Anti-inflammatory compounds and a new sesquiterpene lactone from Centaurea gabrieljanae Greuter

Abstract

The traditional use of Centaurea spp. for anti-inflammatory purposes is widespread among the people in Turkiye. For this, the methanol extract of Centaurea gabrieljanae and sub-fractions of the methanol extract were tested for anti-inflammatory activity using 5-LOX, while their antioxidant activities, total phenol, and total flavonoid contents were also examined. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity (IC₅₀ = 3.864 ± 0.9 µg/ml), from which five known compounds (astragalin, picein, p-hydroxy benzoic acid, 3,4-dimethoxy-cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid 4-O-β-glucopyranoside) and a new sesquiterpene lactone named Pterochlorin were obtained. Pterochlorin showed potent anti-inflammatory activity with a value of IC₅₀ 12.71 ± 0.7 µg/ml compared to standard indomethacin. Similarly, astragalin was found to be strong (IC₅₀ = 18.23 µg/ml). In addition, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid 4-O-β-glucopyranoside was isolated for the first time in Centaurea species, and its anti-inflammatory activity was tested. This study may be a guide for the discovery of a new anti-inflammatory drug derived from natural sources.

Graphic Abstract

Keywords:

• Centaurea gabrieljanae
• anti-inflammatory
• sesquiterpene lactone
• flavonoid

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Funding

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