Achyrocline satureioides (Lam.) DC., Asteraceae, Clinopodium bolivianum Kuntze, Lamiaceae, Rubus urticifolius Poir., Rosaceae, and Tagetes elliptica Sm., Asteraceae, are medicinal South American plants, traditionally used in the form of infusions and decoctions for the treatment of pneumonia. Our research focused on the analysis of their compounds in the aqueous, hexane, and dichloromethane/methanol extracts, using UV, IR, and H-1 NMR spectroscopic techniques. Subsequently, based on the initial results, fingerprints were used through the identification of the majoritarian compounds of each extract. Finally, the extracts' biological activity was determined through cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory assays (NF-kappa B inhibition) in MRC-5 and HBEC3-KT cells, while the antioxidant (ABTS(center dot+) inhibition) and antibacterial activities were tested in the Staphylococcus aureus, S. pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Legionella pneumophila strains. Chemical analysis allowed us to obtain the first chemical fingerprint of R. urticifolius that confirmed the presence of glycosidic or aglycone compounds in the extracts of A. satureioides, C. bolivianum, and T. elliptica. Regarding cytotoxicity, all aqueous and dichloromethane/methanol extracts showed CC50 > 50 mu g/ml (for A. satureioides, this was the most cytotoxic, CC50 52.06 mu g/ml in MRC-5 cells). However, all hexane and dichloromethane/methanol extracts had the highest anti-inflammatory activity (for R. urticifolius, IC50 22.88 mu g/ml in MRC-5 cells; for R. urticifolius, it also had the highest antioxidant capacity, especially the dichloromethane/methanol extract, with IC50 2.77 mu g/ml). Finally, all extracts had the highest antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (especially the dichloromethane/methanol extract of A. satureioides, with MICs 4.66-10.26 mu g/ml). Analyzing chemical and biological results, we can conclude that the dichloromethane/methanol extracts had the most promising pharmacological potential given the synergy of their medium-polarity compounds.
