Ricerc@Sapienza

Growing evidence supports the pivotal role played by oxidative stress in tissue injury development, thus resulting in several pathologies including cardiovascular, renal, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders, all characterized by an altered oxidative status. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and lipid peroxidation-derived reactive aldehydes including acrolein, malondialdehyde, and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, among others, are the main responsible for cellular and tissue damages occurring in redox-dependent processes.

Harpagophytum procumbens (Burch.) DC. ex Meisn. is a traditional remedy for osteoarticular diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA), although the bioactive constituents and mechanisms involved are yet to be clarified. In the present study, an aqueous H. procumbens root extract (HPE; containing 1.2% harpagoside) was characterized for its effects on synoviocytes from OA patients and phytochemical composition in polyphenols, and volatile compounds were detected.