ABSTRACT
Scutia buxifolia has been used in the treatment of a number of diseases, which includes bacterial and fungal infections, hypertension, Alzheimer's Disease and cancer. S. buxifolia contains biologically active compounds such as flavonoids, steroids, tanins, lipids, terpens and alkaloids. A range of biological activities has been found from plant extract and fractions, including antioxidant, acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, antiviral and antibiotic. Some studies about the potential toxicity were performed; however the results are not conclusive, suggesting that a single administration of the extract is safe, whereas prolonged use has deleterious effects for the body. The revised databases were SciELO, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Portal da Capes considering studies between 1964 and 2014 and by searching for terms like Scutia buxifolia, Rhamnaceae family, Scutia buxifolia Constituents, Scutia buxifolia use and OECD(AU)
Scutia buxifolia se utiliza en el tratamiento de una serie de enfermedades que incluye infecciones bacterianas y fúngicas, hipertensión, enfermedad de Alzheimer y cáncer. S. buxifolia contiene compuestos biológicamente activos tales como flavonoides, taninos, esteroides, lípidos, terpenos y alcaloides. A partir del extracto y las fracciones de la planta surgen una gama de actividades biológicas, que incluyen antioxidante, inhibidor de la acetilcolinesterasa, antiviral y antibiótico. Se realizaron algunos estudios sobre el potencial tóxico, sin embargo los resultados no son concluyentes, lo que sugiere que una sola administración del extracto es segura, mientras que el uso prolongado tiene efectos perjudiciales para el organismo. Las bases de datos revisadas fueron SciELO, PubMed, ScienceDirect y Portal de Capes, teniendo en cuenta los estudios entre 1964 y 2014 y mediante la búsqueda de términos como Scutia buxifolia, Rhamnaceae family, Scutia buxifolia constituents, Scutia buxifolia uses and OECD(AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Rhamnaceae/drug effects , Plant Preparations/toxicity , Plant Preparations/therapeutic use , Reference DrugsABSTRACT
Gastric ulcers affect many people around the world and their development is a result of the imbalance between aggressive and protective factors in the gastric mucosa. Scutia buxifolia, commonly known as coronilha, has attracted the interest of the scientific community due to its pharmacological properties and its potential therapeutic applications. In this study, the preventive effects of the crude extract of Scutia buxifolia (ceSb) against gastric ulcer induced by 70% ethanol were evaluated in male Wistar rats. In addition, the composition of ceSb was clarified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). S. buxifolia extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) attenuated oxidative and histopathological features induced by ethanol. Moreover, all evaluated doses of ceSb caused significant (P<0.001 and P<0.0001) and dose-dependent increase in sulfhydryl groups (NPSH) levels, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. Furthermore, the administration of ceSb reversed the increase in lipid peroxidation produced by ethanol. The protective effect of the extract could be attributed to antioxidant compounds present in the ceSb, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, which were quantified by HPLC. Thus, an antioxidant effect of the extract leads to a protection on gastric tissue. These results indicate that S. buxifolia could have a beneficial role against ethanol toxicity by preventing oxidative stress and gastric tissue injury.
ABSTRACT
The antimycobacterial activity of Scutia buxifolia Reissek, Rhamnaceae, leaves extracts and fractions were evaluated for the first time. Four compounds were identified, flavonoids (quercetin and quercitrin) and phenolic acids (gallic and caffeic acids) and quantified by HPLC-DAD. Promising anti-Mycobacterium smegmatis activity was observed with ethyl acetate extract (MIC 312.50 µg/mL) and their fractions (MIC values ranging from 78.12 to above 312.50 µg/mL). The fractions III and VI of S. buxifolia leaves showed a high level of activity against M. smegmatis (MIC 78.12 and 156.25 µg/mL, respectively), M. tuberculosis (MIC 156.25 µg/mL) and M. avium (MIC 312.50 µg/mL), whereas to the other fractions the values varied from 312.50 to 1250.00 µg/mL against these strains. The better MIC result was associated with two fractions that contain bigger amounts of quercetin, quercitrin, gallic and caffeic acids. The results provided evidence that the studied plants fractions might be potential sources of new antimicrobial drug.