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. 2023 Jan 23;13(2):323.
doi: 10.3390/life13020323.

Ephedra alata Subsp. Alenda as a Novel Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals: Characterization Based on the Mass Spectrometry and Profiling of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Afoua Mufti  1 , María Del Mar Contreras  2 , Irene Gómez-Cruz  2 , Abdullah Alshamrani  3 , Saber Nahdi  3 , Lamjed Mansour  3 , Salah Alwasel  3 , Abdel Halim Harrath  3 , Nizar Tlili  4
Affiliations

Ephedra alata Subsp. Alenda as a Novel Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals: Characterization Based on the Mass Spectrometry and Profiling of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Afoua Mufti et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the phytochemical content of Ephedra alata pulp extract (EAP) and explore its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. High-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF/MS) was used for phytochemical analysis and three in vitro antioxidant assays together with three in vitro anti-inflammatory tests were used for the assessment of biological activity. The HPLC-ESI-QTOF/MS analysis revealed the presence of 42 metabolites, including flavonoids, sphingolipides, fatty acids, ephedrine derivatives, and amino acid derivatives. In vitro findings revealed that EAP has interesting 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide, and ferrous ion chelating capacities (IC50 values were 0.57 mg/mL, 0.55 mg/mL, and 0.51 mg/mL for DPPH, superoxide radical, and ferrous ion, respectively). Furthermore, EAP showed a noticeable anti-inflammatory ability by inhibiting the two cyclooxygenase isoforms, COX-1 and COX-2 (IC50 of 59.1 and 58.8 µg/mL for COX-1 and COX-2, respectively), preventing protein denaturation (IC50 = 0.51 mg/mL), and protecting membrane stabilization (IC50 = 0.53 mg/mL). The results highlighted the use of Ephedra alata pulp as a potential source of natural compounds with therapeutic effects for the management of inflammatory disorders.

Keywords: COX1 and COX2; Ephedra alata; anti-inflammatory; antioxidants; high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI–QTOF/MS).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Base peak chromatogram of the Ephedra alata pulp (EAP) extract obtained by HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage enzyme inhibition and IC50 values of EAP and indomethacin against COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. n = 3, mean ± SD values. IC50 (50% concentration of inhibitory activity).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of EAP extracts on heat-induced albumin denaturation (A) and hemolysis of erythrocyte membrane (B). The data are presented as mean values (n = 3). EAP: Ephedra alata pulp extract. Ind: indomethacin. IC50 (50% concentration of inhibitory activity) values express the concentration for each sample in mg/mL. * p < 0.05 significant differences compared to indomethacin. ns: not significant.
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