Identification of Sterols from Anabasis articulata (Forssk.) Moq. (Chenopodiaceae) Growing in Algeria and Study of Their Potential Bioactivity

Purpose: Anabasis articulata (Forssk.) Moq. (Chenopodiaceae), also called Eshnan, Ajremor Berry bearing glasswort, is widely distributed in Syrian, Algerian, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egyptian and Iraqi desert, Spain (Alicante, Almería, Granada and Murcia provinces), Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco. Anabasis articulata is broadly used in folk medicine to treat diabetes, fever, eczema and kidney infections. The objective of this work was to examine the potential bioactivity of the plant, in vitro and in vivo experiment. Methods: The sterol-rich extract was identified by GC/MS analysis. The antioxidant potential, anti-tyrosinase and antiproliferative activities, was evaluated by in vitro assays and anti-inflammatory function was determined by in vivo assay. Results: The results revealed that the chromatographic analysis showed the presence of four sterols in the plant samples. A preliminary evaluation of the antiproliferative effect of A. articulata against two human tumor cell lines, MCF7 and MDA-MB 231, was evaluated by MTT assay. The plant extract was also subjected to four different in vitro antioxidant assays (i.e. total antioxidant capacity, reducing power, DPPH and β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching). The sterol-rich extract also showed a high anti-tyrosinase activity, and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effect, and in vivo toxicological and anti-inflammatory function of A. articulata sterols was tested on rats with carrageenan-induced inflammatory paw edema. Conclusions: All this evidence suggests the possible application of the aerial part of A. articulata as food additive, in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].