The LC-MS/MS Identification and Analgesic and Wound Healing Activities of Lavandula officinalis Chaix: In Vivo and In Silico Approaches

Abstract

We earlier emphasized in vivo the lavender plant's (Lavandula officinalis Chaix.) anti-inflammatory and estrogenic activities and described the chemical compositions of its hydro-ethanolic (HE) extract. We used LC-MS/MS and GC-MS analyses to profile the phytochemical composition of the HE extract and to assess the analgesic and wound-healing effects of both the hydro-ethanolic (HE) and polyphenolic (LOP) extracts in vivo and in silico. The analgesic activity was studied using two methods: acetic acid and formalin injections in mice. The wound-healing activity was carried out over 25 days using a burn model in rats. In the in silico study, the polyphenols identified in the plant were docked in the active sites of three enzymes: casein kinase-1, cyclooxygenase-2, and glycogen synthase kinase-3β. The LC-MS/MS identified some phenolic compounds, mainly apigenin, catechin, and myricetin, and the GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 19 volatile compounds with triazole, D-glucose, hydroxyphenyl, and D-Ribofuranose as the major compounds. The HE and LOP extracts showed significant decreases in abdominal writhes, and the higher licking time of the paw (57.67%) was observed using the LOP extract at 200 mg/kg. Moreover, both extracts showed high healing percentages, i.e., 99.31 and 92.88%, compared to the control groups, respectively. The molecular docking showed that myricetin, amentoflavone, apigenin, and catechin are the most active molecules against the three enzyme receptors. This study sheds light on the potential of L. officinalis Chaix as a source of natural products for pharmaceutical applications for analgesic purposes as well as their utility in promoting burn-healing activity.