Isolation, Identification and Pharmacological Effects of Mandragora autumnalis Fruit Flavonoids Fraction.

Nawaf Al-Maharik,Najlaa Bassalat,Hilal Zaid,Nidal Jaradat,Mohammed Hawash

doi:10.3390/molecules27031046

Abstract

Since ancient times, Mandragora autumnalis has been used as a traditional medicinal plant for the treatment of numerous ailments. In light of this, the current study was designed to isolate and identify the chemical constituents of the flavonoids fraction from M. autumnalis ripe fruit (FFM), and evaluate its DPPH scavenging, anti-lipase, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial and antidiabetic effects. An ethyl acetate extract of M. autumnalis was subjected to a sequence of silica gel column chromatography using different eluents with various polarities. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were identified using different spectral techniques, including 1H NMR and 13C NMR. FFM’s anti-diabetic activity was assessed using a glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) translocation assay, as well as an inhibition against α-amylase and α-glucosidase using standard biochemical assays. The FFM anti-lipase effect against porcine pancreatic lipase was also evaluated. Moreover, FFM free radical scavenging activity using the DPPH test and antimicrobial properties against eight microbial strains using the micro-dilution method were also assessed. Four flavonoid aglycones were separated from FFM and their chemical structures were identified. The structures of the isolated compounds were established as kaempferol 1, luteolin 2, myricetin 3 and (+)-taxifolin 4, based on NMR spectroscopic analyses. The cytotoxicity test results showed high cell viability (at least 90%) for up to 1 mg/mL concentration of FFM, which is considered to be safe. A dose-dependent increase in GLUT4 translocation was significantly shown (p < 0.05) when the muscle cells were treated with FFM up to 0.5 mg/mL. Moreover, FFM revealed potent α-amylase, α-glucosidase, DPPH scavenging and porcine pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities compared with the positive controls, with IC50 values of 72.44 ± 0.89, 39.81 ± 0.74, 5.37 ± 0.41 and 39.81 ± 1.23 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, FFM inhibited the growth of all of the tested bacterial and fungal strains and showed the greatest antibacterial activity against the K. pneumoniae strain with a MIC value of 0.135 µg/mL. The four flavonoid molecules that constitute the FFM have been shown to have medicinal promise. Further in vivo testing and formulation design are needed to corroborate these findings, which are integral to the pharmaceutical and food supplement industries.

Highlights

Humankind has been fascinated with botanicals since antiquity because of their exceptional nutritional, cosmetic and medicinal characteristics [1]
Following up on a previously conducted study that involved the identification of phytochemical composition and the assessment of biological activities of various wildgrowing herbs in Palestine, we have considered investigating the ethyl acetate fraction of the methanol extract of M. autumnalis ripe berries, identifying the chemical composition of this fraction and assessing its anti-obesity, DPPH scavenging, cytotoxic, antimicrobial and Molecules 2022, 27, 1046
Four flavonoids (Figure 2) were isolated from the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of the ripe fruit of M. autumnalis, and their structures were identified as kaempferol 1, luteolin 2, myricetin 3 and (+)-taxifolin (4) by comparing their 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral analysis with that reported in the literature (Table 1, Figures S1–S14)

Summary

Introduction

Humankind has been fascinated with botanicals since antiquity because of their exceptional nutritional, cosmetic and medicinal characteristics [1]. A growing body of evidence shows that herbal medicines have fewer side effects than most synthetic treatments, making them an important source for the development of new pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and nutritional supplements [2]. It is a controversial subject in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors to study natural products for their pharmacological properties [3]. ( known as Mandragora officinarum L.) is a highly valued wild medicinal herb It is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Solanaceae family with purple or violet blooms and orange or yellow mature fruits (berries). M. autumnalis has antitumor [6], antioxidant and antimicrobial activities [7], as well as having free radicals, cholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities [8]

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Conclusion