Comparative in vitro Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Fresh and Stored Methanolic Leaf Extracts of Myrtus communis L.: An Egg Albumin Denaturation Study

Abstract

Myrtus communis L. has been documented to have pharmacological characteristics, including the ability to reduce inflammation. However, little is known about how long-term storage affects the biological activity of the leaf extracts. This study aimed to use an egg albumin denaturation model to compare the in vitro protein-stabilizing and initial anti-inflammatory potential of freshly prepared and stored methanolic M. communis leaf extracts. The anti-inflammatory potential of M. communis methanolic leaf extracts was assessed at doses of 0.125–2 mg/ml by use of the egg albumin denaturation assay. The reference medications utilized were ibuprofen and diclofenac. IC50 values were estimated from the concentration–response data; absorbance was measured at 660 nm, and percentage inhibition was computed. Every experiment was carried out three times. Although the fresh extract exhibited significantly more activity than the stored extract, both extracts showed protein-stabilizing action. The fresh extract showed an estimated IC50 of 0.158 mg/ml and inhibition of 40.3–89.5% across the tested doses. With an estimated IC50 of 0.656 mg/ml, the old extract demonstrated 0–76.5% inhibition. As a result, the efficacy of the stored extract was around four times lower than that of the fresh preparation. With estimated IC50 values less than 0.125 mg/ml, diclofenac and ibuprofen showed greater efficacy than both plant extracts. The protein-stabilizing activity of fresh methanolic M. communis leaf extract was higher than that of the stored one, indicating that the biological activity of the extract may be influenced by storage conditions. However, because comparable chemical profiling was not done, the observed difference cannot be directly linked to phytochemical breakdown. These results encourage additional phytochemical, cellular, and in vivo studies and emphasize the significance of storage and extract stability in the repeatability of plant-derived preparations