Isolation, characterization and anti-inflammatory activity of compounds from the Vernonia amygdalina

Olubunmi Atolani; Mohammed Abubakar Usman; Jamiu Opeyemi Adejumo; Adedamola Elizabeth Ayeni; Olamilekan Joseph Ibukun; Adeola T Kola-Mustapha; Ngaitad S Njinga; Luqman A Quadri; Emmanuel O Ajani; Tajudeen O Amusa; Moji T Bakare-Odunola; Adenike T Oladiji; Athba Alqahtani; Mohamed Abbas; Learnmore Kambizi

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29518

Isolation, characterization and anti-inflammatory activity of compounds from the Vernonia amygdalina

Heliyon. 2024 Apr 13;10(8):e29518. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29518. eCollection 2024 Apr 30.

Authors

Olubunmi Atolani^{1

2}, Mohammed Abubakar Usman², Jamiu Opeyemi Adejumo², Adedamola Elizabeth Ayeni², Olamilekan Joseph Ibukun³, Adeola T Kola-Mustapha^{1

4}, Ngaitad S Njinga^{1

5}, Luqman A Quadri^{1

6}, Emmanuel O Ajani^{1

7}, Tajudeen O Amusa^{1

8}, Moji T Bakare-Odunola^{1

5}, Adenike T Oladiji^{1

6}, Athba Alqahtani⁹, Mohamed Abbas¹⁰, Learnmore Kambizi^{1

11}

Affiliations

¹ African Centre for Herbal Research, Ilorin (ACHRI), University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
² Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
³ Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, 741246, West Bengal, India.
⁴ Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
⁵ Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
⁷ Phytomedicine Toxicology and Drug Development Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria.
⁸ Department of Forest Research Management, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
⁹ Research Centre, King Fahad Medical City. P.O. Box: 59046, Riyadh 11525, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Department of Hulticulture, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa.

Abstract

The need to explore the abundance of natural products cannot be overemphasized particularly in the management of various disease conditions. In traditional medical practice, Vernonia amygdalina has been widely adopted in the management of various inflammatory disorders. The objective of this investigation was to isolate the bioactive principles from the stem-bark and root of V. amygdalina and assess the anti-inflammatory (in vitro) activity of both the crude extracts and the isolated compounds. Following extraction with the methanol, the extract was subjected to gravity column chromatography and the resultant fractions was further purified to obtained pure compounds. The structural elucidation of the compounds were based on data obtained from 1H to 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies as well as fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Using diclofenac as a control drug, the albumin denaturation assay was used to determine the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts and isolates. Three distinct compounds characterized are vernoamyoside D, luteolin-7-α-o-glucuronide, and vernotolaside, a new glycoside. When compared to diclofenac, which has an IC₅₀ of 167.8 μg/mL, luteolin-7-α-o-glucuronide, vernoamyoside D, and vernotolaside all showed significant inhibitions with respective IC₅₀ values 549.8, 379.5, and 201.7 μg/mL. Vernotolaside is reported for the first time from the root. The assertion that the plant is used in traditional medicine for the management of inflammatory disorder is somewhat validated by the confirmation of the existence of the compounds with the biochemical actions. Further validation of the isolated compounds would be required in animal studies.

Keywords: Bioactive; Glycoside; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Spectroscopy; Vernoamyoside.