Anti sickling potential and chemical profiling of traditionally used Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz leaves

Exploring therapeutic potential of Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz leaf and bark focusing on antioxidant, antithrombotic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antidiarrheal properties

Background and Aims

The study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological properties of methanolic extracts of leaves and barks of Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz (family: Lythraceae) focusing on antioxidant, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic, and antidiarrheal effects.

Methods

1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay, clot lysis, disc diffusion, and membrane stabilizing methods were employed to assess in vitro antioxidant, thrombolytic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties of the leaf and bark methanolic extracts (ME) of W. fruticosa and different organic solvents, that is, petroleum ether (PE), dichloromethane (DCM), chloroform (CL), and aqueous (AQ) fractions. In addition, in vivo central and peripheral analgesic and antidiarrheal activities of both crude extracts were evaluated at two doses (200 and 400 mg/kg of body weight [bw]).

Results

All the extracts and fractions showed promising antioxidant properties by scavenging DDPH free radicals with IC50 of 6.11-20.79 μg/mL. AQ fraction (41.24%) of leaves and ME (44.90%) of bark exerted notable in vitro thrombolytic activity. The CL fraction of leaves and AQ fraction of the bark showed 43.16% and 45.37% inhibition of RBC hemolysis, respectively, compared to the inhibition of RBC hemolysis by aspirin in a hypotonic-induced membrane stabilizing assay. Besides, both extracts were observed to provide significant (p < 0.001) central and peripheral analgesic responses at both doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg bw. Furthermore, both doses of bark extract (p < 0.001) and the 400 mg/kg bw of leaf extract (p < 0.05) were observed to possess statistically significant antidiarrheal activity. Additionally, in an in vivo acute toxicity investigation, both extracts had a median lethal dose (LD50) greater than 5000 mg/kg bw, indicating their safety level.

Conclusion

The current study proves the ethnomedicinal uses of W. fruticosa; however, further studies are required for phytochemical screening to isolate the responsible bioactive compounds and discover the lead molecules from the plant species.

Woodfordia fruticosa extract nanoemulsion: Influence of processing treatment on droplet size and its assessment for in vitro antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity

Recently, plant-derived bioactive compounds have been utilized in the preparation of several functional food products; however, stability and water solubility are major constraints to these compounds. Therefore, to overcome this problem, the synthesis of nanoemulsion (oil in water) with varying concentrations of Woodfordia fruticosa flower extract (1%−10% w/v) was carried out and characterization of nanoemulsion was done. The average droplet size of nanoemulsion samples ranges from 149.25 to 244.33 nm. The control and WFNE3 nanoemulsion showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher thermal stability when correlated with average droplet size. An insignificant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in the average droplet size and zeta potential WFNE3 (−30.3mV) with the increased temperature rate. At varied pH ranges, WFNE3 showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) stability in comparison with the control nanoemulsion sample. In terms of ionic strength, WFNE3 nanoemulsion sample showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher stability, and with an increasing concentration of salt, the colloidal system of the WFNE3 sample showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher droplet size (318.91 nm). Therefore, the antimicrobial potential of WFNE3 nanoemulsion in comparison with extract of W. fruticosa flower extract was studied against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and fungal strain Candida albicans, respectively. WFNE3 nanoemulsion sample in comparison to flower extract showed a significantly higher (p < 0.05) zone of inhibition against gram-negative bacteria as compared to the control nanoemulsion sample upon storage for 7 days. WFNE3 nanoemulsion sample showed significant (p < 0.05) higher inhibition of protein denaturation (57.89%−87.65%) and (55.36%−83.58%) in comparison to control nanoemulsion sample (54.67%−80.28%) and flower extract (51.56%−79.36%), respectively. Due to these biological activities, the WFNE3 nanoemulsion sample could be scaled up to the industrial level for the formulation of varied types of functional foods.