Abstract
In the Romanian folk medicine, aerial parts of Ajuga laxmannii (“nobleman’s beard,” Romanian – “barba boierului” or “avrămească” or “creştinească”) are traditionally used as galactagogue and anti-inflammatory agents. The present study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition (polyphenols, iridoids, and phytosterols), antioxidant, antimicrobial and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of different extracts of A. laxmannii aerial parts. The major identified bioactive compounds were rutin, 8-O-acetylharpagide and β-sitosterol. The antioxidant activity of A. laxmannii extracts was evaluated using several methods, and the results showed good antiradical effects. Moreover, the antimicrobial evaluation showed a potent antifungal activity against C. albicans and P. funiculosum. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory effect was determined by monitoring some parameters involved in the inflammatory process. The results obtained showed differences between the analyzed extracts; and therefore the importance of choosing the best solvent in order to extract the appropriate amount of bioactive compounds. A. laxmannii ethanol extract showed an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing total leukocytes, PMN, phagocytosis, and oxidative stress. Compared to diclofenac, only the 50 mg/mL A. laxmannii extract had better anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress effects, and this could justify the importance of a correlation between the activity and the used concentration. These findings strongly suggest that A. laxmannii could be considered as a valuable source of bioactive compounds, which could be further valued as anti-inflammatory agents in the composition of several herbal drugs.
Highlights
Medicinal plants have proven their value as sources of molecules with therapeutic potential, and still represent an important pool for the identification of novel drug leads (Atanasov et al, 2015)
The chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties of different A. laxmannii extracts were evaluated for the first time
The antiinflammatory effect was determined by monitoring some parameters involved in the inflammatory process, and these findings could indicate a possible mechanism of action
Summary
Medicinal plants have proven their value as sources of molecules with therapeutic potential, and still represent an important pool for the identification of novel drug leads (Atanasov et al, 2015). Nowadays herbal medicines have received great scientific interest because they provide both important biomolecules which are used in the treatment of several diseases, as well as a broad spectrum of long-term use and safety. Herbal medicines were used and applied only based on traditional knowledge and empirical observations of “indigenous healers,” without elucidating the chemical composition of the used extracts or mechanistic knowledge of their pharmacological activities and main bioactive compounds (Atanasov et al, 2015). The empirical value of medicinal plants is seen as a proof of effectiveness and safety, and still many plant preparations are traditionally used without having a certain scientific proof of their pharmacological effects or long-term safety and efficacy
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