Abstract
Medical and folklore reports suggest that Eugenia uniflora (E. uniflora) is a functional food that contains numerous compounds in its composition, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-diabetic effects. In the present study, we investigated the best solvents (water, ethanol and methanol/acetone) for extracting bioactive compounds of E. uniflora leaves, assessing total phenols and the antioxidant activity of the extracts by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), 2,2′-Azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assays, identifying hydrolysable tannins and three phenolic compounds (ellagic acid, gallic acid and rutin) present in the leaves. In addition, we evaluated the incidence of diabetes, degree of insulitis, serum insulin, hepatic glutathione and tolerance test glucose in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Our results suggest that the aqueous extract presents antioxidant activity and high total phenols, which were used as a type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM-1) treatment in NOD mice. We verified that the chronic consumption of aqueous extract reduces the inflammatory infiltrate index in pancreatic islets, maintaining serum insulin levels and hepatic glutathione, and reducing serum lipid peroxidation as well as the risk for diabetes.
Highlights
The Eugenia L. genus belongs to the family Myrtaceae and has more than 500 species, of which 400 are native to Brazil and are used as medicinal plants
Our previous study reported that Passilfora alata leaves, when subjected to aqueous extraction at high temperature, yields components with anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the infiltration of inflammatory cells in pancreatic islets, reducing the incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice [9]
The analysis of antioxidant activity among aqueous, ethanol and methanol-acetone extracts show that the aqueous extract has a higher antioxidant activity
Summary
The Eugenia L. genus belongs to the family Myrtaceae and has more than 500 species, of which 400 are native to Brazil and are used as medicinal plants. Antioxidants may be classified as endogenous (glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) and as exogenous from our diet, such as Vitamins A, C and E, minerals and flavonoids, among others [4] The presence of these endogenous or exogenous components may be essential for the complex control of oxidative stress and cell damage. Phenolic compounds derived from plant sources are widely studied antioxidant compounds and act in the neutralization of free radicals, helping to control the oxidative stress that occurs in the pancreatic islets of diabetic rats [4]. These compounds are divided into: phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, condensed and hydrolyzed tannins [5,6].
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