In vivoandin vitroantioxidant activity and hepatoprotective properties of polyphenols fromHalimeda opuntia(Linnaeus) Lamouroux

Abstract

Antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective properties of the aqueous extract and tetrahydrofuran-extracted phenolic fractions of Halimeda opuntia (Linnaeus) Lamouroux were investigated in rats with chemically induced liver injury. Total polyphenols were determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent. Liver damage was induced by CCl(4) and assessed by a histological technique. Reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) analysis showed increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) gene expression and activities in the group treated with free phenolic acid (FPA) fractions of H. opuntia, suggesting inducing effects on both enzymes. In addition, rats treated with FPA fractions displayed lower liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels than those observed for rats in the CCl(4)-treated group. These data suggest that the phenolic fractions from H. opuntia may protect the liver against oxidative stress-inducing effects of chemicals by modulating its antioxidant enzymes and oxidative status.

Geleia de buriti (Mauritia flexuosa): agregação de valor aos frutos do cerrado brasileiro

“…Estudos têm demonstrado efeitos benéficos do consumo de frutas, os quais têm sido atribuídos à presença de nutrientes, como as vitaminas A, C e E (DE OLIVEIRA E SILVA et al, 2012;GAO et al, 2012;WANG et al, 2012), e principalmente ao conteúdo de compostos bioativos encontrados nos vegetais (FLORES et al, 2012;LI et al, 2013). Muitos desses compostos atuam como sequestradores de radicais livres, enquanto outros agem como quelantes de metais catalisadores de reações de geração de espécies reativas de oxigênio (HALLIWELL;GUTTERIDGE, 2007;FLOEGEL et al, 2011).…”

Seaweeds from Halimeda Genus as Sources of Natural Antioxidants

“…We observed that the treatment with the seaweed Halimeda spp led to a significant increase in the activity of these enzymes, which in turn resulted in an enhanced antioxidant defense. Mancini-Filho et al [12] reported an over-expression of catalase genes by treatment with FPA from Halimeda monile, while de Oliveira e Silva et al [14] by RT/PCR analysis showed an increase in the catalase gene expression in the group treated with free phenolic acid (FPA) fractions from Halimeda opuntia, suggesting the inductor effect of these compounds on the enzyme genes. Accordingly, Vidal et al [21] demonstrated similar effect with Halimeda incrassata.…”

“…The antitumour effect was detected by induction of apoptosis in leukemia cells, using extracts from H. discoidea [41]. Moreover, the genus Halimeda has been studied for antioxidant properties; animal studies carried out in our laboratory have shown that Halimeda spp effectively attenuates oxidative stress exhibiting neuroprotective and hepatoprotective activities [8,9,[12][13][14]21,37,39,42] In the quest for more potent antioxidants from natural sources, our group has been especially interested in studying the beneficial properties of seaweed from the Halimeda genus for an application in biomedicine in hepato-, neuro-and athero-protection.…”

“…These biological activities were confirmed in different models with excellent results. Indeed, several lines of results have documented the ability of aqueous extract from these seaweeds to target free-radical mediated processes in vitro cell culture models such as GT1-7 mice hypothalamic immortalized and Vero cells [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]21].…”

“…Direct antioxidants that have the function of eliminating formed free radicals before they can start a specific damage, and this is done with endogenous antioxidant biomolecules located in the cell membrane and in the cytosol or exogenous compounds provided by the diet. Halimeda spp extracts exhibited a high free radical scavenging activity which could be explained by its polyphenolic compounds content [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]21].…”