Simultaneous quantitative analysis and in vitro anti-arthritic effects of five polyphenols from Terminalia chebula

Fang Liu; Shipeng Zhan; Pu Zhang; Changsheng Jia; Qingzong Zhu; Qing Dai; Mingjie Yu; Lin Cheng; Lirong Xiong; Fengjun Sun; Peiyuan Xia; Xiao Zhang; Jing Hu

doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1138947

Simultaneous quantitative analysis and in vitro anti-arthritic effects of five polyphenols from Terminalia chebula

Front Physiol. 2023 Mar 8:14:1138947. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1138947. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Fang Liu¹, Shipeng Zhan¹, Pu Zhang², Changsheng Jia¹, Qingzong Zhu¹, Qing Dai¹, Mingjie Yu¹, Lin Cheng¹, Lirong Xiong¹, Fengjun Sun¹, Peiyuan Xia¹, Xiao Zhang³, Jing Hu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
² NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Monitoring of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Chongqing Institute for Food and Drug Control, Chongqing, China.
³ Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.

Abstract

Background: The fruit of Terminalia chebula has been widely used for a thousand years for treating diarrhea, ulcers, and arthritic diseases in Asian countries. However, the active components of this Traditional Chinese medicine and their mechanisms remain unclear, necessitating further investigation. Objectives: To perform simultaneous quantitative analysis of five polyphenols in T. chebula and evaluate their anti-arthritic effects including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Materials and methods: Water, 50% water-ethanol, and pure ethanol were used as extract solvents. Quantitative analysis of gallic acid, corilagin, chebulanin, chebulagic acid, and ellagic acid in the three extracts was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antioxidant activity was assessed by the 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay, and anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by detecting interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 expression in IL-1β-stimulated MH7A cells. Results: The 50% water-ethanol solvent was the optimal solvent yielding the highest total polyphenol content, and the concentrations of chebulanin and chebulagic acid were much higher than those of gallic acid, corilagin, and ellagic acid in the extracts. The DPPH radical-scavenging assay showed that gallic acid and ellagic acid were the strongest antioxidative components, while the other three components showed comparable antioxidative activity. As for the anti-inflammatory effect, chebulanin and chebulagic acid significantly inhibited IL-6 and IL-8 expression at all three concentrations; corilagin and ellagic acid significantly inhibited IL-6 and IL-8 expression at high concentration; and gallic acid could not inhibit IL-8 expression and showed weak inhibition of IL-6 expression in IL-1β-stimulated MH7A cells. Principal component analysis indicated that chebulanin and chebulagic acid were the main components responsible for the anti-arthritic effects of T. chebula. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential anti-arthritic role of chebulanin and chebulagic acid from T. chebula.

Keywords: DPPH assay; Terminalia chebula; anti-arthritic effect; principal components analysis; simultaneous quantitative analysis.

Grants and funding

This research was sponsored by Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, China (CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX0202); the Traditional Chinese Medicine Project funded by Chongqing Science and Technology Commission Bureau and Chongqing Health Commission (2019ZY023488); and the Talent Program of the Army Medical University (XZ-2019-505-073).