LC-MS/MS ANALYSIS, IN VITRO, IN VIVO AND IN SILICO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EVALUATION OF ANABASIS ARTICULATA (FORSSK.) MOQ. EXTRACTS

Anabasis articulata (Chenopodiaceae), commonly called Ajrem, is a medicinal plant of Algerian flora of arid and semi-arid regions, extensively used in complementary medicine to treat diabetes, eczema, fever, and kidney diseases. The current investigation was intended to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of A. articulata ethanolic extract (EEAA) and its fractions that were separated using decreasing polarity solvents (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol) to obtain an ethanolic extract (EEAA), a chloroform extract (ChFA), an ethyl acetate extract (EAFA), an n-butanol extract (nBFA), and an aqueous extract (AqFA). These fractions were analyzed using LC-MS-MS, whereas polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins were evaluated using colorimetric methods. For the acute toxicity study, one oral dose of 2 and 5 g/kg was administered to mice. The in vitro anti-inflammatory properties were determined by using the egg albumin denaturation test, whereas the in vivo anti-inflammatory effect was assessed using carrageenan, croton oil, and xylene-induced edema tests. The anti-inflammatory properties of these natural compounds were assessed in silico via molecular docking simulations applying the cyclooxygenase COX2 inhibitory impact. Seven metabolites were identified: anthrone, beta-carotene, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylatedhydroxytoluene, gallic acid, myricetin, and rutin. ChFA contained the greatest quantity of polyphenols and flavonoids (497.98±0.377 mg GAE/g and 79.89±0.789 mg QE/g). While nBFA showed the highest amount of total tannins (162.89±2.103 mg TAE/g). The evaluation of the in vitro anti-inflammatory properties revealed that all fractions of A. articulata had a potent anti-inflammatory effect. No death, no toxicological symptoms, and no appreciable body weight changes between the treated and control groups were observed. Oral administration of EEAA (200 mg/kg) significantly reduced the edema induced by carrageenan, croton oil, and xylene. The molecular docking showed that beta carotene, myricetin, and rutin exhibited the most promising inhibition against COX2. Significant anti-inflammatory effects were demonstrated by A. articulata extract in vitro, in vivo, and in silico. The administration of A. ariculata ethanolic extract can be regarded as non-toxic. These findings are consistent with the plant’s traditional applications, which include therapy of anti-inflammatory illnesses.