title: Anti-inflammatory and acetylcholinesterase activity of extract, fractions and five compounds isolated from the leaves and twigs of Artemisia annua growing in Cameroon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Natural products, including those derived from higher plants have, over the years, contributed greatly to the development of modern therapeutic drugs. Due to the medicinal importance in traditional practice and the diversified biology and chemistry of the constituents from Artemisia spp., the genus has been receiving growing attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of the ethanol extract, four fractions (F1-F4) and five compounds namely artemisinin (1), scopoletin (2), chrysosplenetin (3), eupatin (4) and 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside of sitosterol (5) isolated from A. annua to modulate the activity of anticholinesterase (AchE) and the production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the lowest concentration tested (6.25 µg/mL), the crude extract and fraction F2 had the highest NO inhibitory activity (72.39 and 71.00 % inhibition respectively) without significant toxicity on the viability of macrophage cells (93.86 and 79.87 % of cell viability respectively). The crude extract inhibited AchE activity by 71.83 % (at 1 mg/mL) with an IC50 value of 87.43 µg/mL while F2 and F4 were the most active fractions (IC50 values of 36.75 and 28.82 µg/mL). Artemisinin (1) and chrysosplenetin (3) had the highest AChE activity with 71.67 and 80.00 % inhibition (at 0.1 mg/mL) and IC50 values of 29.34 and 27.14 µg/mL, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results validate the traditional use of A. annua and could help to support the usefulness of this plant in the treatment of inflammatory and neurological disorders especially where nitric oxide and a cholinesterase are involved.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon ; Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Rosine D K
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Chougouo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Yves M M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Nguekeu
authors.affiliation: Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria, South Africa ; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Jean P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dzoyem
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Maurice D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Awouafack
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kouamouo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tane
authors.affiliation: Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Lyndy J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: McGaw
authors.affiliation: Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Jacobus N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Eloff
keywords: Acetylcholinesterase; Artemisia annua; Nitric oxide; Phytochemical constituents