NADES extraction, UHPLC-ELSD-based quantification, and network pharmacology-guided target identification of fourteen specialised metabolites from Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D.Don

Prithvi Pal Singh; Anmol; Patil Shivprasad Suresh; Upendra Sharma

doi:10.1002/pca.3357

NADES extraction, UHPLC-ELSD-based quantification, and network pharmacology-guided target identification of fourteen specialised metabolites from Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D.Don

Phytochem Anal. 2024 Apr 24. doi: 10.1002/pca.3357. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Prithvi Pal Singh^{1

2}, Anmol^{1

2}, Patil Shivprasad Suresh¹, Upendra Sharma^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ C-H Activation and Phytochemistry Lab, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, India.
² Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India.

PMID: 38659229
DOI: 10.1002/pca.3357

Abstract

Introduction: Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D.Don is a folk medicinal herb rich in structurally diverse steroidal saponins. The annual demand for this herb in India is about 200-500 metric tons, highlighting the need for a thorough quality assessment.

Objective: The objective of this study is to develop an easy and reliable ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector (UHPLC-ELSD)-based quality assessment method with 14 specialised metabolites of T. govanianum and identify the potential targets of this herb using network pharmacology.

Material and methods: A UHPLC-ELSD method was developed and validated with 14 markers of T. govanianum. The developed method and natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES)-assisted extraction were utilised for the recovery enhancement study of targeted specialised metabolites from rhizome samples (collected from five geographically distinct areas). In addition, the network pharmacology approach was performed for these 14 markers to predict the plausible biological targets of T. govanianum.

Result: The developed method showed good linearity (r²: 0.940-0.998), limit of detection (LOD) (2.4-9.0 μg), limit of quantification (LOQ) (7.92-29.7 μg), precision (intra-day relative standard deviations [RSDs] 0.77%-1.96% and inter-day RSDs 2.19-4.97%), and accuracy (83.24%-118.90%). NADES sample TG-1* showed the highest recovery (yield: 167.66 ± 4.39 mg/g of dry weight) of total saponin content (TSC) as compared to its hydroethanolic extract (yield: 103.95 ± 5.36 mg/g of dry weight). Sample TG-1* was the most favourable (yield: 167.66 ± 4.39 mg/g) in terms of TSC as compared to other analysed samples (32.68 ± 1.04-88.22 ± 6.79 mg/g). Govanoside D (yield: 3.43-28.06 mg/g), 22β-hydroxyprotodioscin (yield: 3.22-114.79 mg/g), and dioscin (yield: 1.07-20.82 mg/g) were quantified as the major metabolites. Furthermore, network pharmacology analysis of targeted 14 markers indicated that these molecules could be possible therapeutic agents for managing neuralgia, diabetes mellitus, and hyperalgesia.

Conclusion: The current study represents the first report for the simultaneous quantification and a network pharmacology-based analysis of 14 chemical marker compounds isolated from T. govanianum.

Keywords: Trillium govanianum; natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs); network pharmacology; total saponin content (TSC); ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography‐evaporative light scattering detector (UHPLC‐ELSD).