16 - Lessertia frutescens

Abstract

Lessertia frutescens (L.) Goldblatt & J.C. Manning (Fabaceae), a small shrub that grows naturally in some southern African countries, has reputable medicinal properties in the management of a vast range of ailments. ‘Cancer bush’, as the plant is commonly referred to, is used in the treatment of cancers, as a bitter tonic, adaptogen and blood purifier. The shrub is recognised by its silvery colour, bright red flowers and balloon-like papery pods. Reports have documented the anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory and various other in vivo and in vitro activities. The non-volatile fraction of the aerial parts is of ethnobotanical relevance and commercial significance. The quality control protocol of L. frutescens is herein documented, based on the chromatographic profiling of the non-volatile fraction of the aerial parts. Lessertia frutescens aerial parts were dried and extracted with methanol. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) was performed on a semi-automated CAMAG HPTLC system. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and photodiode array detection (UPLC-MS-PDA) profiles were obtained in the negative ionisation mode. Methanol extracts viewed under white light with TLC visualiser 2 revealed the presence of sutherlandioside B (SU1) as the marker compound in all the samples. The UPLC-MS-PDA chromatographic fingerprints displayed both sutherlandioside B and D, which were identified with the aid of standards.