Ethnopharmacological relevance: Phyllanthus emblica L. (P. emblica) as a medical plant has been used to treat diseases in Asia. It is famous for a wide range of biological activities, especially for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. However, quality control underlying the bioactivity of P. emblica fruits remains to be studied.
Materials and methods: In this study, we evaluated the HPLC fingerprint and bioactivity of polyphenols extracted from P. emblica fruits grown in different habitats.
Results: P. emblica fruits collected from 10 different habitats in Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan, and Guangxi provinces in China were used to establish a simple and reliable HPLC fingerprint assay. Simultaneous quantification of three monophenols was also performed to determine assay quality and consistency. Additionally, chemical assessment of the different ethanolic extract (PEEE) from 10 P. emblica fruits demonstrated that they exhibited antioxidant activity by enhancing reducing power and total antioxidant capacity, scavenging hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion. PEEE protected RAW264.7 cells from oxidative damage by increasing glutathione content and total superoxide dismutase activity, suppressing MDA content. PEPE also alleviated lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells by decreasing release of pro-inflammatory mediators. Notably, the PEEE samples from Yunnan province showed the optimal antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects among all the PEEE samples.
Conclusion: In conclusion, The PEEE HPLC fingerprint may help improve P. emblica quality control, and P. emblica with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities may be potentially applied in functional foods or in adjuvant therapy for medicinal development.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory capacity; Antioxidant capacity; Fingerprint; Phyllanthus emblica L.; Polyphenols.
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