Study on the anti-gout activity of the lotus seed pod by UPLC-QTOF-MS and virtual molecular docking

Jingjing Tai; Chaoyin Ye; Xiaoji Cao; Huang Hu; Wanzhen Li; Hong Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105500

Study on the anti-gout activity of the lotus seed pod by UPLC-QTOF-MS and virtual molecular docking

Fitoterapia. 2023 Jun:167:105500. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105500. Epub 2023 Apr 6.

Authors

Jingjing Tai¹, Chaoyin Ye¹, Xiaoji Cao², Huang Hu³, Wanzhen Li¹, Hong Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China.
² Research Center of Analysis and Measurement, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, China.
³ School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China; School of Agriculture, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321017, China.
⁴ School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China. Electronic address: hongzh1316@zjgsu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37028495
DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105500

Abstract

The lotus seed pod is one of the main organs of the lotus plant and is commonly used in traditional medicine. It is believed to have dehumidifying and anti-rheumatic effects. This study, utilized the non-targeted approach of identification via UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS to identify the main chemical components in the lotus seed pod extracts and found a total of 118 compounds. Among them, 25 components were identified for the first time in the lotus seed pod. Next, using the molecular docking technique, common gout receptors (PDB ID: 1N5X, 1FIQ, 2EIQ) were docked to the compounds in the extracts, and their activities were screened using the LibDock and CDOCKER modules. In order to screen compounds with anti-gout activity in the lotus seed pod, acid precipitation (AP) fractions were prepared by an established extraction method of flavonoids, which were then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Finally, a rodent model bearing acute gout and hyperuricemia was established by ankle injection of sodium urate and intraperitoneal injection of xanthine and potassium oxonate. The results of this study showed that AP could not only significantly alleviate joint swelling and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, but also reduce synovial and renal pathological damage. This indicated the efficacy of AP in the treatment of gouty arthritis.

Keywords: Anti-gout activity; Chemical composition; Lotus seed pod; Molecular docking; UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS.

MeSH terms

Arthritis, Gouty*
Gout*
Hyperuricemia* / drug therapy
Hyperuricemia* / pathology
Molecular Docking Simulation
Molecular Structure
Plant Extracts / chemistry
Seeds / chemistry
Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

Plant Extracts