Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of Acacia polyphylla and identification of a new apigenin-3-C- glycosylated type flavonoid

Abstract

Owing to the potentially harmful adverse effects of current anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a need to identify new alternative substances. Thus, this study aimed to perform a phytochemical analysis of A. polyphylla to identify compounds responsible for its anti-inflammatory activity. Several fractions of the A. polyphylla extract were obtained and evaluated in an ex vivo anti-inflammatory assay using fresh human blood. Among the evaluated fractions, the BH fraction displayed the highest percentage of PGE₂ inhibition (74.8%) compared to the reference drugs dexamethasone and indomethacin, demonstrating its excellent potential for anti-inflammatory activity. Astragalin (P1), a known 3-O-glucoside of kaempferol, was isolated from the A. polyphylla extract for the first time. In addition, a new compound (P2) was isolated and identified as the apigenin-3-C-glycosylated flavonoid. Astragalin showed moderate PGE₂ activity (48.3%), whereas P2 was not anti-inflammatory. This study contributes to the phytochemical studies of A. polyphylla and confirms its anti-inflammatory potential.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Anti-inflammatory
• Fabaceae
• Acacia polyphylla
• PGE₂ inhibition
• ex-vivo assay

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the National Council for Science and Technology (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq, grants numbers 406837/2021-0) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES, finance code 001). We also thank Minas Gerais Research Funding Foundation (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais – FAPEMIG, grant numbers APQ-02353-17, APQ-00207-18) for financial support, the researchers from Natural Products and Organic Synthesis Research Group (GEAPS-CNPq-UFES).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.