Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects of Centaurium erythraea Rafn. aerial part extracts and identification of its bioactive constituents by LC-MS/MS analysis

Abstract

Centaurium erythraea Rafn. (CE) is a medicinal plant used in traditional medicine to cure several illnesses. This study aimed to evaluate the LC-MS phytochemical analysis, antioxidant, in vivo topical anti-inflammatory effects and acute oral toxicity of the methanolic (MethE) and the decoction extract (DecE) of this plant. A qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed. The qualitative analysis indicated the presence of phenolic compounds: phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, quinones, terpenes and alkaloids while the anthraquinone, coumarins and proteins were absent. For the quantitative analysis, LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of ascorbic acid, rutin, synergic acid, luteolin and other phenolic compounds in the extracts. Furthermore, the results showed that the DecE present high amounts in polyphenols, flavonoids and condensed tannins with highest values of 77.61 µg gallic acid equivalent/ mg of extract; 19.17 µg quercetin equivalent/ mg of extract and 81.70 µg catechin equivalent/mg dry extract, respectively. For the antioxidant activity, DecE showed an IC50 of 119.00 and 85.32 µg/mL for DPPH radical scavenging and the reducing power, respectively. This extracts showed a percentage of inhibition of 86.11 % in the anti-inflammatory activity. CE was not toxic even at 2 g/kg body weight. This suggests that this plant confirms the purposes of the plant in folk medicine and is a potential source of organic anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. Keywords Centaurium erythraea Rafn. LC-MS/MS analysis Antioxidant activity Anti-inflammatory activity Toxicity