AUTHOR=Basit Abdul , Ahmad Saeed , Khan Kashif ur Rehman , Aati Hanan Y. , Sherif Asmaa E. , Ovatlarnporn Chitchamai , Khan Safiullah , Rao Huma , Arshad Muhammad Adeel , Shahzad Muhammad Nadeem , Perveen Shagufta 

TITLE=Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic potential of Cardamine amara L. (Brassicaceae): A comprehensive biochemical, toxicological, and in silico computational study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2022.1077581

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2022.1077581

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold><italic>Cardamine amara</italic> L. (Brassicaceae) is an important edible plant with ethnomedicinal significance. This study aimed at evaluating the phytochemical composition, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxicity aspects of the hydro-alcoholic extract of <italic>C. amara</italic> (HAECA).</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> The phytochemical composition was evaluated through total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC) determination and UPLC-QTOF-MS profiling. Anti-inflammatory evaluation of HAECA was carried out through the carrageenan induced paw edema model. Four <italic>in vitro</italic> methods were applied in the antioxidant evaluation of HAECA. MTT assay was used to investigate the toxicity profile of the species against human normal liver cells (HL7702), human liver cancer cell lines (HepG2) and human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7). Three major compounds (Gentisic acid, skullcapflavone and conidendrine) identified in UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis were selected for <italic>in silico</italic> study against cyclooxygenase (COX-I and COX-II).</p><p><bold>Results and Discussion:</bold> The findings revealed that HAECA is rich in TPC (39.32 ± 2.3 mg GAE/g DE) and TFC (17.26 ± 0.8 mg RE/g DE). A total of 21 secondary metabolites were tentatively identified in UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. In the MTT cytotoxicity assay, the extract showed low toxicity against normal cell lines, while significant anticancer activity was observed against human liver and breast cancer cells. The carrageenan induced inflammation was inhibited by HAECA in a dose dependent manner and showed a marked alleviation in the levels of oxidative stress (catalase, SOD, GSH) and inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-1β). Similarly, HAECA showed maximum antioxidant activity through the Cupric reducing power antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assay (31.21 ± 0.3 mg TE/g DE). The <italic>in silico</italic> study revealed a significant molecular docking score of the three studied compounds against COX-I and COX-I. Conclusively the current study encourages the use of <italic>C. amara</italic> as a novel polyphenolic rich source with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential and warrants further investigations on its toxicity profile.</p>