Owing to the potentially harmful adverse effects of current anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a need to identify new alternative substances. Thus, this study aimed to perform a phytochemical analysis of A. polyphylla to identify compounds responsible for its anti-inflammatory activity. Several fractions of the A. polyphylla extract were obtained and evaluated in an ex vivo anti-inflammatory assay using fresh human blood. Among the evaluated fractions, the BH fraction displayed the highest percentage of PGE2 inhibition (74.8%) compared to the reference drugs dexamethasone and indomethacin, demonstrating its excellent potential for anti-inflammatory activity. Astragalin (P1), a known 3-O-glucoside of kaempferol, was isolated from the A. polyphylla extract for the first time. In addition, a new compound (P2) was isolated and identified as the apigenin-3-C-glycosylated flavonoid. Astragalin showed moderate PGE2 activity (48.3%), whereas P2 was not anti-inflammatory. This study contributes to the phytochemical studies of A. polyphylla and confirms its anti-inflammatory potential.
Keywords: Acacia polyphylla; Anti-inflammatory; Fabaceae; PGE2 inhibition; ex-vivo assay.