Department of Natural Science, Tien Giang University, 119 Ap Bac, My Tho, Tien Giang, Viet Nam.
Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam; Institute of Applied Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), 1B TL29, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2024 Nov 15;334:118519. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118519. Epub 2024 Jul 4.
Vietnamese people use mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) to treat arthritis and gout. Our previous research shows that mugwort contains flavonoids, and its extract possesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. However, no publications have been on the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of mugwort and acute anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
The study aimed to verify the antioxidant, xanthine oxidase inhibitory, and anti-inflammatory capabilities of mugwort extract in vitro and in vivo, isolate phyto-compounds from potential bioactive fractions, and then evaluate their potential in inhibiting xanthine oxidase.
According to established methods, the extract and the active flavonoids were obtained using different chromatographic techniques. DPPH, ABTS, reducing power, and HO elimination were used to evaluate antioxidant activity. The model of LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells was used to measure the inhibition of NO production. The carrageenan-induced paw oedema model was used to assess acute inflammation in mice. In vitro, xanthine oxidase inhibition assay was applied to investigate the effects of extract/compounds on uric acid production. Chemical structures were identified by spectral analysis.
The assessment of the acute inflammatory model in mice revealed that both the 96% ethanol and the 50% ethanol extracts significantly decreased oedema in the mice's feet following carrageenan-induced inflammation. 96% ethanol extract exhibited a better reduction in oedema at the low dose. The analysis revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction had the highest levels of total polyphenols and flavonoids. Additionally, this fraction demonstrated significant antioxidant activity in various assays, such as DPPH, ABTS, reducing power, and HO removal. Furthermore, it displayed the most potent inhibition of xanthine oxidase, an anti-inflammatory activity. Five phytochemicals were isolated and determined from the active fraction such as luteolin (1), rutin (2), apigenin (3), myricetin (4), and quercetin (5). Except for rutin, the other compounds demonstrated the ability to inhibit effective xanthine oxidase compared to standard (allopurinol). Moreover, quercetin (5) inhibited NO production (IC 21.87 μM).
The results indicate that extracts from A. vulgaris effectively suppressed the activity of xanthine oxidase and exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, potentially leading to a reduction in the production of uric acid in the body and eliminating ROS. The study identified mugwort extract and bioactive compounds derived from Artemisia vulgaris, specifically luteolin, apigenin, and quercetin, as promising xanthine oxidase inhibitors. These findings suggest that further development of these compounds is warranted. At the same time, the above results also strengthen the use of mugwort to treat gout disease in Vietnam.
越南人用艾草（Artemisia vulgaris L.）来治疗关节炎和痛风。我们之前的研究表明艾草含有类黄酮，其提取物具有抗菌和抗炎活性。然而，目前还没有关于艾草的黄嘌呤氧化酶抑制活性和体内急性抗炎活性的出版物。
本研究旨在验证艾草提取物在体外和体内的抗氧化、黄嘌呤氧化酶抑制和抗炎能力，从潜在的生物活性部分中分离植物化合物，并评估它们抑制黄嘌呤氧化酶的潜力。
根据已建立的方法，使用不同的色谱技术从艾草中提取和分离活性黄酮类化合物。DPPH、ABTS、还原力和 HO 消除用于评估抗氧化活性。使用 LPS 诱导的 RAW264.7 细胞模型来测量 NO 产生的抑制。用角叉菜胶诱导的爪肿胀模型评估小鼠的急性炎症。在体外，黄嘌呤氧化酶抑制试验用于研究提取物/化合物对尿酸生成的影响。通过光谱分析鉴定化学结构。
对小鼠急性炎症模型的评估表明，96%乙醇和 50%乙醇提取物均能显著减轻角叉菜胶诱导的炎症小鼠足部水肿。低剂量时，96%乙醇提取物的消肿效果更好。分析表明，乙酸乙酯部分总多酚和类黄酮含量最高。此外，该部分在 DPPH、ABTS、还原力和 HO 清除等各种测定中表现出显著的抗氧化活性，并且具有最强的黄嘌呤氧化酶抑制作用和抗炎活性。从活性部分分离并确定了 5 种植物化学物质，如木犀草素（1）、芦丁（2）、芹菜素（3）、杨梅素（4）和槲皮素（5）。除芦丁外，其他化合物对黄嘌呤氧化酶的抑制作用均优于标准品（别嘌呤醇）。此外，槲皮素（5）抑制了 NO 的产生（IC 21.87 μM）。
结果表明，艾草提取物能有效抑制黄嘌呤氧化酶的活性，具有抗氧化和抗炎特性，可能减少体内尿酸的产生并消除 ROS。研究鉴定出艾草提取物和来自 Artemisia vulgaris 的生物活性化合物，特别是木犀草素、芹菜素和槲皮素，是有前途的黄嘌呤氧化酶抑制剂。这些发现表明有必要进一步开发这些化合物。同时，上述结果也进一步证实了越南人用艾草治疗痛风疾病的传统用法。
