The flavonoid content and antiproliferative, hypoglycaemic, anti-inflammatory and free radical scavenging activities of Annona dioica St. Hill

Abstract

BackgroundAnnona dioica St. Hill (Annonacaeae) is a Brazilian plant used in folk medicine for the treatment of several types of rheumatisms and diarrhoea. The focus of this work was to evaluate the in vitro antiproliferative and antioxidant activity and the in vivo hypoglycaemic and anti-inflammatory activity of A. dioica and identify the principal constituents of this plant.MethodsThe crude methanol extract (EAD) and hexane (HF), chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EAF) and hydromethanol fractions (HMF) were evaluated for free radical scavenging activity using the DPPH assay. The EAD and EAF were assayed for hypoglycaemic activity in rats. The EAD was tested in an antiproliferation assay and for anti-inflammatory effects in paw oedema, in addition to myeloperoxidase activity induced by carrageenan (Cg) in mice. The EAF was assayed using chromatographic methods.ResultsThe fractionation of the EAF through chromatographic methods identified derivatives of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol. Among all the tested fractions, the ethyl acetate and hydromethanol fractions were the most potent, exhibiting an IC50 of 8.53 and 10.57 μg/mL, respectively, which is comparable to that of the commercial antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The oral administration of the EAD (100 mg/kg) and EAF (15 mg/kg) inhibited the increase of glucose levels, resulting in a hypoglycaemic effect. The EAD (30 to 300 mg/kg) exhibited an anti-oedematogenic effect in Cg-induced paw oedema in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The results showed a reduction of MPO activity by A. dioica 6 h after the induction of paw oedema at all doses tested with maximal inhibition at 300 mg/kg.ConclusionsOur results reveal for the first time that compounds contained in the A. dioica leaves exert anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic, antiproliferative, and antioxidant effects. The antioxidant activity may be associated with the presence of flavonoids.

Contents of constituents and antioxidant activity of seed and pulp extracts of Annona coriacea and Annona sylvatica

“…Several studies that included the species of Annona report excellent antioxidant activity, such as, the leaves of A. dioica (Formagio et al, 2013); leaves, bark, roots, and seedcake of A. squamosa (Baskar et al, 2007;Mariod et al, 2012;Shirwaikar et al, 2004); pulp, seeds, and peel of A. crassiflora (Roesler et al, 2006;; bark and leaves of Annona salzmannii (Costa et al, 2011(Costa et al, , 2012a; leaves of A. reticulata and A. muricata (Baskar et al, 2007;Melo et al, 2010); leaves of A. senegalensis (Ajboye et al, 2010); leaves of A. pickelii (Costa et al, 2011);and leaves of A. vepretorun (Costa et al, 2012b).…”

Safflower Oil (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Intake Increases Total Cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol Levels in an Experimental Model of Metabolic Syndrome

“…The daily administered dose was 1.0 mL/1000 g of animal weight. 10,11 The safflower oil (Galena ® ) and soybean oil (Liza ® ) used in this study were purchased at a local store in the city of Dourados.…”

Protective effects of Quercetin and chronic moderate exercise (training) against oxidative stress in the liver tissue of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

“…Many recent studies presented the effects of administering natural antioxidants on DM and in preventing the progression of diabetic complications, but the results are still incompletely comprehended (7,14,19). A highly promising candidate for the prevention of adverse effects of oxidative stress in DM is Quercetin (3,4,5,7,3,4-penta-hydroxyflavone), which is one of the most abundant flavonoids in the human diet, as it is present in fruits and vegetables such as onions, citrus fruits, berries, red grapes, red wine, broccoli, bark roots, flowers, and tea (6).…”