Six native plants of South America traditionally consumed in the Patagonian region (southern Argentina and Chile), namely: Adesmia boronioides Hook. f., Apium australe Thouars, Buddleja globosa Hope, Drimys andina (Reiche) R. Rodr. & Quezada, Dysphania multifida L. and Solidago chilensis Meyen were investigated to determine the nutraceutical properties of infusions of their aerial parts. The infusions were characterized in terms of their antioxidant activity, phenolic and flavonoid content, profile of phenolic compounds, general toxicity and cytotoxicity on two different human cell lines: T84 (derived from colon cancer) and HTR8/SVneo (not derived from cancer). Twenty-nine compounds, mainly phenolic acids and flavonoids, were identified. This is the first analysis of phenolic compounds in infusions from native plants of Patagonia. D. andina, B. globosa and S. chilensis showed high levels of antioxidants, even higher than those of Green Tea. The content of phenolic compounds correlated significantly with the antioxidant activity of the samples analyzed. The toxicity test indicated that the use of A. australe, B. globosa and D. multifida seems safe, but a moderate consumption is suggested for A. boronioides, D. andina and S. chilensis until more exhaustive and long-term results are available. Moreover, A. boronioides and S. chilensis showed anticancer potential due to their antiproliferative activity on human cancer cell lines.
Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Antiproliferative activity; Argentine Patagonia; Infusions; Native plants; Phenolic compounds.