Abstract
The Harpagophytum procumbens (HP), popularly known as “garra do diabo” is a native plant from Africa that has been used for years by traditional medicine for treating a various number of health conditions, among which the inflammatory disturbances stand out. The potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the plant stand out since it has in its chemical matrix several bioactive compounds. However, there’s still little research that reports the association of HP on the central nervous system (CNS). The objective of this paper was to perform a review of the literature among the assays already described in the literature, in Portuguese and English, using the HP associated with the prevention and treatments of neurological and/or neuropsychiatry disturbances and conditions. The methodology performed is a review of the literature bringing publishes of papers found in the virtual database PubMed, using the descriptors: Harpagophytum procumbens (HP) and Central Nervous System (CNS). In total, 11 articles reported the effects of HP with performance on the CNS. In conclusion, this study reported, in association with previous ones, that the antioxidant action of the HP may be related to neuroprotective results due to a synergism of phenolic glycosylated derivatives such as verbascoside and/or iridoid glycosides such as harpagoside and flavonoids.
Highlights
The Harpagophytum is a perennial herbaceous plant, native from South Africa, that belongs to the Pedaliaceae family, and its growth occurs especially in the Kalahari Desert and the steppes of Namibia (NAKAZAWA et al, 2012)
One of the first studies addressing the action of Harpagophytum procumbens (HP) in the central nervous system (CNS) was by Bhattacharya and Bhattacharya (1998) demonstrating that rats treated with HP, showed an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the brain, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), in addition to decreasing the lipid peroxidation already existing in the cortex and striated
Another in vitro study demonstrated that the raw extract and several fractions of HP, especially the ethyl acetate fraction (FAE HP), guaranteed protection against oxidative damage in the brain of rats and loss of cell viability induced by different prooxidants (Fe2+ and Sodium Nitroprusside), as well as HP EAF demonstrated greater antioxidant effects and decreased lipid peroxidation and cellular damage, where the authors suggested that the plant’s antioxidant action may be related to its anti-inflammatory activity (SCHAFFER et al, 2013)
Summary
The Harpagophytum is a perennial herbaceous plant, native from South Africa, that belongs to the Pedaliaceae family, and its growth occurs especially in the Kalahari Desert and the steppes of Namibia (NAKAZAWA et al, 2012). It has a characteristic shape due to the appearance of a claw at the end of its fruit, being popularly known as “garra do diabo”. Traditional medicine uses this plant for a wide range of treatments and/or disease control, such as indigestion, fevers relief, allergic reactions, rheumatism, among others (VAN WYK; GERICKE, 2000; MAHOMED; OJEWOLE, 2004; MENGHINI et al, 2019). Due to its therapeutic action, especially its anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions, the commercialization of HP is released in many countries, while in the United Kingdom, Holland, United States and in the Far East it is registered as a food supplement, in Germany and France its trade is as herbal medicine (STEWART; COLE, 2005). The popular name of the plant is derived from the appearance of its fruits, the medicinal properties are derived from the secondary tuberous roots (NAKAZAWA et al, 2012)
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