Analysis of the Total Biflavonoids Extract from Selaginella doederleinii by HPLC-QTOF-MS and Its In Vitro and In Vivo Anticancer Effects

Abstract

<i>Selaginella doederleinii</i> Hieron has been traditionally used as a folk antitumor herbal medicine in China. In this paper, the phytochemical components of the total biflavonoids extract from <i>S. doederleinii</i> were studied by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS) in negative ion mode, and their in vitro and in vivo anticancer effects were evaluated. Four types of biflavonoids from <i>S. doederleinii</i>, including IC3'-IIC8'', IC3'-IIC6'', IC3'-IIC3''', and C-O linked biflavonoids were examined originally using QTOF MS/MS. The fragmentation behavior of IC3'-IIC3''' linked biflavonoids was reported for the first time. A total of twenty biflavonoids were identified or tentatively characterized and eight biflavonoids were found from <i>S. doederleinii</i> for the first time. Furthermore, the 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thizolyl)-2,5-diphenyltertazolium bromide (MTT) assay and xenograft model of mouse lewis lung cancer(LLC) in male C57BL/6 mice revealed favorable anticancer properties of the total biflavonoids extracts from <i>S. doederleinii</i>. The results of this work could provide useful knowledge for the identification of biflavonoids in herbal samples and further insights into the chemopreventive function of this plant.