Alpha-spinasterol in the roots of Impatiens glandulifera and its effects on the viability of human cells

The roots of Impatiens glandulifera belong to plants, or part of plants with a high content of α-spinasterol. Chromatographic analysis of roots hexane extract using GC–MS revealed that α-spinasterol is the dominant substance in the freeze-dried roots of Impatiens glandulifera and its content reaches ca. 1 wt%. When the hexane extracts are concentrated, α-spinasterol crystals fall out in the form of tiny needles, so the isolation of this substance from the roots of Impatiens glandulifera is very easy. Regarding the easy isolation and usage of phytosterols as anticancer and antimicrobial agents, cytotoxicity tests were performed using hepatic Hep G2 cells and blood HL-60 cells. Since hexane is an organic solvent, the cytotoxicity of the used hexane concentrations was measured, too.