Phytochemical, Pharmacological, and Molecular Docking Study of Dry Extracts of Matricaria discoidea DC. with Analgesic and Soporific Activities.

Pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea DC.) is a widespread plant in Europe and North America. In ethnomedicine, it is well-known for its anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic activities. The aim of this research was to develop novel methods of M. discoidea processing to obtain essential oil and dry extracts and to investigate their phytochemical compositions. Moreover, the molecular docking of the main substances and the in vivo studies on their soporific and analgesic activities were conducted. The essential oil and two dry extracts from M. discoidea were prepared. A total of 16 phenolic compounds (seven flavonoids, seven hydroxycinnamic acids, and two phenolic acids) in the dry extracts were identified by means of UPLC-MS/MS. In the essential oil, nine main terpenoids were identified by gas chromatography (GC). It was shown that phenolic extraction from the herb was successful when using 70% ethanol in a triple extraction method and at a ratio of 1:14-1:16. The in vivo studies with rodents demonstrated the analgesic activity of the M. discoidea extracts and improvements in the sleep of animals. The dry extracts of M. discoidea did not show any toxicity. The molecular docking analysis showed a high probability of COX-1,2 inhibition and NMDA receptor antagonism by the extracts.

Content of phenolic compounds in aerial parts of Chamomilla suaveolens from Estonia.

The content of total polyphenols, flavonoids and coumarins in the aerial parts of pineapple weed (Chamomilla suaveolens (Pursh) Rydb.), growing wild in Estonia, was determined chromato-spectrophotometrically, and individual polyphenols were quantified using HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. The total content of polyphenols was rather similar in flowers (9.1-11.5%) and in whole aerial parts (8.4-10.9%) of pineapple weed. The upper one-third (1/3) and upper two-thirds (2/3) of the aerial parts contained more flavonoids (0.15 - 0.20%) than the flowers (0.12%). The content of coumarins showed no significant difference between the flowers and the upper 1/3 and 2/3 of the aerial parts. The main polyphenols in the flowers were dicaffeoylquinic acids (202-380 mkg/mL), chlorogenic acids (75-185 mkg/mL), and ferulic acid glycoside (61-124 mkg/mL). Also found were quercetin galactoside, apigenin acetylglucoside, malonylapigenin glucoside, as well as luteolin, quercetin and apigenin glycosides.

Composition of essential oil of aerial parts of Chamomilla suaveolens from Estonia.

Variations in the essential oil composition of aerial parts of pineapple weed (Chamomilla suaveolens (Pursh) Rydb.) growing wild in Estonia, were determined using GC/FID and GC/MS. Forty-four components were identified, representing over 90% of the total oil. Nine compounds have not been mentioned in the literature before. The principal biologically active compounds in C. suaveolens oils were (Z)-en-yne-dicycloether (17.0-40.7%), (E)-beta-farnesene (19.5-32.2%), geranyl isovaleriate (8.4-18.4%), palmitic acid (0.3-9.4%) and myrcene (1.1-7.9%). The investigation seems to approve the benefit of using aerial parts of pineapple weed as the substitute for flowers.