ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Oenothera rosea L'Her Ex. Aiton, presenting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, is traditionally used to treat bruises and headaches and as a healing agent. This study aimed to investigate whether its organic fraction (EAOr) has neuroprotective properties against neuroinflammation in the context of ischemia/reperfusion. METHODS: The chemical composition of EAOr was determined using HPLC techniques, and its neuroprotective activities were evaluated in a common carotid-artery ligation model for the induction of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). The animals were supplemented with EAOR for 15 days. On the last day, the animals were rested for one hour, following which the common carotid-artery ligation procedure was performed to induce I/R. The neurological deficit was evaluated at 24 h after I/R using Bederson's scale, and the relative expression of inflammatory genes and structure of hippocampal neurons were analyzed at 48 h. RESULTS: The chemical analysis revealed five major compounds in EAOr: gallic acid, rutin, ellagic acid, and glucoside and rhamnoside quercetin. EAOr prevented neurological deficit 24 h after I/R; led to the early activation of the AIF and GFAP genes; reduced Nfkb1, IL-1beta, Il-6 and Casp3 gene expression; and protected hippocampal neurons. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that EAOr contains polyphenol-type compounds, which could exert a therapeutic effect through the inhibition of neuroinflammation and neuronal death genes, thus maintaining hippocampal neurons.
ABSTRACT
Depression and anxiety are recognized as the most common mental diseases worldwide. New approaches have considered different therapeutic targets, such as oxidative stress and the inflammation process, due to their close association with the establishment and progression of mental diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the methanolic extracts of the plant species Heteropterys brachiata and Heteropterys cotinifolia and their main compounds, chlorogenic acid and rutin, as potential complementary therapeutic tools for the treatment of anxiety and depression, since the antidepressant and anxiolytic activities of these methanolic extracts have been shown previously. Additionally, we also evaluated their inhibitory activity on the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Our results revealed that both species exhibited potent antioxidant activity (>90%) through the TBARS assay, while by means of the DPPH assay, only H. cotinifolia exerted potent antioxidant activity (>90%); additionally, low metal chelating activity (<40%) was detected for all samples tested in the ferrozine assay. The methanolic extracts of H. brachiata and H. cotinifolia exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activities in the TPA-induced ear edema, while only H. cotinifolia exerted significant anti-inflammatory activities in the MPO assay (>45%) and also exhibited a higher percentage of inhibition on AChE of even twice (>80%) as high as the control in concentrations of 100 and 1000 µg/mL. Thus, the potent antioxidant and inflammatory properties and the inhibition of AChE may be involved in the antidepressant activities of the species H. cotinifolia, which would be positioned as a candidate for study in drug development as an alternative in the treatment of depression.