Cyclooxygenase (COX) and 15-Lipoxygenase (15-LOX) Inhibitory Activity and HPTLC Profile of Asplenium Nidus, Diplazium Esculentum, and Drynaria Quercifolia in Bukidnon, Philippines

Diplazium esculentum, Drynaria quercifolia, and Asplenium nidus are among the fern species found in Bukidnon, Philippines which are used as traditional herbal medicines.  The HPTLC profile and the anti-inflammatory properties against cyclooxygenase (COX) and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) of the frond ethanolic extracts of D. esculentum, D. quercifolia, and A. nidus were determined.  The High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) profile was obtained using ethyl acetate: formic acid: water (16:2:2) as mobile phase and Natural Products (NP) as derivatizing reagent.  The HPTLC profile of the D. esculentum, D. quercifolia, and A. nidus extracts showed 10 (Rf = 0.02-0.97), 13 (Rf = 0.03-0.90), and 14 (Rf = 0.02-0.99) bands, respectively. The profiles for each fern species may be used as marker for quality evaluation and standardization of herbal formulations containing these plants.  For the anti-inflammatory properties, D. esculentum and D. quercifolia extracts which inhibited more than 50% of the COX enzymes showed significantly higher activity than A. nidus and were considered active against COX-2 and COX-1. D. esculentum, however, gave a selectivity ratio (COX-2/COX-1) of 1.03 making its inhibitory activity selective against COX-2.  The percent 15-LOX inhibitory activity of D. quercifolia (58.62%) is significantly higher than that of A. nidus (38.70%) but statistically comparable to D. esculentum (51.19%).  Among the extracts, D. quercifolia and D. esculentum which inhibited more than 50% of the 15-LOX were considered active. D. esculentum and D. quercifolia can therefore be potential sources of anti-inflammatory lead compounds for future drug development.