Natural populations of Galphimia spp. attenuates peripheral and central inflammation

Abstract

The genus Galphimia is widely distributed in Mexico, and is represented by 22 species, including medicinal species. The sedative and anti-inflammatory effects of galphimines produced by the species Galphimia glauca have been documented. Formerly, molecular studies using DNA barcodes demonstrated that nine populations botanically classified as Galphimia glauca belong to four different species of the genus Galphimia, and that only one exhibited the sedative properties; however, all the collected species showed anti-inflammatory activity. Other bioactive compounds like quercetin, galphins, galphimidins and glaucacetalins have been identified from methanolic extracts of plants botanically classified as Galphimia glauca. The aim of this work was to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extracts of nine collected Galphimia spp. populations grown in Mexico. The possible modes of action were analyzed by evaluating the inhibition of LPS-induced inflammation processes both in vitro and in vivo. The nine populations were evaluated by an in vitro model using RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells, and two populations (a galphimine-producing and a non-galphimine-producing population) were selected for the in vivo experiments of systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation in mice. Results suggest that an anti-inflammatory in vitro effect was present in all the studied populations, evidenced by the inhibition of nitrite production. An inhibitory systemic inflammation in mice was exerted by the two analyzed populations. In the neuroinflammation model, the anti-inflammatory effect was demonstrated in methanolic extract of the non-galphimine-producing population. For the populations of Galphimia spp. studied herein, the anti-inflammatory effect could not be correlated to the presence of galphimines.