A biochemometric approach for assessment of Phyllanthus emblica female fertility effects as determined via UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS and GC-MS

Phyllanthus emblica L. fruits has long been used in Ayruvedic medicine for its many health benefits. In this study, we present on P. emblica fruits crude extract and fractions effects on the female reproductive system by assesing its estrogenic and gonadotropic activities. Results revealed that non-polar petroleum ether and chloroform fractions exhibited the strongest estrogenic and follicle-stimulating hormone-like [FSH] activity, while n-butanol fraction exhibited a significant luteinizing hormone-like [LH] activity. Ethyl acetate fraction showed neither estrogenic nor gonadotropic activities and in contrast it may impair female fertility suggesting that different metabolite classes contribute to the plant’s overall effect on female fertility. To pinpoint active agents in these extracts, UPLC/ESI-qTOF-MS- was employed for secondary metabolites profiling with 100 metabolites annotated including ellagitannins, gallic acid derivatives, terpeneoids, sterols, phthalates and fatty acids. Correlation between extracts/ fraction bioassays with UPLC/MS data was attempted using orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and revealing that guaiane-type sesquiterpenes, phthalates, diterpenes and oxygenated fatty acids that showed positive correlation with estrogenic and gonadotropic activities. Incontrast, mucic acid gallates, gallic acid derivatives and ellagitannins correlated negatively. GC/MS analysis of the non-polar bioactive fractions viz. petroleum ether and chloroform was also attempted and revealing for its enrichment in fatty acids/fatty acyl esters (34%) and phenyl compounds (19.6%). This study provides the first report on the estrogenic and gonadotropic activities of P. emblica fruit in relation to its metabolites fingerprint.