Study of Antinociceptive Effect of Isolated Fractions from Petiveria alliacea L. (tipi) in Mice

Abstract

Petiveria alliacea L. (tipi), a shrub from Phytolaccaceae family is a perennial, subligneous, upstanding herbaceous, with characteristic garlicky odour and slender, compressed, semi-erect, mounting branches. Leaves present short petioles and are alternate, membranous, entire, sharp or acuminating at the apex and narrowing at the base. Flowers are sessile, reduced and on lean bracteate ears. The fruit is capsular, reduced and cuneiform. 1,2) Indigenous to the Amazon Rainforest and widely distributed in other areas including tropical America, the Caribbean, Africa, Sri Lanka, and the south-eastern Unites States.3,4) It was brought by slaves to Brazil where it is popularly known as tipi, pipi, guine root, erva-pipi, anamu, apacin, garlic guinea henweed. 3,5) This plant is commonly used for several medicinal purposes. The roots in decoction or powder and the infusion of leaves, is employed as antispasmodic, antirheumatic (topic use), anti-inflammatory, 6) antinociceptive, 7) hypoglycemiant and abortifacient. 8,9) They are reputed as sudorific, anti-venereal, diuretic, sedative, antihelminthic, emmenagogue, stimulant, anesthetic and depurative. [8][9][10] Tipi was used in religious ceremony by slaves, who called the herb "to tame the master" a reference to its toxic and sedative properties. The chief pharmacologic activities of tipi (already identified in a preliminary report) relates to the areas of infectology, rheumatology and oncology.This plant contains a diversity of biologically active compounds such as essential oil (Petiverina), saponinic glicosides, isoarborinol-triterpene, isoarborinol-acetate, isoarborinolcinnamate, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. [11][12][13] Acoording to the literature, the tipi root chemical analysis have revealed coumarins, benzyl-hydroxy-ethyl-trisulfide, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, dibenzyl trisulphide, potassium nitrate, b-sitosterol, isoarborinol, isoarborinol acetate, isoarborinol cinnamate, polyphenols, trithiolaniacine, glucose and glycine. 8)The recently reported studies of Benevides et al.,14) who isolated di-n-propyl disulfide, benzyl hydroxymethyl sulfide and several other antifungal polysulfides from the roots of Petiveria alliacea L., as well as the work of Szczepanski et al. 12)Dibenzyl trisulphide, a main lipophilic compound in Petiveria alliacea L., has interesting biological activities, affecting, in addition to immunomodulation, microtubule-dependent cellular events and tyrosine phosphorylation-mediated MAP kinase signalling. 15,16) Petiveria alliacea L. is included in the Brazilian and Paraguay Pharmacopoeias and by the Japanese Directory of Drugs.The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antinociceptive effect of the acetate (FA), hexanic (FH), hydroalcoholic (FHA) and precipitated hydroalcoholic (FHAppt) fractions of Petiveria alliacea L. in different experimental models of nociception in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant MaterialThe roots of tipi were collected in Pentecoste, state of Ceará, and brought to the Department of Organic Chemist...

Phytochemical screening, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of Chrysopogon zizanioides essential oil

“…Past studies have postulated that the acetic acid acts indirectly by inducing the release of endogenous mediators which stimulate the nociceptive neurons sensitive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids (Fischer et al, 2008). Although abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid represents a peripheral nociception model (Wei et al, 1986) and is normally used for screening synthetic and natural compounds, this is not a specific model, since several compounds, including opioid analgesics (Gomes et al, 2005) tricyclic antidepressants (Carter & Sullivan, 2002) and antihistaminic compounds (Koster et al, 1959) inhibit acetic acid induced writhing. Based in our result, it can be assumed that the mode of action of this activity might involve a peripheral mechanism.…”

Essential oils found in the smoke of "tira-capeta", a cigarette used by some quilombolas living in pantanal wetlands of Brazil

“…It is popularly used in folk medicine for treating a wide variety of disorders. In the State of Minas Gerais the roots of this plant are used to treat rheumatism (Gomes et al, 2005) and in other Brazilian regions, both the roots and the leaves are popularly used as stimulant. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of coumarins, triterpenes and flavonoids (Rocha & Da Silva, 1969) amino acids and trisulphide (Kim et al, 2006).…”

Dual effects of crude extracts obtained from Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae) on experimental anxiety in mice

“…It is widely distributed in South America and Brazil where it is popularly known as "guiné" or "pipi." Preparations using either fresh or dried parts of this plant have been used orally or topically by the native population for many medical conditions (Gomes et al, 2005). The roots in decoction or powder and the infusion of leaves, has been employed as purgative, antirheumatic, antithermic, sudorific, diuretic and anesthetic (Lopes-Martins et al, 2002;Gomes et al, 2005Gomes et al, , 2008.…”