Chemical constituents and antihistamine activity of Bixa orellana leaf extract

Abstract

BackgroundBixa orellana L. has been traditionally used in Central and South America to treat a number of ailments, including internal inflammation, and in other tropical countries like Malaysia as treatment for gastric ulcers and stomach discomfort. The current study aimed to determine the major chemical constituents of the aqueous extract of B. orellana (AEBO) and to evaluate the antihistamine activity of AEBO during acute inflammation induced in rats.MethodsAcute inflammation was produced by subplantar injection of 0.1 mL of 0.1% histamine into the right hind paw of each rat in the control and treatment groups. The degree of edema was measured before injection and at the time points of 30, 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 min after injection. Changes of peritoneal vascular permeability were studied using Evans blue dye as a detector. Vascular permeability was evaluated by the amount of dye leakage into the peritoneal cavity in rats. To evaluate the inhibitory effect of AEBO on biochemical mediators of vascular permeability, the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were determined in histamine-treated paw tissues. The major constituents of AEBO were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis.ResultsAEBO produced a significant inhibition of histamine-induced paw edema starting at 60 min time point, with maximal percentage of inhibition (60.25%) achieved with a dose of 150 mg/kg of AEBO at 60 min time point. Up to 99% of increased peritoneal vascular permeability produced by histamine was successfully suppressed by AEBO. The expression of biochemical mediators of vascular permeability, NO and VEGF, was also found to be downregulated in the AEBO treated group. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that the major constituent in AEBO was acetic acid.ConclusionsThe experimental findings demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory activity of AEBO was due to its inhibitory effect on vascular permeability, which was suppressed as a result of the reduced expression of biochemical mediators (NO and VEGF) in tissues. Our results contribute towards the validation of the traditional use of Bixa orellana in the treatment of inflammatory disorders.

Anti-proliferative effect of Ficus pumila Linn. on human leukemic cell lines

“…3 Ornamental plants, such as F. pumila are grown for only their aesthetic value. According to Yong et al, 4 the leaves of this plant have antimicrobial, antileishmanial, and anti-inflammatory effects among many other medicinal benefits. These benefits could be attributed to the wide array of chemicals contained in it.…”

Safety and Efficacy of Bixa orellana (Achiote, Annatto) Leaf Extracts

“…Several studies have examined the chemical constituents that may be responsible for the pharmacological effects of Bixa leaf extracts, and a variety of constituents with potential pharmacological activities have been detected. Phytochemical screens of Bixa leaves have demonstrated the presence of terpenes, triterpenes, steroids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, sugars, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids and other phenolic compounds (Shilpi et al ., ; Quanico et al ., ; Huaman et al ., ; Ponnusamy et al ., ; Tamil Selvi et al ., ; Conrad et al ., ; Giorgi et al ., ; Yong et al ., ). It should be noted that in most of these studies, general phytochemical screening techniques were employed, without the identification of specific chemical constituents in any of these general categories.…”

“…The anti‐inflammatory and antihistaminic activities of an aqueous extract of Bixa leaves were also demonstrated by Yong et al . (). A dose of 150 mg/kg was effective in suppressing histamine‐induced paw edema in rats as well as eliminating peritoneal vascular permeability.…”

“…Yong et al . () assessed the chemical composition of an aqueous Bixa leaf extract by GC‐MS and showed that acetic acid was the major constituent with lesser amounts of 2‐butanamine, pentanoic acid, phenol, pantolactone and benzoic acid.…”

Chemistry and pharmacology of some plants mentioned in the letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha

“…The anti-inflammatory property of urucum is associated, at least in part, with its antibradykinin activity, reduction of NO production and inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (Yong et al 2011(Yong et al , 2013a. As regards to these antibacterial properties mentioned above, annatto can also be used as colorant in food industry.…”