-dicafeoyl quinic acid from Cirsium species and investigation of their therapeutic potency on melanoma through in vitro and in silico approaches

Abstract

Melanoma exhibits a high fatality rate, and its characteristic of rapid proliferation is progressively increasing. Collagenase inhibitors are pivotal in infuencing the invasion of cancer cells in melanoma. The objective of this research is to explore the therapeutic impact of specifc Cirsium species on melanoma. A bioactivity-guided fractionation was carried out to identify the efective compound using collagenase inhibitory efcacy. The most potent compound underwent additional examination through in silico methods, and the presence of this compound, along with several phenolic compounds, in the most efective Cirsium species was identifed using LC–MS/MS analysis. The cytotoxic efect on SK-Mel cells was assessed using the in vitro MTT technique. The bioactivity-guided fractionation study led to the identifcation of CTR-E1 from Cirsium trachylepis’s root (CTR), and its structure was determined as 1,5-dicafeoylquinic acid. In silico analysis revealed that 1,5-dicafeoylquinic acid exhibited signifcant potency with a maximum binding afnity of −8.19 kcal/mol, as well as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. 1,5-dicafeoylquinic acid, fumaric acid, pyrogallol, and epicatechin were detected and quantifed in CTR by LC–MS/MS analysis. CTR was found to be efective on SK-Mel cells. Further clinical and toxicological studies, as well as additional in vitro and in vivo studies, are necessary to support the therapeutic efcacy of CTR and 1,5-dicafeoylquinic acid.