Abstract
Natural products have served as primary remedies since ancient times due to their cultural acceptance and outstanding biodiversity. To investigate whether Tamarix aphylla L. modulates an inflammatory process, we carried out bioassay-guided isolation where the extracts and isolated compounds were tested for their modulatory effects on several inflammatory indicators, such as nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), proinflammatory cytokine; tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α), as well as the proliferation of the lymphocyte T-cells. The aqueous ethanolic extract of the plant inhibited the intracellular ROS production, NO generation, and T-cell proliferation. The aqueous ethanolic crude extract was partitioned by liquid-liquid fractionation using n-hexane (n-C6H6), dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and water (H2O). The DCM and n-BuOH extracts showed the highest activity against most inflammatory indicators and were further purified to obtain compounds 1–4. The structures of 3,5-dihydroxy-4’,7-dimethoxyflavone (1) and 3,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid methyl ester (2) from the DCM extracts; and kaempferol (3), and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-(E)-cinnamic acid (4) from the n-BuOH extract were elucidated by different spectroscopic tools, including MS, NMR, UV, and IR. Compound 2 inhibited the production of ROS and TNF-α, whereas compound 3 showed inhibitory activity against all the tested mediators. A better understanding of the potential aspect of Tamarix aphylla L. derivatives as anti-inflammatory agents could open the door for the development of advanced anti-inflammatory entities.
Highlights
Inflammation is tissues’ response to insults such as infections, injuries, burns, and other harmful stimuli, manifested with fever, anorexia, and oedema
The anti-inflammatory activities of the crude aqueous ethanol extract and the sub-extracts from liquid-liquid fractionation (n-C6 H6, DCM, EtOAc, n-BuOH, and H2 O) of T. aphylla L. were investigated on various innate and adaptive immune parameters including the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α, and the proliferation of
A bioassay-guided isolation of T. aphylla L. was carried out followed by evaluation of the immunosuppressive impact of the extracts (n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water) and isolated compounds 1–4 from the aerial parts of T. aphylla L., validating the traditional uses of this plant in the treatment of inflammatory diseases
Summary
Inflammation is tissues’ response to insults such as infections, injuries, burns, and other harmful stimuli, manifested with fever, anorexia, and oedema. It is one of the first innate defence lines and Molecules 2020, 25, 2994; doi:10.3390/molecules25132994 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules. Molecules 2020, 25, 2994 works to remove harmful stimuli and initiate healing processes. Under normal physiological conditions this defence mechanism is vital for health. It could be categorized into acute and chronic. Acute inflammatory processes typically resolve after removal of harmful stimuli; uncontrolled acute inflammation could become chronic. The chronic inflammatory reaction could lead to devastating ailments, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as cancers [1]. The cardinal signs of inflammation are redness, swelling, heat, pain, and loss of tissue function, which are a result of changes in vascular permeability, recruitment of leukocytes, and release of inflammatory mediators
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