Antihypertensive potential of the stem bark of Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. (Burseraceae) in wistar rats: UPLC-ESI-QToF-MS/MS-based prediction of antihypertensive phytochemicals

Jean Emmanuel Mbosso Teinkela; Edwige Laure Nguemfo; Thierry Fokou Nzodjou; Calvin Bogning Zangueu; Jarmo-Charles Kalinski; Bienvenu Tsakem; Jules Clement Assob Nguedia; Xavier Siwe Noundou

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21841

Antihypertensive potential of the stem bark of Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. (Burseraceae) in wistar rats: UPLC-ESI-QToF-MS/MS-based prediction of antihypertensive phytochemicals

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 4;9(11):e21841. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21841. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Jean Emmanuel Mbosso Teinkela¹, Edwige Laure Nguemfo¹, Thierry Fokou Nzodjou², Calvin Bogning Zangueu³, Jarmo-Charles Kalinski⁴, Bienvenu Tsakem⁵, Jules Clement Assob Nguedia¹, Xavier Siwe Noundou⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701 Douala, Cameroon.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701 Douala, Cameroon.
³ Department of Biology and Physiology of Animal Organisms, Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, P.O. Box 24157 Douala, Cameroon.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
⁶ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, P.O. Box 60, Pretoria 0204, South Africa.

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Canarium schweinfurthii, also called ''Elemierd'Afrique'', is used in Cameroonian folk medicine (bark decoction) to treat patients suffering from hypertension.Aim of the study: This study aimed at evaluating the antihypertensive activities of the stem bark of Canarium schweinfurthii and identifying potential compounds present in its extract that may support or oppose its ethnomedicinial use.

Materials and methods: Stem bark extract of Canarium schweinfurthii was prepared by maceration using 70 % ethanol followed by redissolution in methanol and hyphenated. Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis for the detection and characterisation of secondary metabolites. Antihypertensive effects were assessed in Wistar rats after induction of hypertension with sodium chloride (NaCl) 18 % at a dose of 0.01mL/g_{body weight} once a day for four weeks.Hemodynamic parameters were measured weekly by anon-invasive method using the CODA system.

Results: The ethanolic bark extract of C. schweinfurthii significantly inhibited the increase of blood pressure with a maximum of 23.18 % (systolic pressure, p < 0.0001), 24.77 % (diastolic pressure, p < 0.001) and 22.95 % (mean pressure, p < 0.0001) at a dose of 200 mg/kg_{body weight} at the 4th week, compared to agroup of Wistar rats that received only NaCl (negative control). Similarly, the extract significantly inhibited the increase in heart rate by 18.84 % (p < 0.001) at 200 mg/kg_{body weight} at week four. Hematological parameters did not differ significantly between the extract-treated and control groups. The UPLC-MS/MS spectrometric analysis provided evidence for the presence of several C30 terpenoids containing three or five oxygen atoms and exhibiting pentacyclic triterpenoid structures, as well as C29 terpenoids and related compounds containing nitrogen in addition to oxygen, using spectral matching, and in silico molecular formula and structure prediction. Additionally, two features were annotated with high-confidence as lignans, structurally closely related to hinokinin and dehydrocubebin through MS/MS-based in silico structure prediction using CSI: Finger ID in SIRIUS5. The lignans have been previously reported from stem bark of plants belonging to the Burseraceae family. Conclusion: The ethanolic stem bark extract of C. schweinfurthii demonstrated antihypertensive properties on the tested Wistar rats. These results support the ethnopharmacological use of C. schweinfurthii concoctions for the treatment of hypertension and suggest a protective effect against salt damage, hypothetically by the up regulation of antioxidative enzymes and/or lipids, mitigatings membrane peroxidation.

Keywords: Canarium schweinfurthii; Ethanolic extract; GNPS; SIRIUS5; Sodium chloride; UPLC-MS/MS; Wistar rats; antihypertensive activity.