Screening of Bioactivities and Toxicity of Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl.

Paulo Fernando Machado Paredes,Fábio Roger Vasconcelos,Sandra Machado Lira,Márcia Maria Mendes Marques,Francisca Noelia Pereira Mendes,Selene Maia De Morais,Ícaro Gusmão Pinto Vieira,Maria Izabel Florindo Guedes,Raquel Teixeira Terceiro Paim,Isabel Desidério Braquehais

doi:10.1155/2016/7930563

Abstract

The caatinga, an exclusively Brazilian biome, is one of the most endangered vegetation systems in the planet. To be exploited rationally, its potential needs to be scientifically demonstrated. Among these is the faveleira, used in northeastern Brazil. It stands out for its extraordinary drought resistance and medicinal properties. The objective of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of compounds extracted from Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl in preventing disease and its rational use as a herbal therapeutic tool. The methodology began with the collection and herborization of the plant material, to obtain the chemical compounds, preliminary phytochemical analysis, and extraction of the constituents of the active extracts. To determine the biological activities the authors conducted investigation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, inhibition capacity of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, and initial assessment of toxicity of the extracts. The results demonstrated great potential as an antimicrobial agent, an important antioxidant capacity, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition response with no significant difference compared with the reference drug. The authors expect to develop a new herbal product, resulting in lower production costs and that, consequently, could be commercialized in more accessible form to the population, highlighting the risk reduction of contraindication of this category of medications.

Highlights

The importance of medicinal plants in solving the health problems of the world is gaining more and more attention
In Brazil, the first Europeans who settled in the land ran across a large quantity of medicinal plants used by the indigenous populations who lived here
The present study focuses on the assessment of the therapeutic potential of this plant, by investigating its possible antioxidant, antimicrobial, and inhibitory activity of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE), as well as the toxicity of the methanolic extracts from three parts of Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl

Summary

Introduction

The importance of medicinal plants in solving the health problems of the world is gaining more and more attention. Man has long been using plants to promote health, in the belief that they carry beneficial substances for a healthy existence. This practice constitutes an amount of internalized knowledge shared among multiple users or in more traditional communities [1]. In Brazil, the first Europeans who settled in the land ran across a large quantity of medicinal plants used by the indigenous populations who lived here. It was the start of a series of cultural intermixes

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