Assessment of Chemical Composition and Investigation into the Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Hemolytic Properties of Hexane Extracts from Cynara cardunculus subsp. Cardunculus and Cynara cardunculus subsp. sylvestris

Background: Cynara cardunculus is frequently used in Mediterranean cuisine and is known for its possible medicinal properties. These properties are usually related to the presence of specific bioactive compounds present in the leaves of the artichoke. On the other hand, the root parts of the artichoke have not been subjected to extensive studies so far. Objective: The main objective of this study was to conduct a chemical analysis of the root part of the hexane extract of Cynara cardunculus subsp. cardunculus and Cynara cardunculus subsp. sylvestris, while exploring their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hemolytic effects. Methods: The chemical composition of the extracts of both species was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The antioxidant properties were evaluated using the DPPH radical scavenging method. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated through the protein denaturation method using diclofenac as a positive control. The hemolytic effect was examined on a suspension of erythrocytes in human blood. Results: The main constituents of the hexane extract of C. cardunculus and C. sylvestris were aplotaxene (70.5% and 56.3%, respectively) and hexadecanoic acid (10.2% and 13.2%, respectively). The hexane extracts of C. sylvestris and C. cardunculus showed positive antioxidant activity with the DPPH test by comparing them with the BHT control. However, it should be noted that the extract of C. cardunculus showed the best performance, with an IC50 of 4.3 μg/mL, while the extract of C. sylvestris presented an IC50 of 5.6 μg/mL. The hexane extracts of C. cardunclus and C. sylvastris showed good anti-inflammatory activity with IC50s of 17.3 μg/mL and 23.8 μg/mL compared to diclofenac (IC50= 13.3 μg/mL), respectively. The toxicity assessment on human erythrocytes shows that both extracts of roots of C. cardunculus and C. sylvestris have a very low hemolysis rate (1.4% and 11.1%, respectively), even at high concentrations (2000 μg/mL). Conclusion: The extracts obtained from hexane from the plants C. cardunculus and C. sylvestris, during the tests, revealed particularly promising antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hemolytic properties. These results offer an interesting perspective for the creation and development of new antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.