Chemical characterization of iridoid glycosides from Veronica persica by UHPLC-MS/MS and their in vitro anti-inflammatory activity

Veronica persica: Poir., a common weed found along field ridges, has been traditionally employed in folk medicine for the treatment of severe burns. To assess the therapeutic effectiveness of Veronica persica against burns, a murine model of physical scald injury was established using a preheated metal plate. The results indicated that V. persica treatment significantly promoted wound healing, reducing the recovery period from 24 days (untreated controls) to 11 days (aqueous extract), comparable to the 10-day recovery observed with silver sulfadiazine ointment (positive control), while the ground plant material showed even faster healing in only 6 days. Using UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS, sixteen iridoid glycosides were successfully characterized, among which 6″- O - trans -feruloylcatalpol was detected in V. persica for the first time. Quantitative determination through UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS allowed relative quantification of five selected iridoid glycosides, yielding concentrations of verproside (0.12%), catalposide (0.72%), 6- O -veratroylcatalposide (0.16%), 6″- O - trans -feruloylcatalpol (0.0018%), and aucubin (0.27%). Additionally, these iridoid glycosides exhibited dose-dependent suppression of NO production and notably reduced the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β in an LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage model. These results provide fundamental insights into the pharmacological mechanisms that may underlie the burn-healing activity of V. persica .