ABSTRACT
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing, idiopathic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical studies suggest that the initiation of IBD is multifactorial, involving genetics, the immune system and environmental factors, such as diet, drugs and stress. Pfaffia paniculata is an adaptogenic medicinal plant used in Brazilian folk medicine as an "anti-stress" agent. Thus, we hypothesised that the P. paniculata enhances the response of animals subjected to colonic inflammation. Our aim was to investigate the intestinal anti-inflammatory activity of P. paniculata in rats before or after induction of intestinal inflammation using trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS). The animals were divided into groups that received the vehicle, prednisolone or P. paniculata extract daily starting 14 days before or 7 days after TNBS induction. At the end of the procedure, the animals were killed and their colons were assessed for the macroscopic damage score (MDS), extent of the lesion (EL) and weight/length ratio, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and glutathione (GSH), cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Histological evaluation and ultrastructural analysis of the colonic samples were performed. Treatment with the 200mg/kg dose on the curative schedule was able to reduce the MDS and the EL. In addition, MPO activity was reduced, GSH levels were maintained, and the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and CRP were decreased. In conclusion, the protective effect of P. paniculata was related to reduced oxidative stress and CRP colonic levels, and due to immunomodulatory activity as evidenced by reduced levels of IL-1ß, INF-γ, TNF-α and IL-6.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Colitis/drug therapy , Panax , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Colitis/chemically induced , Colitis/metabolism , Colitis/pathology , Colon/drug effects , Colon/metabolism , Colon/pathology , Colon/ultrastructure , Cytokines/metabolism , Glutathione/metabolism , Male , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Peroxidase/metabolism , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Rats, Wistar , Trinitrobenzenesulfonic AcidABSTRACT
O presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a classe de metabólitos secundários responsável pela atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana de extratos da casca de Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville(Leguminosae-Mimosoidae), planta amplamente utilizada medicinalmente pela população. Foram obtidos extratos da casca utilizando etanol 50%, etanol 70%, acetona:água (7:3, v/v) e clorofórmio. A bioprospecção da atividade antioxidante foi realizada por meio de cromatografia em camada delgada revelada com 2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazila (DPPH) e a capacidade de sequestro de radicais livres utilizando DPPH foi quantificada por espectrofotometria. A bioprospecção da atividade antibacteriana foi realizada por meio de difusão em ágar e bioautografia. A cromatografia revelada com DPPH revelou atividade antioxidante na região onde foram identificadas as manchas referentes aos derivados de taninos e o extrato clorofórmico foi o que apresentou menor capacidade de sequestro de radicais livres. A atividade antimicrobiana foi comprovada para os extratos polares pela formação de halos de inibição de crescimento bacteriano e abioautografia revelou atividade na região onde foram identificadas as manchas de derivados tânicos. Assim, foi determinado que extratos da casca de S. adstringens apresentaram atividades antioxidante e antimicrobiana devido aos metabólitos secundários derivados da classe de taninos, que são os principais constituintes desta droga vegetal, de acordo com a literatura.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants , Fabaceae , Phytotherapy , TanninsABSTRACT
This study was designed to determine the effect of Mangifera indica flowers decoction, on the acute and subacute models of induced ulcer in mice and rats. A single oral administration of the aqueous decoction (AD) from M. indica up to a dose of 5 g/kg, p.o. did not produce any signs or symptom of toxicity in the treated animals. The oral pre-treatment with AD (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) in rats with gastric lesions induced by ethanol, decreased the gastric lesions from 89.0+/-6.71 (control group) to 9.25+/-2.75, 4.50+/-3.30 and 0, respectively. Pretreatment with AD (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) to mice with HCl/ethanol- or stress-induced gastric lesions resulted in a dose-dependent significant decrease of lesion index. In the piroxicam-induced gastric lesions, the gastroprotective effect of AD was reducing with the increase of the AD dose. In the pylorus-ligature, AD (p.o.) significantly decreased the acid output indicating the antisecretory property involved in the gastroprotective effect of M. indica. Treatment with AD during 14 consecutive days significantly accelerated the healing process in subacute gastric ulcer induced by acetic acid in rats. Pretreatment with N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), an inhibitor of NO-synthase, did not abolish the gastroprotective effects (99% with saline versus 80% with l-NAME) of AD against ethanol-induced gastric lesions. Pretreatment with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), a blocker of endogenous sulphydryl group, significantly abolished the protective effects of AD against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers (95% with saline versus 47% with NEM). Phytochemical screening showed the presence of steroids, triterpenes, phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Estimation of the global polyphenol content in the AD was performed by Folin-Ciocalteu method and showed approximately 53% of total phenolic on this extract. These findings indicate the potential gastroprotective and ulcer-healing properties of aqueous decoction of M. indica flowers and further support its popular use in gastrointestinal disorders in Caribbean.
