Ochradenus baccatus Delile (Resedaceae) is a desert plant with edible fruits native to the Middle East. Few investigators have reported antibacterial, antiparasitic and anti-cancer activities of the plant. Herein we evaluate the cytotoxic activity of O. baccatus using four cell lines and a zebrafish embryo model. Additionally, liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy was performed to characterize the extract’s main constituents. The highest cytotoxicity was observed against human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa), with CC₅₀ of 39.1 µg/mL and a selectivity index (SI) of 7.23 (p <0.01). Metabolic analysis of the extract resulted in the annotation of 57 metabolites, including fatty acids, flavonoids, glucosinolates, nitrile glycosides, in addition to organic acids. The extract showed an abundance of hydroxylated fatty acids (16 peaks). Further, 3 nitrile glycosides have been identified for the first time in Ochradenus sp., in addition to 2 glucosinolates. These identified phytochemicals may partially explain the cytotoxic activity of the extract. We propose O. baccatus as a possible safe food source for further utilization to partially contribute to the increasing food demand specially in Saharan countries.

Ochradenus baccatus Delile（Resedaceae）是一种沙漠植物，其果实可食用，原产于中东。很少有研究人员报告过这种植物的抗菌、抗寄生虫和抗癌活性。在此，我们使用四种细胞系和斑马鱼胚胎模型评估O. baccatus的细胞毒活性。此外，液相色谱与质谱联用对提取物的主要成分进行了表征。观察到对人宫颈腺癌 (HeLa) 的细胞毒性最高，CC ₅₀为 39.1 µg/mL，选择性指数 (SI) 为 7.23 ( p<0.01)。提取物的代谢分析产生了 57 种代谢物的注释，包括脂肪酸、类黄酮、芥子油苷、腈糖苷以及有机酸。提取物显示出丰富的羟基化脂肪酸（16 个峰）。此外，除了 2 种芥子油苷外，还首次在Ochradenus sp . 中鉴定出 3 种腈糖苷。这些已鉴定的植物化学物质可能部分解释了提取物的细胞毒活性。我们建议将O. baccatus作为一种可能的安全食物来源，以进一步利用，以部分促进撒哈拉国家日益增长的食物需求。