Chemical Profile and Evaluation of the Growth-Inhibitory, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Activity Potential of Polar Extracts of Reseda alba L. (Resedaceae)

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the chemical composition and the biological properties of Reseda alba L., commonly known as white mignonette. Extracts obtained from leaves (L), flowers (F), stems (S), and immature fruits (Fr) by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) were assessed for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and growth-inhibitory activity, and chemically characterized by an analytical approach based on liquid chromatography/electrospray/high-resolution tandem–mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/HRMS/MS). The resulting chromatographic profile revealed 30 major constituents belonging to the flavonoids, glucosinolates, phenolic acids, and polar lipids, as well as hydroxy fatty acid classes. Naringenin-di-C-glucoside, isorhamnetin-O-deoxyhexosyl-hexoside, kaempferol-O-dideoxyhexosyl-hexoside, and isorhamnetin O-dideoxyhexoside are reported here for the first time in the genus Reseda. The Fr extract exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory and radical scavenging properties, likely due to its higher flavonoid content compared to the other extracts. On the other hand, the F extract significantly reduced the viability of colorectal adenocarcinoma (CaCo-2) and hepatocarcinoma (HepG-2) cells. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay showed that the treatments with R. alba did not induce the release of the marker enzyme in CaCo-2 and HepG-2 cells, suggesting the involvement of a different cell death pathway. Overall, the bioactivities observed among the different plant organs highlight the beneficial potential of R. alba and provide a rationale for future bioactivity-guided isolation studies.