Abstract

This study aims to preliminarily investigate the chemical composition and certain in vitro biological activities of the stem extract of Goniothalamus donnaiensis Finet & Gagnep., an endemic plant species in Vietnam, belonging to the Annonaceae family. The stem were extracted by percolation with 96% ethanol and subsequently fractionated using solvents of increasing polarity. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of major groups, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, saponin, terpenoids, and sesquiterpene lactones. Anti-inflammatory activity of extracts was assessed using two testing models: proteinase inhibition and erythrocyte membrane stabilization. The extracts exhibited low enzyme inhibitory activity (<50%) in the proteinase inhibition model while the erythrocyte membrane stabilization experiment showed remarkable results, with the ethyl acetate fraction achieving hemolysis inhibition of 86.74% at 100 μg/mL, surpassing the positive control ibuprofen at the same concentration. Additionally, the ethanol, n-hexane, and ethyl acetate fractions demonstrated noticeable cytotoxicity against lung cancer (A549) and colorectal cancer (HT29) cell lines, with cell viability rates <10% at 100 μg/mL. These findings suggest that the plant stem is a promising source of bioactive compounds that could be further explored for the development of plant-derived anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents.