Mineral composition, principal polyphenolic components, and evaluation of the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antioxidant properties of Cytisus villosus Pourr leaf extracts

• Published in: Open Chemistry Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 1822 - 32
• Main Authors: Zouhri, Aziz, El Menyiy, Naoual, El-mernissi, Yahya, Bouddine, Toufik, El-mernissi, Rafik, Amhamdi, Hassan, Elharrak, Abdelhay, Salamatullah, Ahmad Mohammad, Nafidi, Hiba-Allah, Khallouki, Farid, Bourhia, Mohammed, Hajji, Lhoussain
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 14.06.2023
• Subjects: analgesic activity; anti-inflammatory; antioxidant activity; cytisus villosus; UPLC-ESI-MS/MS
• ISSN: 2391-5420; 2391-5420
• DOI: 10.1515/chem-2022-0338

Pourr. ( ) is a medicinal plant belonging to the Fabaceae family, which grows in the Mediterranean area. It is used in traditional medicine against diseases related to inflammation. The objective of the present study was to identify the mineral and polyphenolic composition as well as to evaluate some biological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities of leaf aqueous extract. The chemical constituents were identified and quantified using ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) methods. The antioxidant properties of leaves were tested using reducing power (RP), 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. The anti-inflammatory potency was evaluated and using the albumin denaturation test and the carrageenan test, respectively. Furthermore, the analgesic effect was performed using tail flick, acetic acid-induced contortion, and plantar tests. Mineralogical analysis revealed that potassium and calcium were the most abundant minerals. The analysis and quantification of the phytochemical composition using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS showed that quinic acid (57.478 ± 1.72 mg/kg) was the major compound of the aqueous extract, followed by salicylic acid (17.38 ± 0.2 mg/kg), isoquercetin (16.895 ± 1.01 mg/kg), and gallic acid (15.914 ± 1.51 mg/kg). The extracts showed potent antioxidant activity for all tests used. The highest antioxidant activity was recorded for the DPPH, ABTS and RP methods, with an IC of 3.94 ± 0.09, 2.88 ± 0.07, and 1.94 ± 0.10 μg/mL, respectively. Additionally, using the most frequent analgesic assays, the aqueous extract at a dose of 500 mg/kg exhibited a potent analgesic activity. Notably, an interesting inhibition of albumin denaturation was recorded with an IC of 383.94 μg/mL, corroborating the test. Overall, the results presented here may represent a scientific basis for the traditional use of in the treatment of inflammation-related diseases.