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Chemical composition and anti-inflammatory activity of the leaves of Byrsonima verbascifolia

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Abstract

An ethnopharmacological survey indicates that the genus Byrsonima has some medicinal species that are commonly found in the Brazilian Cerrado and has been used as an anti-inflammatory and for gastroduodenal disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity along with qualitative chemical characterization of the methanolic extract of the leaves of Byrsonima verbascifolia (BvME) obtained by exhaustive percolation. The data from the chemical analyses by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry led to tentative identification of 42 compounds belonging to proanthocyanidins, galloyl quinic acid derivatives, flavonoids, and triterpene glycoside derivatives. BvME contain flavonoids and show an antioxidative activity. The methanolic extract administered intraperitoneally at doses of 50, 100, or 300 mg/kg showed a significant reduction in paw edema and modulated the neutrophil influx in a mouse model. Furthermore, the anti-edematogenic activity of the extract provided in smaller doses (12.5 and 25 mg/kg) was also demonstrated in a mouse paw edema model. The extract inhibited NO production by macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide. We presume that the anti-inflammatory effects of BvME are due to a combination of compounds present in B. verbascifolia, including catechins (procyanidins), flavonoids, and triterpene glycosides and that these anti-inflammatory actions should be mediated, at least partly, through the inhibition of NO production. This study supports and validates the ethnopharmacological uses of B. verbascifolia as an anti-inflammatory.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by FAPEMIG (PPM-00108-11) and by FAPEMIG (APQ-00856-11) and CAPES (AUX-PE-PNPD-2833/2011). The author JMS acknowledges CNPq for a research grant. The authors are also grateful to PIBIC-FAPEMIG-UFSJ and PIBIC-CNPq-UFSJ for a fellowship RCHdV acknowledges both the Centre of Biosystems Genomics and the Netherlands Metabolomics Centre, which are both part of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative/Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, for additional funding. CAC acknowledges CNPq for post-doc fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Campus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, UFSJ, Sebastião Gonçalves Coelho, 400, Chanadour, Divinópolis, MG, 35501-296, Brazil

    Aline Aparecida Saldanha, Lucas Fernandes do Carmo, Sara Batista do Nascimento, Ana Hortência Fonsêca Castro, João Máximo de Siqueira & Adriana Cristina Soares

  2. Departamento de Farmacologia, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-100, Brazil

    Natália Alves de Matos, Clarice de Carvalho Veloso & André Klein

  3. BU Bioscience, Plant Research International, POB 16, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Ric C. H. De Vos & Carlos Alexandre Carollo

  4. Centre for Biosystems Genomics, POB 98, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Ric C. H. De Vos

  5. Netherlands Metabolomics Centre, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Ric C. H. De Vos

  6. Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, UFMS, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil

    Carlos Alexandre Carollo, Thalita Vieira do Nascimento & Mônica Cristina Toffoli-Kadri

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  1. Aline Aparecida Saldanha
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  2. Lucas Fernandes do Carmo
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Correspondence to Adriana Cristina Soares.

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Saldanha, A.A., do Carmo, L.F., do Nascimento, S.B. et al. Chemical composition and anti-inflammatory activity of the leaves of Byrsonima verbascifolia . J Nat Med 70, 760–768 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-016-1011-3

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