In vitro evaluation of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Asparagus aphyllus L., Crataegus azarolus L., and Ephedra alata Decne.in monocultures and co-cultures of HepG2 and THP-1-derived macrophages

Abstract

Introduction: Asparagus aphyllus L.,Crataegus azarolus L., and Ephedra alata Decne.have been used in traditional Greco-Arab herbal medicine to treat various metabolic and inflammatory diseases. However, to our knowledge, no scientific evidences regarding their anti-inflammatory effects have been published yet.This study aimedto evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Asparagus aphyllus L., Crataegus azarolus L., and Ephedra alata Decne.extracts using in vitro mono and co-culture systems. Methods: In the first phase of the current study we measured the total phenol, flavones and flavonol contents as well as the antioxidant activity using the DPPH scavenging assay, ABTS assay, and reducing power of the three plant extracts. In second phase, we used THP-1-derived macrophages as a monoculture and co-culture with hepatic cell line (HepG2) to assess the effects of the three plant extracts on the production of LPSinduced pro-inflammatory (IL-6 and TNF -) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines.Results: All three extracts exhibit relatively high levels of phenolics, flavones and flavonols, which correlate with their antioxidant capacities.All three extracts were found to modulate the secretion levels of TNF -, IL-6 and IL-10 at non-toxic concentrations as measured with MTT and LDH assays. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that the traditional uses of these extracts as anti-inflammatory remedies may be mediated by their significant antioxidant capacity, inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion concomitant with enhancement of anti-inflammatory cytokines secretion.Key words: Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant; Asparagus aphyllus L.; Crataegus azarolus L.;Ephedra alata Decne. INTRODUCTIONInflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection, irritation, as well as to various other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative disorders.1 it involves directed migration and activation of leukocytes (neutrophils, monocytes and eosinophils) to the site of damage. Inflammation is linked to oxidant/antioxidant imbalance (an elevation in the reactive oxygen speciesin parallel to low levels of antioxidants). High levels of inflammatory markers and low level of antioxidants are observed in many inflammatory diseases 2,3 as well as in many pathological conditions such as malignancy, cardiovascular disease, diabetes type 2, kidney malfunction, gastrointestinal disorders, microbial infection, fibrogenesis, and neurological diseases. The imbalance between production of antioxidants versus getting rid of free radical species leads to oxidative stress. [4][5][6] Inflammation is driven by the release of a wide range of pro-inflammatory mediators, such as the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-TNF-α, IL-6, IL 8, and IFN-γ. Anti-inflammatory cytokines that includes IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-11, and IL-13 down regulate the inflammatory response. Chemo-therapeutic anti-inflammatory dr...

Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy: Implications for authentication of misidentified herbal drugs

“…But going through the ethnomedicinal literatures, it appears that most of the scientists (Cano & Volpato, ; Kmail, Lyoussi, Imtara, Zaid, & Saad, ; Patwardhan, Vaidya, & Chorghade, ; Zaid, Said, Hadieh, Saad, & Bashar, ) have described “Halion” under the quite different botanical names. Another point to be noted is that in a few recent publications of Unani” Materia Medica” some scholars have given Lepidium apetalum as the source of “Halion”, whereas the other writers mentioned Asparagus officinalis as the source of “Halion”.…”

Phytochemical Characterization and Evaluation of the Antimicrobial, Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Potential of Ephedra alata Decne. Hydroalcoholic Extract against the MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line

“…Significant cytotoxic effects were recorded for concentrations higher than 500 μg/mL. The cytostatic activity was stronger in the co-cultures (an IC 50 of 380 μg/mL) [27]. Mendelovich et al have shown that ethanolic extracts from the leaves, as well as the fruit juice, of Ephedra foeminea have significant antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic potential against MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer), HCT116 (human colon) and HaCaT (human keratinocytes) cells [28].…”

Brief Challenges on Medicinal Plants: An Eye‐Opening Look at Ageing‐Related Disorders

“…Also, the cellular antioxidant activity of C. pinnatifida (Chinese hawthorn) was reported as being derived from the interaction between phenolic compounds with other phytochemicals . Moreover, the anti‐inflammatory activity of extracts from Crataegus azarolus L. seems to be regulated by their remarkable antioxidant activities, through preventing pro‐inflammatory cytokines production, as well as by increasing the secretion of anti‐inflammatory cytokines . In another study, it was also demonstrated that the microcapsules containing procyanidins from hawthorn bark, as also the extract of procyanidins exerted valuable antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities, suggesting their future application in dietary and pharmaceutical products, and even as ingredients for functional foods formulation .…”