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Volume 30
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Determination of Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, Safety Assessment, and Antimicrobial Effect of Tristerix corymbosus Extracts

by
Katia Fernández Moreno
1,2,
Gabriela Maturana
1,3,
Sofía Blanco-Haros
3,4,
Ulises Norambuena-Jopia
4,
Gabriela Valenzuela-Barra
4,
María Carolina Zúñiga-López
3 and
Jessica Bravo Garrido
1,*
1
Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Products, School of Medicine, Center for Biomedical Research, University Diego Portales (UDP), Ejército 141, Santiago 837007, Chile
2
Faculty of Health and Dentistry, Universidad Diego Portales, Ejército 278, Santiago 8340263, Chile
3
Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago 8380494, Chile
4
Department of Pharmacological Chemistry and Toxicology, Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Chile, Box 233, Santiago, Chile
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2025, 30(23), 4610; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30234610 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 5 September 2025 / Revised: 10 November 2025 / Accepted: 12 November 2025 / Published: 30 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Natural Products and Their Biological Activities—2nd Edition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Quitral (Tristerix corymbosus), a Chilean and Argentine parasitic mistletoe, is traditionally used by Mapuche natives to treat stomach ulcers, nervous disorders, and cholesterol reduction, although scientific support is scarce. Methanolic and chloroform extracts from its leaves and stems were prepared. Chemical analysis included antioxidant capacity assays (ORAC-FL and DPPH) and chromatographic determinations. The antimicrobial activity was tested against nine bacteria and two yeast strains. Additionally, cytotoxicity (hemolysis) and toxicity (against Caenorhabditis elegans) assays were performed. The results revealed that the methanolic leaf extracts had the highest ORAC-FL value, with DPPH assays showing solvent-dependent differences. Thirty-one compounds were tentatively identified, of which 61% were phenolic compounds, primarily flavonoids like quercetin and its derivatives. Antimicrobial results showed activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, and Enterococcus faecalis), but not against yeast Candida guillermondii and Candida tropicalis. Methanolic extracts induced dose-dependent erythrocyte hemolysis, while chloroform extracts showed no relevant cytotoxicity. Toxicity against Caenorhabditis elegans was also dose-dependent for methanolic extracts; leaf extract reduced survival at 50 mg mL−1 after 24 h. These findings partially validate some traditional uses, highlight the importance of solvent polarity in extraction and biological effects, and establish quitral as a flavonoid source.
Keywords: Tristerix corymbosus; extract toxicity; methanolic extract; flavonoids Tristerix corymbosus; extract toxicity; methanolic extract; flavonoids

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MDPI and ACS Style

Moreno, K.F.; Maturana, G.; Blanco-Haros, S.; Norambuena-Jopia, U.; Valenzuela-Barra, G.; Zúñiga-López, M.C.; Garrido, J.B. Determination of Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, Safety Assessment, and Antimicrobial Effect of Tristerix corymbosus Extracts. Molecules 2025, 30, 4610. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30234610

AMA Style

Moreno KF, Maturana G, Blanco-Haros S, Norambuena-Jopia U, Valenzuela-Barra G, Zúñiga-López MC, Garrido JB. Determination of Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, Safety Assessment, and Antimicrobial Effect of Tristerix corymbosus Extracts. Molecules. 2025; 30(23):4610. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30234610

Chicago/Turabian Style

Moreno, Katia Fernández, Gabriela Maturana, Sofía Blanco-Haros, Ulises Norambuena-Jopia, Gabriela Valenzuela-Barra, María Carolina Zúñiga-López, and Jessica Bravo Garrido. 2025. "Determination of Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, Safety Assessment, and Antimicrobial Effect of Tristerix corymbosus Extracts" Molecules 30, no. 23: 4610. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30234610

APA Style

Moreno, K. F., Maturana, G., Blanco-Haros, S., Norambuena-Jopia, U., Valenzuela-Barra, G., Zúñiga-López, M. C., & Garrido, J. B. (2025). Determination of Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, Safety Assessment, and Antimicrobial Effect of Tristerix corymbosus Extracts. Molecules, 30(23), 4610. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30234610

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