Abstract
Passiflora alata Curtis, Passifloraceae, is a liana popularly known in Brazil as ‘maracujá-doce’ that has been used for treating different illnesses. Its leaves are described in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia, but the gastroprotective activity has never been investigated. In the present study a freeze-dried crude 60% ethanol–water extract of P. alata aerial parts was prepared. Total flavonoid content, expressed as vitexin, was 0.67% ±0.01. The hemolytic activity was 32 units for P. alata, using Saponin (Merck®) as reference. P. alata presented EC50 of 1061.2 ±8.5 μg/ml in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl assay and 1076 ±85 μmol Trolox/g in the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity assay. P. alata, its solvent fractions and a P. alata nanopreparation were investigated for gastroprotective activity. The test samples exhibited gastroprotective activity on HCl/ethanol induced gastric mucosal lesions in rats. P. alata at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, using the necrotizing agent at 150 mmol/l, inhibited 100% of ulcer formation (compared to the negative control), while lansoprazole (30 mg/kg) 77%. When tested against a more concentrated necrotizing agent (300 mmol/l), fractions of P. alata at 100 mg/kg reduced 57% (n-hexane), 34% (ethyl acetate) and 72% (aqueous fraction) the ulcer formation. In this assay, lansoprazole (30 mg/kg) inhibited 47%. When encapsulated, P. alata inhibited ulcer formation at 55%, 94% and 90% for dosages of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg. These results suggest the potential use of P. alata as a gastroprotective herbal medicine.
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Acknowledgments
This project (number 04/07933-3) was supported by FAPESP. A. Wasicky thanks CNPq for scholarship (134740/2005-0) during the period of his M.Sc. The authors thank M.O.M. Marques, L.M.M. Melletti, L.C. Bernacci and M.D.S. Scott (Instituto Agronômico de Campinas) for the plant material used in this research and I.M. Cuccovia for the nanoparticles analysis by Zetasizer.
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MY is the coordinator of the Passiflora project; PRHM, EMB and ETMK are participants of the Passiflora project; AW and AV-N conducted the experimental study; LSH is the main responsible for the organization and writing of the manuscript.
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Wasicky, A., Hernandes, L.S., Vetore-Neto, A. et al. Evaluation of gastroprotective activity of Passiflora alata. Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 25, 407–412 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2015.07.011
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2015.07.011