INTRODUCTION: Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Humb. ex. Roem. & Schult.) T.D. Penn. is a species belonging to the Sapotaceae family, popularly known as “quixabeira”, “maçaranduba-da-praia” or “rompe-gibão” [1]. Previously cataloged as Bumelia sartorum, the species S. obtusifolium is a typical plant from the Brazilian Cerrado, also found in the Caatinga biome. The bark of this species is used in folk medicine to treat inflammation, injuries, wound healing, and cleaning uterine wounds [2] [3]. Plant species are sources of biologically active compounds, making them a target for exploitation by traditional communities for the treatment of various diseases [4]. It is in this scenario that scientific interest grows and the market for herbal products gains prominence as an alternative in health care. AIMS: To evaluate the antioxidant and healing activities of crude extracts from the leaves of Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem. & Schult.) T. D. Penn. METHODS: The plant material was collected in the municipality of Ingá (7° 14? 17? South, 35° 36? 57? West – 247 m), metropolitan area of Itabaiana-PB and was identified and deposited in the Herbarium UFP- Geraldo Mariz, located at the Biosciences Center of the Federal University of Pernambuco, under registration number 84.225. The extracts were obtained from the maceration method with three organic solvents: Ethyl acetate (EASo), ethanol (EESo) and methanol (EMSo), followed by rotary evaporation and drying. The phytochemical profile of the extracts were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) [5]. To evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity of S. obtusifolium, four different methodologies were carried out: DPPH test [6], ABTS [7], phosphomolybdenum [8] and superoxide radical scavenging (SOD) [9]. In vitro healing activity was evaluated using the cell migration method. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The groups of constituents found in the analysis of the phytochemical profile of the EESo and EMSo extracts were hydrolyzable and condensed tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids/steroids, mono- and sesquiterpenes. In EASo the result is repeated with the exception of flavonoids, which were absent in the analysis. For the class of secondary metabolites, tannins and flavonoids, several pharmacological activities are attributed, such as: anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiulcerogenic. The action of these compounds is most recognized in the category of antioxidants, capturing reactive species (REs) to provide stability to the radicals formed [10]. These results agree with the findings of Oliveira et al. (2012), who through UPLC-PDA-MS analysis, identified flavonoids as the main constituents present in the leaves of S. obtusifolum [11]. For antioxidant activity, all extracts showed promising results, with emphasis on EASo, which achieved better IC50 performance when compared to the standards used. In the DPPH method, EASo had a mean IC50 value estimated at 350.66 ± 0.02 ?g/Ml (Trolox 51.12 ± 0.06 ?g/Ml / BHT 266.53 ± 0.10 ?g/Ml). For phosphomolybdenum, EASo had an IC50 of 428.15 ± 0.01 ?g/Ml (BHT 782.91 ± 0.08 ?g/Ml / ascorbic acid 500.00 ± 0.00 ?g/Ml). For SOD, EASo had an IC50 estimated at 685.29 ± 0.03 ?g/Ml (ascorbic acid 723.49 ± 0.00 ?g/Ml). For the ABTS method, EESo showed better performance with an average value of IC50 482.12 ± 0.00 ?g/Ml (Trolox 112.93 ± 0.00 ?g/mL/ BHT 482.38 ± 0.01 ?g/Ml). Similar results were observed by Momtaz (2008) who evaluated a species of the Sideroxylon genus, Sideroxylon inerme L., and an important antioxidant activity was seen through the use of the methanolic extract of the bark for the DPPH assay [12]. This was also observed by Schmeda-Hirschmann et al. (2005) and Ruela et al. (2011) when evaluating the methanolic extracts of the fruits and bark of Bumelia sartorum, respectively [13][14]. This capacity may be due to the presence of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, confirmed by phytochemical analysis. The cell migration test evaluated by the percentage of confluence of L929 fibroblasts indicated that EESo showed a significant increase in the cell migration rate from the 8th to the 24th hour, presenting greater healing activity at times 10 h and 12 h (p<0.001) with approximately 80% of confluence. EMSo increased confluence by 60% at times 10 h (p<0.001) and 12 h (p<0.01), while EASo did not promote confluence, therefore, it did not present healing activity. Therefore, the results suggest that EESo and EMSo exert an important proliferative activity in fibroblasts, potentially enhancing wound healing. Aquino et al (2019) evaluated the healing effect of the compound N-Methyl-(2S,4R)-trans-4-Hydroxy-L-Proline (NMP), a natural derivative of L-proline isolated from the leaves of S. obtusifolium [15]. The compound, NMP, incorporated into a gel, induced the healing of skin wounds in mice by up to 58% of the area, increasing the proliferation of fibroblasts, extracellular matrix and collagen fibers. The presence of flavonoids in plant extracts can be a good tool for the healing process on in vivo models, this characteristic is related to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of phenolic compounds [16]. CONCLUSION: Given the results presented in the study, it is possible to conclude that S. obtusifolium extracts contain hydrolysable tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids/steroids, mono and sesquiterpenes, all of which showed significant antioxidant activity in vitro, and especially, EESo and EMSo showed healing activity in vitro. These data are promising and suggest an association between the presence of phenolic compounds in plant material and pharmacological properties.ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The authors are grateful the “Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco” (FACEPE) for granting the research scholarship.
Comissão Organizadora
Francisco Mendonça Junior
Pascal Marchand
Teresinha Gonçalves da Silva
Isabelle Orliac-Garnier
Gerd Bruno da Rocha
Comissão Científica
Ricardo Olimpio de Moura
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