Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Obesity Potential of Extracts Containing Phenols, Chlorophyll and Carotenoids from Mexican Wild Populations of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst

Simple Summary Using molecular markers, we confirmed the taxonomic status of Bacopa monnieri from Mexico. We obtained the pigment and carotenoid profiles, total phenols, antioxidants, and bioassayed the biological activities (anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity) of the four wild populations. Our results show the great potential of B. monnieri as a natural source of compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity properties. Therefore, the raw material of this plant may be effectively used as a nutritional and medicinal supplement. Some of the species of the genus Bacopa have been used in Pharmacopoeia worldwide. However, in Mexico, Bacopa monnieri has neither been extensively cultivated nor studied, nor has their use in traditional medicine been reported. The aim of this work was to assess the taxonomic verification of the four wild populations of B. monnieri, the chemical content of their pigments and phenols and to provide an analysis of their potential bioactivity. B. monnieri wild populations from Mexico were validated using molecular markers. Chromatographic profiling using HPLC-PDA revealed 21 compounds comprising 12 chlorophylls and nine carotenoids; of the latter, the major ones were lutein (0.921 +/- 0.031 mu g/mg of dry extract) and beta-carotene (0.095 +/- 0.003 mu g/mg of dry extract). The total phenolic content, determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay, ranged from 54.8 +/- 5.8 to 70.3 +/- 2.2 mu g of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/mg. Plant extracts scavenged from the free radical DPPH in IC50 ranged from 130.6 +/- 3.0 to 249.9 +/- 12.1 mu g dry extract/mL. In terms of the anti-inflammatory potential, the most effective extract was from a soil-based plant from Jalisco (BS), reduced from nitric oxide in a RAW 264.7 culture medium, with an IC50 value of 134 mu g of dry extract/mL. The BS extract showed a significant neutral lipid-reducing activity in the zebrafish model, ranging from 3.13 mu g/mL p < 0.05 to 100 mu g/mL p < 0.0001. Overall, the extracts analyzed here for the first time seem promising for future use because of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity potential.