Peperomia pellucida is a plant used in traditional medicine to treat gastric ulcers. Although this gastroprotective activity was reported, the active compounds have not been identified. Therefore, the aim herein was to identify the most active compound in the gastroprotective activity of P. pellucida using an ethanol-induced gastric ulcer experimental rat model. A gastroprotective effect was observed when the hexane and dichloromethane extracts were tested, with the higher effect being obtained with the dichloromethane extract (82.3 ± 5.6%) at 100 mg/kg. Dillapiole was identified as the most active compound in this extract. Although there have been previous reports on dillapiole, this is the first on its gastroprotective activity. Rats treated with this compound at 3, 10, 30 and 100 mg/kg showed 23.1, 56.1, 73.2 and 85.5% gastroprotection, respectively. The effect elicited by dillapiole at 100 mg/kg was not attenuated by pretreatment with indomethacin (10 mg/kg, s.c.), a prostaglandin synthesis blocker, N G -nitro-L-arginine OPEN ACCESSMolecules 2013, 18 11328 methyl ester (70 mg/kg, i.p.), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, or N-ethylmaleimide (10 mg/kg, s.c.), a blocker of sulfhydryl groups. This suggests that the gastroprotective mechanism of action of dillapiole does not involve prostaglandins, NO or sulfhydryl groups.

Peperomia hispidula is used in traditional Mexican herbal medicine to treat gastric ulcers. However, this use has not been corroborated scientifically. Hence, the gastroprotective activity of P. hispidula was herein evaluated, as well as the role of endogenous NO, sulfhydryl groups and prostaglandins in the gastroprotective effect shown by one compound. The activity of P. hispidula was evaluated by using an animal model of gastric lesions induced by absolute ethanol in Wistar rats. Methyleugenol was isolated via silica gel column chromatography. The cytoprotective mechanisms of this compound were evaluated in relation to nitric oxide (pretreatment with L-NAME), sulfhydryl groups (pretreatment with NEM) and prostaglandins (pretreatment with indomethacin). The hexane and dichloromethane extracts showed gastroprotective activity, the latter (at 100 mg kgG 1) having the greatest effect (91.55±3.12%). Methyleugenol was identified as one of the most active compounds in this extract. The gastroprotective activity of methyleugenol at 100 mg kgG 1 was not attenuated by pretreatment with L-NAME, NEM or indomethacin. Methyleugenol was identified as one of the compounds of P. hispidula that exerts a gastroprotective effect. The results suggest that the gastroprotective mechanism of methyleugenol does not involve nitric oxide, sulfhydryl groups or prostaglandins.

El hipotiroidismo ha sido asociado con dislipidemia. Su tratamiento con levotiroxina ha mostrado un efecto positivo sobre el perfil lipídico en adultos, siendo poco descrito en población pediátrica.Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de la normalización del perfil tiroideo sobre el perfil lipídico en niños con hipotiroidismo primario.Pacientes y Método: Estudio retrospectivo en niños de 6 a 16 años de edad, con diagnóstico de hipotiroidismo primario por tiroiditis de Hashimoto, en tratamiento con levotiroxina, y que contaron con evaluación de lípidos séricos antes y durante su tratamiento. Se evaluó el perfil lipídico en 2 tiempos: el primero, referido como “antes del tratamiento con levotiroxina” (al diagnóstico de hipotiroidismo primario) y el segundo, referido como “a la normalización del perfil tiroideo”. Se registraron datos sociodemográficos y antropométricos. La evaluación del perfil lipídico consistió en la determinación sérica de colesterol total (CT), colesterol de alta densidad (HDL-C) y TG. El fenotipo de las dislipidemias se caracterizó a través de la clasificación de Fredrickson.Resultados: Se incluyeron 72 pacientes (61% mujeres; edad de 11,5 ± 2,9 años), de los cuales 58,3% (n = 42) presentó dislipidemia pretratamiento. En estado hipotiroideo, se evidenció la correlación de TSH con CT (r = 0,36; p = 0,002), LDL-C (r = 0,46; p = 0,01) y HDL-C (r = -0,33; p = 0,004). A la normalización del perfil tiroideo se evidenció la reducción de CT [184 mg/dL (RIC 92-322) vs 147 mg/dL (RIC 92-283); p = 0,05], LDL-C [99 mg/dL (RIC 44-232) vs 82 mg/dL (RIC 41-168); p = 0,02], TG [113 mg/dL (RIC 50-483) vs 88 mg/dL (RIC 16-343); p = 0,03] y de la frecuencia de dislipidemia [58,3% vs 22,2%; p = 0,001), así como la corrección de CT con TG (r = 0,35; p = 0,02) y LDL-C (r = 0,88; p = 0,01). La persistencia de dislipidemia se asoció con obesidad (r = 0,27; p = 0,02), sobrepeso (r = 0,58; p = 0,001) y dislipidemia pretratamiento (r = 0,53; p = 0,001).Conclusiones: Existe una asociación entre TSH, CT, LDL-C y HDL-C en hipotiroidismo. Al normalizarse el perfil tiroideo, se evidenció una reducción de CT, TG, LDL-C y frecuencia de dislipidemia. La dislipidemia persistente post-tratamiento se asoció con obesidad, sobrepeso y dislipidemia pretratamiento.