Phenolic acids in some under-utilized medicinal and leafy vegetables, their anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate anti-inflammatory and wound healing potentials of Launea taraxacifolia, Solanecio biafrae, Basella alba, Gnetum africanum, Solanum macrocarpon, and Crassocephalum rubens, which are traditionally used as food and ethnomedicinally for alleviating body pains, arthritis, wounds, and fever in Africa. Bioactivity assays were conducted using ethanol and water extracts, as well as partitioned fractions from crude ethanol extracts. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by inhibiting 15-lipoxygenase (LOX), xanthine oxidase (XO), and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging. In vivo assessments included the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, abdominal constriction test with p-benzoquinone, Freund’s Complete Adjuvant (FCA) pyrexia induction, and excision and incision wound models in mice to evaluate anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antipyretic, and wound healing activities, respectively. Additionally, HPLC fingerprinting and phenolic compound quantification were performed. Among the plants studied, Crassocephalum rubens and S. biafrae exhibited the most significant 15-LOX and XO inhibition, NO scavenging, in vivo anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antipyretic, and wound healing effects. HPLC analysis identified chlorogenic, caffeic, and p-coumaric acids, resveratrol, and rutin, which showed significant NO scavenging and XO inhibitory activities, suggesting these compounds may contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects of these plants. These findings support the ethnomedicinal use of C. rubens and S. biafrae for treating arthritis and wounds.