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Objectives This study sought to determine the quality of essential oil from Xylopia aethiopica fruits of different geographical origins using GC‐MS‐based metabolomics, bacterial quorum sensing and anti‐inflammation assessment. Methods Essential oil was obtained from eight batches of X. aethiopica fruits from Ghana and Nigeria by hydrodistillation, characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and differences therein found using metabolomics. The respective antibacterial activity of the oils was tested against four bacterial strains: two Gram‐positive strains, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Bacillus licheniformis (ATCC12759), and two Gram‐negative strains, Escherichia coli (ATCC25922) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13883). Anti‐inflammation was tested using RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Key findings The outcome of the study revealed that the oil of the Ghana‐sourced samples exhibited superior antibacterial, cytotoxic and anti‐inflammatory effects than those from Nigeria. This could be attributed to the higher levels of the bioactive compounds present in those samples. This distinction between the samples from the two countries was clearly established using the metabolomics approach, and 14 differential metabolites were found to be potential chemical markers. Conclusions The study lends credence to the traditional uses of the essential oil of X. aethiopica as an antimicrobial and anti‐inflammatory agent.

Objective: To evaluate the scientific basis for the use of Kang 601 heji (K-601) as an anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agent using appropriate animal models. Methods: Carrageenan-induced rat paw and xylene-induced ear oedemas were models used to investigate anti-inflammatory actions of K-601. Lipopolysaccharide-induced pyrexia model was used to evaluate antipyretic activity in Wistar rats. The antiinflammatory and antipyretic mechanisms were evaluated by detecting prostaglandins E 2 , nitric oxide, interleukin-1b and tumour necrosis factor-a levels using appropriate reagents and ELISA kits. Results: The results revealed that K-601 reduced the level of inflammations in both antiinflammatory models in a dose-dependent manner. The same was true for the antipyretic model. The possible mechanisms of actions were through the inhibition of prostaglandins E 2 , interleukin-1b, tumour necrosis factor-a and nitric oxide. Conclusions: K-601 has proven anti-inflammatory and antipyretic actions. The findings provide a scientific basis for the use of K-601 as anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agent in traditional Chinese medicinal practice.

Background: The fruits of Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich, (herein called XYA), family Annonaceae, commonly known as "Guinea pepper", "Ethiopian pepper" or "Negro pepper", are widely used in traditional African medicines to treat a wide array of diseases including malaria, fungal infections, rheumatism, arthritis, etc. Scientific investigations have ascribed the following activities to the fruits of XYA; anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiplasmodial, analgesic, anti-nociceptive, anti-proliferative, spermatogenic and neuropharmacological effects. The main active principle reported is xylopic acid (XA), a kaurene diterpene. This study aimed to develop and validate a simple HPLC/UV (high performance liquid chromatography -ultraviolet detection) analytical method for the quantification of XA that can be reproduced in poor-resource settings where advanced analytical detection techniques such as HPLC-MS are unavailable. Materials and Methods: Thus in this study, a simple C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) column-pretreatment ─ HPLC/UV analytical procedure was developed for the quantification of XA in the dried fruits of XYA from four African countries, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria. The samples of XYA from the four countries were assessed for similarities using chromatographic fingerprinting. Results: The HPLC method was validated for linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision and accuracy. The samples of XYA from Cameroon were found to have the highest average content of XA while those from Benin had the lowest average content of XA.

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