Chemical and anti-inflammatory properties of wild and cultivated Cota palaestina subsp. syriaca

Abstract

Cota palaestina subsp.syriaca “CP” is a Lebanese endemic plant, it was selected in 2003 among 27 other indigenous Lebanese wild plant species that have been commonly used in Lebanese folk medicine in order to study their biological activity and identify their bioactive chemical constituents. The aerial parts of this plant were screened for their antimicrobial (Barbour et al 2004) and anti-inflammatory activities (Talhouk et al 2007) and showed an efficacious inhibitory effect in both. The bioactive molecule was identified via “Bio-assay guided fractionation”, and the isolated molecule was identified as the sesquiterpene lactone 1-β, 10- α -Epoxy-6α-hydroxy-1,10H-inunolide (K100). The first aim of this study was to promote the domestication of this potential medicinal plant and for that the isolation and quantification of pure K100 from the cultivated plant was assessed. The cultivation protocol was optimized by Ibsar expertise at the Agricultural Research and Education Center (AREC). Secondly, it was important to increase the yield of K100 from “CP” by optimizing the extraction and isolation techniques mainly relying on sonication followed by HPLC-UV-MS. Furthermore, this study conducted an in-depth assessment of the anti-inflammatory activity of K100 by utilizing the SCp2 mammary epithelial cells that up regulate pro- inflammatory mediators such as interleukin -6 (IL-6) nitric oxide (NO) and gelatinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in response to ET treatment at a non-cytotoxic concentration (10 μg-ml). ET-induced inflammatory responses were monitored by IL-6 secretion (ELISA immunoassay), NO production (Griess reaction assay) and MMP-9 production (Zymography). “CP” was successfully cultivated at the AREC, Sonication as an alternative method of extraction was proven to be better than overnight soaking at extracting higher yields. K100 was shown to inhibit NO production up to 81 percent, preferentially inhibit MMP-9 production, and inhibit IL-6 secretion u