•  Published30 Sep 2018

Wallace Ribeiro Corrêa,^1,2 Alessandra Freitas Serain,¹ Leticia Aranha Netto,¹ Jane V. N. Marinho,¹ Arielle Cristina Arena,³ Diana Figueiredo de Santana Aquino,³ Ângela Midori Kuraoka-Oliveira,^3,4 Armando Jorge Júnior,^3,5 Laura Priscila Toledo Bernal,^3,5Cândida Aparecida Leite Kassuya,^3,5 and Marcos José Salvador¹

¹Institute of Biology, Department of Plant Biology, PPG BTPB and PPGBV, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil

²Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, South of Minas Gerais (IFSULDEMINAS), 37576000 Inconfidentes, MG, Brazil

³School of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Dourados, MS, Brazil

⁴School of Health Sciences, University Center of Grande Dourados (UNIGRAN), Dourados, MS, Brazil

⁵University Hospital (HU-UFGD), Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Dourados, MS, Brazil

Abstract

Brazilian ginseng, including Pfaffia townsendii, is used in popular medicine as a natural anti-inflammatory, tonic, analgesic, and antidiabetic agent. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition and evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the P. townsendii ethanolic extract as well as the major isolated glycoside flavonoids tiliroside and patuletin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside. Chromatographic techniques and spectroscopic analysis were used for the isolation and identification of the major compounds. The antioxidant potential was determined through DPPH and ORAC-FL assays. The total phenolic content was measured using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The anti-inflammatory activity was determined based on a model of paw edema and carrageenan- (Cg-) induced pleurisy. We identified three phenolic acids, one carboxylic acid and two flavonoids, patuletin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and tiliroside. The ethanol crude extracts, partitions and isolated flavonoids (4581 μmol of Trolox equivalents/g of extract in ORAC and a SC₅₀ of approximately 31.9 μg/mL in the DPPH assay) demonstrated antioxidant activity, and the ethanolic extract as well as isolated flavonoids inhibited paw edema induced by Cg and leukocyte migration in the Cg-induced pleurisy model. The extract, tiliroside, and patuletin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside obtained from P. townsendii have therapeutic potential against oxidative stress-related and inflammatory disorders.

1. Introduction

In Brazil, species of the genus Pfaffia (Amaranthaceae) are sold in the market as substitutes for Panax spp. (Ginseng, Araliaceae) because their roots are very similar. The population uses the popular “Brazilian ginseng” because of its anti-inflammatory, antistress [1], aphrodisiac, tonic, analgesic, and antidiabetic properties [2, 3]. The species acts against inflammation [1], cancer, gastric disorders, and rheumatism [3, 4] and is used to prevent premature aging, colic, and enteritis [5, 6].

Pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Pfaffia species are promising for the development of new molecules or therapies because they contain compounds with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities [7, 8], as well as compounds that protect the gastric mucosa against lesions [4] and that have antioxidant [9] and antineoplastic activities [10].

Studies have shown that species of the Amaranthaceae family are able to accumulate phenolic substances, which have antioxidant activity, scavenge free radicals, protect against lipid peroxidation, and quench reactive oxygen species [11, 12]. Oxidative stress is present in some diseases such as cancers [13], cardiovascular disorders [14], inflammatory arthritis [15], and Alzheimer’s disease [16].

Glycoside flavonoids, such as tiliroside and patuletin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, are found in several plants and are interesting because they could be responsible for the medicinal activity of these plants. For example, tiliroside has the ability to inhibit iNOX and COX-2 expression as well as MAPK/JNK/p38-mediated inflammation in LPS-stimulated macrophages in vitro [17]. Velagapud et al. (2014) also showed that tiliroside has in vitro inhibitory activity in microglia during neuroinflammation through a mechanism involving the TRAF-6-mdiated activation of the NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways [18]. This compound has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity in a TPA model and against phospholipase A2-induced edema and to have antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities [19]. Patuletin and its derivatives also show biological activity. Jabeen et al. (2016) revealed the anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic activities of patuletin in rodent models [20], whereas Li et al. (1991) showed that patuletin inhibits rat lens aldose reductase [21]. Additionally, patuletin acetylrhamnoside derivatives from Kalanchoe brasiliensis act as inhibitors of human lymphocyte proliferative activity.

All these facts prompted us to investigate the chemical composition and evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the Pfaffia townsendii ethanolic extract (EEPT) and its major isolated glycoside flavonoids tiliroside and patuletin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside.

Reference:

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2018/6057579/