Ephedra alata Subsp. Alenda as a Novel Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals: Characterization Based on the Mass Spectrometry and Profiling of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 2; p. 323
• Main Authors: Mufti, Afoua, Contreras, María Del Mar, Gómez-Cruz, Irene, Alshamrani, Abdullah, Nahdi, Saber, Mansour, Lamjed, Alwasel, Salah, Harrath, Abdel Halim, Tlili, Nizar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Amino acids; anti-inflammatory; Anti-inflammatory agents; Antioxidants; Biological activity; Biopolymer denaturation; Chelation; Chemical compounds; Chromatography; COX1 and COX2; Cyclooxygenase-1; Cyclooxygenase-2; Drugs; Enzymes; Ephedra; Ephedra alata; Ephedrine; Ethics; Fatty acids; Ferrous ions; Flavonoids; Herbal medicine; High performance liquid chromatography; high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI–QTOF/MS); Inflammation; Inflammatory diseases; Ionization; Isoforms; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolites; Pharmacology; Phytochemicals; Protein denaturation; Quadrupoles; Scientific imaging; Solvents; Superoxide; Tunisia; anti-inflammatory; Ephedra alata; antioxidants; high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI–QTOF/MS); COX1 and COX2
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life13020323

The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the phytochemical content of pulp extract (EAP) and explore its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. High-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF/MS) was used for phytochemical analysis and three in vitro antioxidant assays together with three in vitro anti-inflammatory tests were used for the assessment of biological activity. The HPLC-ESI-QTOF/MS analysis revealed the presence of 42 metabolites, including flavonoids, sphingolipides, fatty acids, ephedrine derivatives, and amino acid derivatives. In vitro findings revealed that EAP has interesting 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide, and ferrous ion chelating capacities (IC values were 0.57 mg/mL, 0.55 mg/mL, and 0.51 mg/mL for DPPH, superoxide radical, and ferrous ion, respectively). Furthermore, EAP showed a noticeable anti-inflammatory ability by inhibiting the two cyclooxygenase isoforms, COX-1 and COX-2 (IC of 59.1 and 58.8 µg/mL for COX-1 and COX-2, respectively), preventing protein denaturation (IC50 = 0.51 mg/mL), and protecting membrane stabilization (IC50 = 0.53 mg/mL). The results highlighted the use of pulp as a potential source of natural compounds with therapeutic effects for the management of inflammatory disorders.