RESUMEN
Abstract The leaves of Garcinia gracilis Pierre, Clusiaceae, have been used as flavouring materials in food, with no previous reports of their biological activities and chemical constituents. In this study, the methanolic extract of G. gracilis afforded three compounds namely apigenin-8-C-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde, and vanillic acid. All of the isolates were initially evaluated for superoxide anion radical scavenging activity and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects. Compound 1, which was the major component, showed the most potent activities among these three isolates. Further biological evaluations revealed that compound 1 could prevent the pBR322 plasmid DNA damage induced by the photochemical reaction of riboflavin and protect P19-derived neurons from the oxidative stress condition induced by serum deprivation. It was concluded that the potent biological activities of G. gracilis could be attributed to the synergistic effect of compound 1 with other constituents found in the plant.