Comparative Analysis on Phytochemical Properties, Anti-Oxidative, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Different Organs of the Common Ice Plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.

Abstract

The ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) is a type of succulent known to contain various minerals and beneficial compounds and is enriched in compounds exhibiting a diversity of bioactivity. This study aims to determine the potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the ice plant by organs (cotyledon, stem, and leaf). The ice plant ethanol extract showed that antioxidant activity, measured by the DPPH radical scavenging ability (51.79 ± 4.18%), and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities (6.57 ± 0.29%) had lower levels than those of control BHT, but had higher antioxidant activity in the leaves of the ice plant, while ABTS+ (58.91 ± 7.23%) and Fe2+ chelating activity (16.89 ± 1.68%) showed high antioxidant activity in the cotyledon. Total polyphenols (115.43 ± 0.47 mg QE/g) and flavonoid contents (1218.07 ± 1.00 mg GAE/g) were notably high in the cotyledon. UHPLC-TOF/HRMS analyses identified 17 polyphenolic compounds of ice plants. The main constituents of the extracts obtained in this study were flavonoids, including their O-glycosides, and compounds not previously described were found. The production of NO as a major indicator of the inflammatory response was found to decrease at 100 and 300 μg/mL (p < 0.05). The levels of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α in 10 μg/mL (p < 0.05), 50, 100, and 300 μg/mL (p < 0.000); IL-6 in 100 and 300 μg/mL (p < 0.01); and IL-1β in 50, 100 μg/mL (p < 0.01), and 300 μg/mL (p < 0.05) confirmed that the anti-inflammatory effect was exhibited by inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines according to the concentration of each organ of the ice plant.