TITLE:
Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties of the Aqueous Extracts of the Leaves of Opilia amentacea (Opiliaceae)
AUTHORS:
Rainatou Boly, Abdoul Gilchrist Laurent Boly, Wendkouni Leila Marie Esther Belem-Kabré, Kadiatou Tata Traoré, Boukaré Kaboré, Ollo Youl, Latifatou Sawadogo, Mathieu Nitièma, Moumouni Koala, Noufou Ouédraogo, Estella Noëla Hoho Youl, Maminata Traoré-Coulibaly
KEYWORDS:
Opilia amentacea, Aqueous Extracts, Acute Toxicity, Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant
JOURNAL NAME:
Pharmacology & Pharmacy,
Vol.14 No.9,
September
6,
2023
ABSTRACT: Opilia amentacea (Opiliaceae) is a woody plant
with multiple medicinal claimed effects. The present study aimed to assess the
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of the decoction and macerate
extracts from the leaves of Opilia
amentacea. Moreover, acute
toxicity and phytochemical analysis were performed. The acute toxicity
was evaluated on NMRI mice at 2000 mg/kg bw. The anti-inflammatory activity was
studied using the carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema and the lipoxygenase
inhibition assay. The radical scavenging (DPPH and ABTS), ferric-reducing
antioxidant power (FRAP), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) assays were used to
measure the antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Qualitative and quantitative
methods served for identifying and quantifying the extract’s phytoconstituents.
The decoction demonstrated low acute toxicity; the lethal dose was therefore
estimated to be superior to 2000 mg/kg bw. The extracts significantly reduced
the mouse paw’s thickness at 600 mg/kg bw. The extracts developed weak radical
scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effects. However, the macerate showed a high ability (664.90 ± 0.71 mol Ascorbic Acid Equivalent/g
dry extract) to reduce the ferric ions. Saponins, sterols, triterpenes,
and flavonoids were qualitatively detected in the two extracts. Total phenolics
(TP) and total flavonoids (TF) were found abundant in the extracts, especially
the decoction (TP content (TPC) = 94.03 ± 2.66 mg GAE/g; TF content (TFC) =
35.05 ± 0.32 mg QE/g). Strong positive
correlations existed between ferric-reducing capacity and TPC (r = 0.959) for
the macerate, while TFC was mainly involved in the DPPH radical scavenging of
the two extracts. Instead, most correlations were negative between the
polyphenol compounds and the anti-inflammatory assays. The results indicate
potent in vivo anti-inflammatory and in vitro antioxidant effects of the aqueous extracts from the leaves of Opilia
amentacea. Further studies are needed to find the anti-inflammatory and
antioxidant effects mechanism.