Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of Hymenaea martiana Hayne (Fabaceae) in mice.

A G M Pacheco,L A R O Macedo,J R G S Almeida,E J Pacheco,S R G Lima-Saraiva,A Branco,H D M Coutinho,J C Silva,J S S Quintans,R G Oliveira-Junior,V P Barros,I R A Menezes,L J Quintans-Junior

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.240359

Abstract

Hymenaea martiana is a species popularly known in Northeastern Brazil as "jatobá" and used in folk medicine to treat pain and inflammation. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity of H. martiana. In the present study, we carried out an investigation about the effects of the crude ethanolic extract (Hm-EtOH) and the ethyl acetate fraction (Hm-AcOEt) in models of nociception and inflammation in mice. Chemical (acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin) and thermal stimuli (hot plate) were used for the evaluation of antinociceptive activity, while for the anti-inflammatory profile paw edema induced by carrageenan was used, along with leukocyte migration to the peritoneal cavity. The presence of the flavonoid astilbin in the samples was characterized through HPLC-DAD-MS analysis. Hm-EtOH and Hm-AcOEt (100, 200 and 400 mg.kg-1, i.p.) significantly reduced the number of abdominal contortions and decreased the paw licking time in the formalin test. In the hot plate, the extract increased the latency time of animals. Hm-EtOH and Hm-AcOEt inhibited significantly the increase in the edema after the administration of carrageenan. Hm-EtOH and Hm-AcOEt inhibited leukocyte migration in the peritonitis test. HPLC-DAD-MS analysis of Hm-EtOH and Hm-AcOEt revealed the presence of the flavonoid astilbin in the samples. According to the results of this study, both Hm-EtOH and Hm-AcOEt have antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities, which could be related with the presence of flavonoid in the extracts. The results reinforce the popular use of this plant.

Highlights

The large plant biodiversity in Brazil favors the discovery of new bioactive compounds
The Caatinga forest consists of a flora rich in endemic taxons (Mertens et al, 2017; Ribeiro et al, 2014; Giulietti et al, 2005) that comprises a kind of vegetation that is exclusive to Brazil and that covers most of the region with semi-arid climate, which is characterized by having high temperatures, low relative air humidity and low rainfall volumes
The Caatinga biome offers a wide variety of animals and plants that are used for food, fuel, building materials and medicinal purposes (Lemos et al, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

The large plant biodiversity in Brazil favors the discovery of new bioactive compounds. The Caatinga forest consists of a flora rich in endemic taxons (Mertens et al, 2017; Ribeiro et al, 2014; Giulietti et al, 2005) that comprises a kind of vegetation that is exclusive to Brazil and that covers most of the region with semi-arid climate, which is characterized by having high temperatures, low relative air humidity and low rainfall volumes. These adverse circumstances require a necessary adaptation of plants to the region, favoring the synthesis of a wide variety of adaptive molecules. These factors associated with the traditional knowledge suggests that plant species belonging to the Fabaceae family, the more diverse of the Caatinga (Giordani et al, 2008), emerge as a promising source of new bioactive substances

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