Gastroprotective activity and pharmacological safety evaluation of Eupatorium aschenbornianum.

Eupatorium aschenbornianum has been widely used in traditional Mexican and folk medicine for the treatment of wounds, skin lesions, hemorrhages and gastric ulcers in humans. Phytochemical studies have indicated that hexane extracts of E. aschenbornianum have anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities. In the present study, an accurate and reliable approach using a murine model was pursued to evaluate the anti-ulcer activity, lipid peroxidation properties and acute toxicity of powdered dried stem of E. aschenbornianum. The results indicated that administration of E. aschenbornianum exerted an anti-ulcerative effect and decreased lipid peroxidation in gastric ulcers induced by acetylsalicylic acid. An acute toxicity assay indicated normal behavior and no significant variations in the weight and food consumption of animals. In addition, quantitative analysis of biochemical parameters did not indicate any liver or kidney damage. The results indicated that E. aschenbornianum may be a safe therapeutic agent for the prevention of gastric ulcers.

Hypocholesterolemic Effect and In Vitro Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitory Activity of an Opuntia ficus-indica Extract.

Cholesterol control is fundamental for prevention of cardiovascular disorders. In this work, the hypocholesterolemic activity of an aqueous Opuntia ficus-indica extract (AOE) was tested in triton-induced mice. The inhibitory activity on pancreatic lipase enzyme was evaluated in vitro by the same extract. Furthermore, polyphenol content of the extract was evaluated. Hypercholesterolemia was induced in three groups of mice by intraperitoneal administration of Triton WR-1339. After induction of hypercholesterolemia, the groups were treated with an AOE (500 mg/kg) and saline solution and the positive control group with orlistat, respectively. Cholesterol levels were measured 24 h later in peripheral blood. The levels of blood cholesterol after administration of AOE significantly decreased compared to negative control. The inhibitory activity of AOE on pancreatic lipase enzyme was evaluated at concentrations from 60 to 1000 µg/mL. The AOE inhibited the pancreatic lipase with an IC50 = 588.5 µg/mL. The AOE had a high content of polyphenolic compounds. These results show that AOE is able to prevent hypercholesterolemia by pancreatic lipase inhibition, in part due to its polyphenolic compounds.