Hypoglycemic Activity of Aqueous Extract of Latex from Hancornia speciosa Gomes: A Study in Zebrafish and In Silico

Abstract

Hancornia speciosa Gomes is a tree native to Brazil and has therapeutic potential for several diseases. Ethnopharmacological surveys have reported that the plant is used as a hypoglycemic agent and to lose weight. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the aqueous extract from H. speciosa latex (LxHs) in a zebrafish model of diabetes. The extract was evaluated through high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HTPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). We then tested treatments with LxHs (500, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg) by assessing blood glucose levels in alloxan-induced diabetic animals, and metformin was used as a control. The toxicity was evaluated through histopathology of the pancreas and biochemical assessment of serum levels of AST, ALT, creatinine, and urea. The extract was also assessed for acute toxicity through several parameters in embryos and adult animals. Finally, we performed in silico analysis through the SEA server and docking using the software GOLD. The phytochemical study showed the compounds cornoside, dihydrocornoide, and 1-O-methyl-myoinositol (bornesitol). The treatment with all doses of LxHs significantly decreased alloxan-induced hyperglycemia without any significant histological or biochemical abnormalities. No significant frequency of teratogenesis was observed in the embryos exposed to the extract, and no significant behavioral changes or deaths were observed in adult animals. In silico, the results showed a potential interaction between inositol and enzymes involved in carbohydrates’ metabolism. Overall, the results show a hypoglycemic activity of the extract in vivo, with no apparent toxicity. The computational studies suggest this could be at least partially due to the presence of bornesitol, since inositols can interact with carbohydrates’ enzymes.

Assessment of the antidiabetic potential of extract and novel phytoniosomes formulation ofTradescantia pallidaleaves in the alloxan‐induced diabetic mouse model

“…[57][58][59][60][61] The UV-visible profile showed the characteristic peaks of phenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids 62,63 in the UV region and predicted the presence of terpenoids, chlorophyll, and tannins in the visible region. 63,64 FTIR analysis depicted the presence of phenols, alkanes, carbohydrates, 65,66 lipid chains, 65,67 isoprenoids and amines. 68 Despite being the active source of therapy, there are a few limitations associated with the use of herbal medicines.…”

“…chains, 65,67 isoprenoids and amines. 68 Despite being the active source of therapy, there are a few limitations associated with the use of herbal medicines.…”

Hydroethanolic extracts from Bauhinia guianensis : a study on acute toxicity in Zebrafish embryos and adults

“…It is important to highlight that this protocol allowed a quick assessment of the animal’s resistance, through the return of swimming activity, otherwise it could be replaced by another animal, while the embryos were subjected in triplicate to the immersion process in controls and test extracts, totaling the use of 240 embryos (Tomazi et al. 2021 ).…”

“…The IHC value classified the alterations as normal (0-10), moderately altered (11-20), moderate to severe (21-50), or containing severe irreversible alterations (>100) (Poleksic and Mitrovic-Tutundzic 1994 ; Rigolin-Sá 1998 ; Tomazi et al. 2021 ).…”

The Relevance of Some Plant Extracts In Human Patients and Animal Models of Diabetes

“…Zebrafish: The work of Tomazi and al in 2021 shows that the latex extract of Hancornia speciosa Gomes has hypoglycemic properties, inducing a reduction in glycaemia in diabetic zebrafish induced by alloxan without any significant histological or biochemical changes [18].…”