Anti-inflammatory and antioxiodant potential of Artemisia herba-alba: Application in an innovative topical formulation

Abstract

This study aimed to valorize the medicinal plant Artemisia herba-alba through the development of an innovative topical anti-inflammatory formulation combining its aqueous extract and essential oil. and in vivo analyses. The aqueous extraction yielded 12.04% of dry extract. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, sterols, and terpenoids. Quantitative analysis demonstrated a high total phenolic content of 105 ± 0.33 mg GAE/g extract and a flavonoid content of 36.42 ± 1.61 mg QE/g extract. The antioxidant activity assessed by the DPPH assay showed a strong radical scavenging capacity with a maximum inhibition of 81.42% and an IC50 value of 0.018 mg/ml. In vitro antiinflammatory evaluation based on inhibition of BSA denaturation demonstrated remarkable activity, reaching 101.72 ± 0.01% inhibition at 0.7 mg/ml, with an IC50 of 258.91 ± 4.99 µg/ml. The in vivo study performed on Wistar rats showed that the innovative cream significantly reduced formalin-induced edema, achieving complete inhibition after 48 h and exhibiting efficacy comparable to Diclofenac. Hematological analysis revealed a reduction in inflammatory markers, particularly white blood cells and monocytes, while lipid peroxidation analysis demonstrated a decrease in hepatic MDA levels from 5.13 ± 0.26 µmol/L in the positive control group to 4.00 ±0.14 µmol/L following treatment with the innovative cream.These findings confirm the strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of Artemisia herba-alba and support the development of a promising natural phytopharmaceutical formulationbased on Algerian medicinal flora.