LC-MS ANALYSIS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF A TINCTURE FROM ERYNGIUM PLANUM IN A RAT MODEL OF ACUTE INFLAMMATION

The aim of this study was to conduct a LC-MS analysis on the polyphenols, the main chemical constituents from an ethanolic tincture from the aerial part of Eryngium planum (plain eryngo), and also to test the anti-inflammatory potential of the tincture by the rat paw oedema test. For the phytochemical analysis of polyphenols, a reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RPHPLC) with UV detection coupled with mass spectrometric detection (MS) was used. Samples were analyzed before and after hydrolysis in order to identify the flavonoidic glycosides and free aglycons. The results confirmed the presence of the following compounds: isoquercitrin, quercitrin, kaempferol, quercetol, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. The anti-inflammatory potential of the tincture from Eryngium planum was evaluated in two different doses (100 mg/kg b.w. and 500 mg/kg b.w.). The results showed that the tincture from E. planum significantly inhibited the kaolin-induced rat paw oedema in all the three time intervals of the determination (2h, 4h and 24h), reducing the oedema volume by 45% (p<0,01), 4 hours after the oedema was evoked, the effect being dose-dependent.