Towards elucidating Eremurus root remedy: Chemical profiling and preliminary biological investigations of Eremurus persicus and Eremurus spectabilis root ethanolic extracts

Abstract

Plants of the genusEremurus have been used in Kurdish medicine since ancient times. Particularly, the "Eremurus roots" sold at the local market (presently known as Eremurus spp.) are used as both topical and oral remedies for treating inflammatory disorders. In the present paper, the root ethanolic extracts (EE) of Eremurus persicus and Eremurus spectabilis, the most common Eremurus species in the region, were prepared and their phytochemical profiles drawn with the aim of identifying the plant material sold at the local market. Comparison of the high performance liquid chromatographyultraviolet/photodiode-circular dichroism (HPLC-UV/PAD-CD) and HPLC-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) fingerprints of both species with that of Eremurus spp. showed that the main component of Eremurus spp. is E. spectabilis, with a minor presence of E. persicus. All EEs were then subjected to an exhaustive in vitro investigation of anti-inflammatory activity. The assay with cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC) activated by phytohaemagglutinin A revealed that E. persicus was more effective in inhibiting T-cell proliferation and in reducing the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) levels in vitro than E. spectabilis and Eremurus spp. Regarding the Eremurus spp. extract, its anti-inflammatory effect appeared to be intermediate compared to the other two extracts examined when considering both anti-proliferative and anti-TNF-α results and in accordance with the analytical results, thus validating the ethnomedical use of Eremurus roots in traditional Kurdish medicine. Moreover, results herein reported clearly showed the anti-inflammatory potential of E. persicus and its capacity to inhibit both in vitro hPBMC proliferation and cytokine secretion at non-toxic doses. E. persicus root ethanolic extract will undergo further investigations in the near future in order to identify the metabolites responsible for the activity.

Comparative Analysis and Characterization of Ten Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Eremurus Species (Asphodelaceae)

“…Species of Eremurus are important as ornamental plants [6] and are called "foxtail lily" or "desert candle" because of their large and colorful inflorescence spikes [1]. They are also used in industry for products such as bio-oil [7] and adhesives [8], and some species within this genus are used as potential sources of drugs with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiprotozoal properties and have been traditionally utilized in medicine [9,10].…”

Histone Deacetylase, Xanthine Oxidase and Urease Inhibitory Activities of Eremurus spectabilis M. Bieb. Extracts

“…E. spectabilis grows naturally in some provinces of the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey (5,6). In these regions, the plant is commonly used as not only a wild edible plant, but also as a medicinal plant whose leaves and roots are traditionally used to cure some disorders including diabetes, antihypertensive, and eczema (7)(8)(9).…”

Copper-induced changes in nutrient uptake, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems in horehound ( Marrubium vulgare L.)

“…The DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging effect of Marrubium vulgare extracts was determined according to Gaggeri et al (2015). Briefly, 100 μL aliquot of sample solution with different concentration was thoroughly mixed with 3.9 mL of freshly prepared DPPH and allowed to stand for 20 min in the dark.…”