Radical Scavenging, Anti-Inflammatory, and Hepatoprotective Activities of Pentacyclic Triterpene isolated from Rosa webbiana

Introduction: Rosa webbiana (RW) Wall Ex. Royle is used in traditional medicine in Pakistan for the treatment of several diseases including jaundice. To date, only neuroprotective potential of the plant has been evaluated.Objective: The current study was designed to isolate bioactive compound(s) and investigate its possible radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities.Methods: Column chromatography was done to isolate compounds from the chloroform fraction of RW. The compound was characterized by mass spectrometry, 1H-NMR, and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. Radical scavenging activity was assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) assays, while anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated via xylene-induced ear edema and carrageenan-induced paw edema models. For hepatoprotection, CCl4-induced model in mice was used.Results: A triterpene compound (3α, 21β-dihydroxy-olean-12-ene) was isolated from RW fruits (ARW1). The compound exhibited DPPH and H2O2 scavenging activities 61 ± 1.31% and 66 ± 0.48% respectively at 500 μg/ml. ARW1 (at 50 mg/kg) exhibited 62.9 ± 0.15% inhibition of xylene-induced ear edema and 66.6 ± 0.17% carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice. In CCl4-induced hepatotoxic mice, ARW1 significantly countered elevation in alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (T.B), and reduction in total protein (T.P) levels. Liver histomorphological study supported the serum biochemical profile for hepatoprotection. Moreover, ARW1 significantly attenuated the toxic changes in body and liver weight induced by CCl4.Conclusion: The compound ARW1 exhibited anti-radical, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects. The anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities may be attributed to anti-oxidant potential of the compound.