Scorzonera hispanica is an herbaceous perennial cultivated in Central and Southern Europe. This study aimed to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the composition of oil, extracts, and fractions (SH1-SH12) obtained from S. hispanica seeds. Furthermore, an evaluation of biological activities in breast cancer cell lines was also performed. GC-MS analysis revealed that the primary components of the seed oil (SH12) were fatty acids and β-sitosterol. In the evaluation of extracts (SH1-SH3, SH8-SH10) and fractions (SH4-SH7, SH11) composition, the presence of apigenin, derivatives of p-coumaric and caffeic acids, was reported. In the biological assays, methanolic extract (SH1), diethyl ether (SH4), and chloroform (SH11) fractions exhibited cytotoxicity toward cells. The highest activity was observed for fatty acids- and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate-rich SH11 (IC50: 399.18 μg/mL for MCF-7, 781.26 μg/mL for MDA-MB-231). SH11 was also observed to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells (52.4%). SH1, SH4, and SH11 attenuate signaling pathways and affect the expression of apoptosis-, autophagy-, and inflammation-related proteins. SH12 was non-toxic toward either cancer or normal cell lines in concentrations up to 1 mg/mL. The results suggest that S. hispanica seeds exhibit a wide range of potential uses as a source of oil and bioactive compounds for complementary therapy of breast cancer.
Keywords: GC-MS; LC-PDA-MS; Scorzonera; biological activity; breast cancer; polyphenols; seeds.