Isolation and extraction of gallic acid from Hylocereus undatus and a biochemical and histological study on laboratory Wistar albino rats with induced rheumatoid arthritis

The herb Hylocereus undatus, which is rich in phytochemicals and thought to contain antioxidants comparable to those in its peel, has a lot of promise for use in the food field. The presented study aimed to study the protective effect of the aqueous extrac and the active compounds (gallic acid) isolated from the dragon fruit (H. undates) to lessen the impact of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) induced by Freund's Complete Adjuvant (CFA)) by studying some of the changes in biochemical and histochemical parameters. The Wistar albino rats (male)  were divided into four groups viz.,  Group I : A negative control group, dosed only with plain water orally, Group II : Induced for RA by CFA, a positive control group; Group III: dosed with aqueous extract of the fruit of H. undatus (kg/500 mg); and Group IV: dosed with gallic acid isolated from this fruit (kg/mg20). The results showed a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), platelet, interleukin 6 ( IL-6), and RF in rats treated with CFA and a significant decrease in Hb compared to the negative control group. There was a significant decrease of MDA, Platelet, IL-6, and RF in the groups treated with aqueous extract and a significant increase in Hb compared with the positive control group while there was a significant decrease in each of MDA, platelets, IL-6, and RF. Based on a histological analysis, the study group's liver and kidneys had smaller lesions and different abnormalities than the control . Thus, the fruit plant's gallic acid extracts were protective in reducing RA damage caused by CFA and improving kidney and liver tissue.