Exploration of acute and chronic anti-inflammatory potential of Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus extracts in Wistar rats: A mechanistic insight

Ammara Saleem; Izza Hameed; Muhammad Furqan Akhtar; Ghulam Md Ashraf; Badrah S Alghamdi; Md Habibur Rahman; Majed N Almashjary

doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1002999

Exploration of acute and chronic anti-inflammatory potential of Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus extracts in Wistar rats: A mechanistic insight

Front Pharmacol. 2023 Apr 11:14:1002999. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1002999. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ammara Saleem¹, Izza Hameed¹, Muhammad Furqan Akhtar², Ghulam Md Ashraf³, Badrah S Alghamdi^{4

5}, Md Habibur Rahman⁶, Majed N Almashjary^{7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
² Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Lahore Campus, Lahore, Pakistan.
³ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
⁴ Pre-Clinical Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Physiology, Neuroscience Unit, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
⁷ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Hematology Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Animal House Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Introduction: This research was conducted to validate the folkloric use of Quercus leucotrichophora (QL) leaf extracts against inflammation and arthritis and to determine the chemical composition using HPLC. Method: The aqueous and methanolic extracts of QL were evaluated by in vitro anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory (inhibition of protein denaturation and membrane stabilization) assays, and in vivo anti-inflammatory (carrageenan and xylene-induced edema) and anti-arthritic models. For anti-arthritic potential, 0.1 mL Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) was inoculated into the left hind paw of a Wistar rat on day 1, and oral dosing with QL methanolic extract (QLME) at 150, 300, and 600 mg/kg was begun at day 8 till the 28th day in all groups, except disease control that was given distilled water, while methotrexate was given as standard treatment. Results and discussion: There was a noteworthy (p < 0.05-0.0001) restoration in body weight, paw edema, arthritic index, altered blood parameters, and oxidative stress biomarkers in treated rats as compared to the diseased group. Moreover, QLME treatment significantly (p < 0.0001) downregulated TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, COX-2, and NF-κB, while significantly (p < 0.0001) upregulating IL-10, I-κB, and IL-4 in contrast to the diseased group. The QLME exhibited no mortality in the acute toxicity study. It was concluded that QLME possessed substantial anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arthritic potential at all dosage levels prominently at 600 mg/kg might be due to the presence of quercetin, gallic, sinapic, and ferulic acids.

Keywords: HPLC; IL-6; Quercus leucotrichophora; TNF-α; complete Freund’s; oxidative stress biomarkers.

Grants and funding

This research work was funded by the Institutional Fund Projects under grant no. IFPDP-123-22. Therefore, authors gratefully acknowledge technical and financial support from Ministry of Education and Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.