Scientific African (Jun 2024)
Phytochemical profiling and bioactivity study of Adenia panduriformis in Zambia using UHPLC-MS/MS-MZmine3, GNPS, and METLIN Gen2
Abstract
Diseases, especially degenerative illnesses, can be treated and avoided altogether, and good health can be enhanced by including health-promoting foods in the diet without side effects. Adenia panduriformis (Passifloraceae) is a wild vegetable consumed as part of the everyday diet in some communities in Zambia. The plant is also used in traditional medicine to effectively treat and manage many diseases, including degenerative diseases. Because of significant health benefits and medicinal attributes, this vegetable has very high merit to be investigated for its phytochemicals and bioactivities. Therefore, this study screened phytochemicals using qualitative chemical tests and Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS), identified metabolites using molecular networking tools and evaluated the total polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of the methanolic leaf extract of the vegetable. Solvent extraction by maceration recovered metabolites for screening by qualitative chemical tests, extraction by QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) was used to recover metabolites for screening by LCMS/MS, and tentative phytochemical constituents were identified using MZmine3, GNPS (global natural products social molecular networking) and METLIN. Total phenolic content (TPC) determination used the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) method at 765 nm. Total flavonoid content (TFC) was evaluated using the aluminium chloride colorimetric assay at 510 nm. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay at 517 nm. Phytochemical screening by qualitative chemical tests revealed the presence of many classes of phytocompounds, such as alkaloids, polyphenols, terpenoids, and saponins. TPC was determined to be 122.30 ± 2.00 mg GAE/g, and TFC was 60.17 ± 0.25 mg QE/g. Screening by LCMS/MS revealed the presence of many metabolites, of which 23 phytocompounds were identified using MZmine3, 42 by GNPS, and 21 by METLIN. The crude extract exhibited high DPPH free radical quenching activity with a relatively low IC50 value of 53.48 µg/mL compared to the reference standard ascorbic acid IC50 of 74.47 µg/mL. The significantly lower IC50 value for the wild vegetable than that of ascorbic acid indicates a considerably high efficiency of the metabolites in the vegetable as antioxidants. The presence of many metabolites with health-promoting properties and high antioxidant activity of the leaf extract of A. panduriformis may be the science behind its remarkable health benefits and power to treat and manage a variety of diseases, including degenerative illnesses. This study presents results that indicate the potential of A. panduriformis as a rich source of metabolites with brilliant health-promoting properties and high antioxidant activity, which may open exciting opportunities for further development in the fields of pharmacology and drug development.
