Pharmacological Investigations in Traditional Utilization of Alhagi maurorum Medik. in Saharan Algeria: In Vitro Study of Anti-Inflammatory and Antihyperglycemic Activities of Water-Soluble Polysaccharides Extracted from the Seeds.

Fatma Zohra Chakou,Mounir Traïkia,Cherkaoui El Modafar,Farah Hadjkacem,Pascal Dubessay,Zakaria Boual,Hakim Belkhalfa,Slim Abdelkafi,Zainab El Alaoui-Talibi,Cédric Delattre,Mohamed Didi Ould El Hadj,Imen Fendri,Khaldoun Bachari,Didier Le Cerf,Guillaume Pierre,Philippe Michaud

doi:10.3390/plants10122658

Abstract

The anti-inflammatory and antihyperglycemic effects of polysaccharides extracted from Alhagi maurorum Medik. seeds, spontaneous shrub collected in Southern of Algerian Sahara were investigated. Their water extraction followed by alcoholic precipitation was conducted to obtain two water-soluble polysaccharides extracts (WSPAM1 and WSPAM2). They were characterized using Fourier transform infrared, 1H/13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Size Exclusion Chromatography coupled with Multi-Angle Light Scattering. The capacity of those fractions to inhibit α-amylase activity and thermally induced Bovine Serum Albumin denaturation were also investigated. WSPAM1 and WSPAM2 were galactomannans with a mannose/galactose ratio of 2.2 and 2.4, respectively. The SEC-MALLS analysis revealed that WSPAM1 had a molecular weight of 1.4 × 106 Da. The investigations highlighted antinflammatory and antihyperglycemic effects in a dose-dependant manner of WSPAM1 and WSPAM2.

Highlights

Natural polysaccharides possess chemical structures, making them a key source of lead compounds for management of critical diseases such as diabetes and inflammations [1]
The extraction yields of WSPAM1 and WSPAM2 were, respectively, 12.58% and 9.83% (w/w), which was higher than yields polysaccharides found from other seeds species of Alhagi genus, Alhagi pseudalhagi (MB) Desv. at 2.8% [39] and 4% of Alhagi persarum Boiss [40]
The polysaccharides extracts WSPAM1 and WSPAM2 were mainly composed of neutral sugars with values of 58.98 and 53.1% (w/w) respectively and low uronic acid contents with values of 12.76 and 13.75% (w/w), respectively

Summary

Introduction

Natural polysaccharides possess chemical structures, making them a key source of lead compounds for management of critical diseases such as diabetes and inflammations [1] They are effective ways to prevent low side effects of currently available synthetic drugs e.g., acarbose, miglitol, and voglibose for treatment of diabetes and have noticeable healthy effects on hypoglycemia and gastrointestinal troubles [2,3,4]. The mechanisms involved in antidiabetic activity are numerous They comprise the protection of pancreatic islets from harm by scavenging the free radicals and repairing destroyed β-cells [10]. Plant-derived polysaccharides have shown their anti-inflammatory activities through the modulation of inflammatory mediators and several immune cells [18] They ameliorate the dysregulation of pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines [19]. They suppress the release of nitric oxide, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase [20]

Methods

Results

Conclusion