Abstract
(1) Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of
Salvadora oleoides
(
S. oleoides
) and
Salvadora persica
(
S. persica
) polyphenols as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. (2) Methods: Aerial parts and fruits of
S. oleoides
and
S. persica
were collected from the periphery of District Bhakkar, Punjab, Pakistan. Methanol extracts were prepared using the Soxhlet extraction technique. Extract yield varied from 8.15 to 19.6 g/100 g dry plant material. RP-HPLC revealed the detection of thirteen phenolic aids and five flavonoids. Gallic acid, hydroxy benzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, and cinamic acid were the major phenolic acids, whereas catechin, rutin, and myricetin were the flavonoids detected. (3) Results: Maximum total phenolic contents (TPCs) (22.2 mg/g of dry plant material) and total flavonoid contents (TFCs) (6.17 mg/g of dry plant material) were found in the fruit extract of
S. persica
, and the minimum TPC (11.9 mg/g) and TFC (1.72 mg/g) were found in the aerial part of
S. oleoides.
The fruit extract of
S. persica
showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of all the extracts was performed on albumin-induced rat paw edema that was comparable with the standard indomethacin;
S. persica
fruit extract showed remarkable anti-inflammatory activity. Analgesic activity of aerial part and fruit extracts of
S. oleoides
and
S. persica
was investigated using a mouse model, and the results showed that maximum possible analgesia of fruit extracts of
S. persica
was 53.44%, which is better than the PC group (52.98%). (4) Conclusions: The variations in the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities of methanolic extracts of
S. oleoides
and
S. persica
were found to be significant, and they have therapeutic potential as antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory agents.