Adaptogenic, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant activities of three Echeveria species (Crassulaceae)

Abstract

• Hydroalcoholic extracts of Echeveria species (HE) show biological activities. • The best adaptogens and immunomodulators were the E. kimnachii and E. subrigida HE. • The best antioxidants were the E. subrigida and E. kimnachii HE. • The HE of E. craigiana, E. kimnachii, and E. subrigida were innocuous. • The best options for stress management were E. kimnachii and E. subrigida . Three Echeveria species ( E. craigiana , EC; E. kimnachii , EK; and E. subrigida , ES) can potentially prevent/treat different diseases. This study aims to establish the following biological activities (evaluation assay) of their hydroalcoholic extracts (HE): adaptogenic (anoxia, forced-swim-endurance, and cold-swim-endurance in mice), immunomodulatory (splenocyte proliferation), antioxidant (ABTS, DPPH, and cellular-in- Saccharomyces cerevisiae ), and toxicological ( Artemia salina and acute in mice). EK and ES were the best adaptogens and immunomodulators (at 10 μg/mL: EK, 34%; ES, 20%). ES had the best antioxidant activities in vitro (DPPH, 1122.6 μmol TE/g, IC 50 = 200.7 μg/mL; ABTS, 2196.8 μmol TE/g, IC 50 = 165.8 μg/mL), and EK was the best in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae assay. The three HE of Echeveria were innocuous in the Artemia salina (LC 50 > 2000 mg/kg) and mice acute toxicity (LD 50 > 2 g/kg b.w.) assays. Thus, EK and ES showed the best potential for stress management.