Anti-sickling potential and bioactive metabolites from edible oil-yielding crop Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is genetic blood disorder due to which red blood cells (RBCs) carry an abnormal hemoglobin (HbS) tend to polymerize in hypoxic condition and get sickled shape. In the present study, an anti-sickling and antioxidant potential have been evaluated for the first time in aqueous extracts of niger (Guizotia abyssinica (L.f. Cass.), Asteraceae), an edible oil-yielding crop majorly grown in sickle cell disease-prone areas. In vitro shoots and callus formation was achieved on MS + 1.0 mg L-1 BAP from leaf and internodes, respectively as source material. The reversal of sickle RBCs (52±2.1%) were found significant with treatment of aqueous extract of in vitro plantlets (IVP) as compared to extracts (FGP and C). The reversal of sickle RBCs were 7.7±0.58% in negative control phosphate buffer saline (PBS), while 72.5±1.6% was observed with standard drug hydroxyurea (HU) treatments. IVP extracts showed significantly higher HbS polymerization inhibition (PI) (21.5±0.6%) of Sickle Cell RBCs. Likewise, the treatment of IVP extract showed significant improvement in Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio by 17.4±0.9% essential for the conversion of deoxy-HbS to O2-HbS. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity was found higher with extract of in vitro plantlets (9.37±0.07 AAE mg/g DW) compared to FGP and C extracts. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of metabolites [omega fatty acids (ω-3, ω-6, ω-7, and ω-9), fatty alcohols, volatiles, esters, and terpenoids], including anti-sickling and antioxidant metabolites. The aqueous extract of in vitro raised plantlets of G. abyssinica has demonstrated significantly higher anti-sickling activity and effective antioxidant activity. The present study has value added to the crop G. abyssinica due to its potential application in the clinical management of sickle cell disease.