Ajuga reptans L. Herb Extracts: Phytochemical Composition and Pharmacological Activity Screening

The genus Ajuga (Lamiaceae family) comprises approximately 300 species, which are widely used in traditional medicine for their diaphoretic, antiseptic, hemostatic, and anti-inflammatory properties, but scarcely in official ones. Therefore, the study of Ajuga reptans holds promise for developing new medicinal products. In aqueous and aqueous-alcoholic soft extracts of the A. reptans herb, 16 amino acids, 20 phenolics, and 10 volatile substances were identified by HPLC and GC/MS. The assays of the main substances' groups were also determined by spectrophotometry (vitamin K1, polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids) and titrometry (ascorbic and organic acids). A. reptans herb extracts are practically non-toxic, exhibit hepatoprotective activity (dose 25 mg/kg) in experimental carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatitis, moderate anti-inflammatory activity (dose 100 mg/kg) in carrageenan-induced edema models, and possess significant local hemostatic (reducing bleeding time by 40.6%) and wound-healing properties (complete wound healing after 9 days). The aqueous-ethanolic soft A. reptans extract (extractant 50% ethanol) demonstrated the most pronounced hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. A. reptans extracts are capable of inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and showing higher activity against Gram-positive bacteria. A. reptans herb extracts are promising agents for implementation in official medicine as wound healing and hepatoprotective remedies after further preclinical and clinical studies.