Phytochemical, Antioxidant Activity, and Toxicity of Wild Medicinal Plant of Melitotus albus Extracts, In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

Imad Ed-Dahmani; Mohamed El Fadili; Fahd Kandsi; Raffaele Conte; Yassine El Atki; Mohammed Kara; Amine Assouguem; Hanane Touijer; Aziza Lfitat; Ghizlane Nouioura; Meryem Slighoua; Riaz Ullah; Jameel H Al-Tamimi; Mustapha Taleb; Abdelfattah Abdellaoui

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c08314

Phytochemical, Antioxidant Activity, and Toxicity of Wild Medicinal Plant of Melitotus albus Extracts, In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

ACS Omega. 2024 Feb 9;9(8):9236-9246. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08314. eCollection 2024 Feb 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Engineering, Electrochemistry, Modelling and Environment, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Sciences Fès, Fez 30000, Morocco.
² LIMAS Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Dhar Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, BP 1796 Atlas, Fez 30000, Morocco.
³ Laboratory of Bioresources, Biotechnology, Ethnopharmacology and Health, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, B.P. 717, Oujda 60000, Morocco.
⁴ Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)-CNR, Naples 80131, Italy.
⁵ High Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques Errachidia, Errachidia 52000, Morocco.
⁶ Laboratory of Biotechnology, Conservation and Valorisation of Natural Resources (LBCVNR), Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, BP 1796 Atlas, Fez 30000, Morocco.
⁷ Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environment, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, P.O. box 2202 Imouzzer street, Fez 30000, Morocco.
⁸ Laboratory of Biotechnology, Environment, Agro-Food, and Health (LBEAS), Faculty of Sciences, University, Sidi-Mohamed-Ben-Abdellah (USMBA), Fez 30000, Morocco.
⁹ Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modeling, Health and Quality of Life (SNAMOPEQ), Faculty of Sciences Dhar El-Mehraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, Morocco.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Morocco is known for its high plant biodiversity, but many plants are poorly valorized. For this reason, this study aims to valorize the methanolic and aqueous extracts of Melitotus albus leaves by studying their antioxidant activity and toxicity. The extracts' antioxidant activity is assessed using the FRAP, DPPH, CAT, and ABTS methods. The chemical composition was determined using LC-MS analysis and evaluated using in silico studies. The results revealed that the total polyphenol content of the aqueous extract, 259.26 ± 7.79 (mg GAE/g), is higher than that of the methanolic extract, 131.41 ± 12.64 (mg GAE/g). The antioxidant activity by the methods of DPPH, ABTS, and phosphor molybdenum of aqueous extracts (0.087 ± 0.015, 0.014 ± 0.001 and 6.157 ± 1.050 mg eq vit C/g, respectively) is greater than that of methanolic extracts (0.107 ± 0.02, 0.167 ± 0.03, and 0.453 ± 0.014 mg eq vit C/g, respectively). The reducing power of iron (FRAP) shows that the methanolic extract has a greater reducing power than that of the aqueous extract with a low IC50 (0.011 ± 0.003 and 0.199 ± 0.016 mg/mL, respectively). The study of acute and subacute toxicity shows that the administration of the aqueous extract of M. albus at different doses increases the body weight of rats without modifying their general behavior. The M. albus extract had a 99.99% total phenolic content, as determined by LC-MS, consisting of 12 different components. The primary constituents of the extract are chlorogenic acid (43.68%), catechin/epicatechin (24.82%), quercetin-3-O-glucuronic acid (9.91%), naringin (7.64%), and p-hydroxybenzoic/salicylic acid (2.95%). The in-silico study showed that these compounds can passively permeate through the blood and have a beneficial effect on various organs of the body. Based on these results, M. albus can be used as a medicinal plant in phytotherapy, cosmetics, or as a dietary supplement. The bioactive compounds of these plants will require a lot of further effort in terms of isolation and characterization.