Phytochemicals profiling, biochemical and tissue histological evaluation of the efficacy of <i>Irvingia wombolu</i> fraction for treating formalin-induced oxidative and inflammatory aberrations

Irvingia wombolu has a wide range of natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and other medicinal properties. Over the past few years, inflammation has been associated with the advancement and stimulation of several chronic disorders, including cancer, heart ailments, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and neurological diseases. In this study, phytochemicals and mineral profiling, and the anti-inflammatory potential of the n-hexane leaf fraction of I. wombolu (NHLFIW) were performed with phospholipase A2 and formalin-induced inflammation in rats. The fraction with gas chromatography-mass flame ionization detector (GC-FID) confirmed high concentrations of catechin, sapogenin, naringenin, steroids, and cardiac glycoside, whereas the mineral compositions using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) showed Ca2+ (8.08 mg/mL), Mg2+ (7.583 mg/L), Zn2+ (0.985 mg/L) and Se2+ (0.944 mg/L). The fraction showed high inhibitory efficiency on phospholipase A2, C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde concentration (MDA) and other inflammatory markers with great enhancement of antioxidant defense systems. This was confirmed by a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in CRP, LDH and MDA of the treated groups when compared to the untreated (group 2). The findings of this study demonstrate the efficacy of NHLFIW in managing inflammation and its complications which can be primarily attributed to its phytochemicals and mineral components.