Unlocking nature’s pharmacy: a story of an Irish tormentil

Potentilla erecta L. (Rosacea), commonly known as tormentil, is found on peat soil associated with Irish boglands and is widespread across Europe. The species is ethnopharmacologically significant, its roots traditionally used to treat oral cavity ulcerations, indigestion and wounds. Research into P. erecta has revealed anti-inflammatory properties which have been attributed to the total tannin content of the plant, but there is a gap in robust correlation studies between bioactivity and the constituent phytochemical(s) responsible ([Fig. 1]).

Fig. 1 P. erecta data from study. A: Agrimoniin and ellagic acid inhibition against cell growth of A. baumannii. B: Impact of P. erecta root extract against ESKAPE pathogens. C: IL-6 cytokine production of THP-1 cells when treated with aerial and root extracts. D: HPLC-PDA analysis of % contribution of analytes to the total peak area of methanol extracts. E: PLS-DA model obtained from 1H-NMR spectra of P. erecta samples (blue: aerial cluster, red: root cluster).

Methanol extracts of tormentil aerial and root parts were tested for anntif-liammatory effects in vitro by measuring ability to suppress LPS-induced cytokine release in a phorbol 1y2r-imstate 13-acetate (PMA)- differentiated human leukemic THP-1 cell line. Cell viability and cytokine levels were measured using resazurin and ELISA techniques, respectively. LC-MS based separation and identification of constituents coupled with ¹H-NMR based metabolomics determined phytochemical distribution across plant morphology and correlated extract bioactivity with chemical profile. LC-MS results revealed the presence of agrimoniin and ellagic acid as two of the major components in aerial and root parts. A viability assay demonstrated that all extracts were non-toxic at the highest tested concentration of 100 ug/mL. Aerial and root extracts, and agrimoniin alone, suppressed IL-6, Rantes, TNF-α and IL-1β release post LPS treatment. Metabolomics analysis employing the OPLS and PLS-DA models found that anti-inflammatory activity correlated well with the chemical profile and could predict differences in phytochemical composition between plant parts, which was further supported by HPLC data. Overall, a better understanding of the relationship between biology and chemistry of P. erecta was achieved.

 

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023