Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Methanolic Extract of Juniperus Phoenicea

This work aims to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of Juniperus phoenicea extract. Polyphenol and flavonoid contents were estimated using colorimetric methods. The antioxidant potential was assessed using 2, 2-diphenyl-l-picrylhy- drazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, iron chelation, and anti-hemolytic assays. Croton oil-induced ear edema and carrageenan-induced paw edema models were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity. Furthermore, the hemagglutination test was used to assess the immunomodulatory activity. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents in this extract were 138.15 ± 11.87 µg GAE/mg and 27.5 ± 1.2 µg QE/mg of dry extract, respectively. The methanolic extract exhibited a strong scavenging activity against DPPH radical (IC50 = 0.051 ± 0.002 mg/mL), while in iron chelation it presented low activity (EC50 = 3.61 ± 0.46 mg/mL) compared to the standard EDTA. The results showed that J. phoenicea extract exhibited high protection of erythrocytes in 2, 2′,-azobis (2 amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced hemolysis. Treatment with J. phoenicea extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) exhibited significant anti-edematogenic in both inflammatory models induced by croton oil and carrageenan. However, these doses did not show any significant increase/decrease on the antibody titer. This study indicates that J. phoenicea extract possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, confirming the use of this plant in folk medicine.