Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Hypoglycemic Effects of the Leaf Extract from Passiflora nitida Kunth

• Published in: Applied biochemistry and biotechnology Vol. 170; no. 6; pp. 1367 - 1378
• Main Authors: Montefusco-Pereira, Carlos Victor, de Carvalho, Maria José, de Araújo Boleti, Ana Paula, Teixeira, Lorisa Simas, Matos, Humberto Reis, Lima, Emerson Silva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer New York 01-07-2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: alpha-Glucosidases; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - administration & dosage; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - administration & dosage; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical research; Biotechnology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - metabolism; Edema; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hypertension; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Leaves; Metabolic disorders; Mice; Natural products; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Oxidative stress; Passiflora; Passiflora - chemistry; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Treatment Outcome; Brazil; Diabetes mellitus; Amazon plants; Extract plants; Passifloraceae; Passiflora nitida; Antiinflammatory agent; Extract; Plant leaf; Antioxidant; Hypoglycemic agent; Passiflora; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0273-2289; 1559-0291
• DOI: 10.1007/s12010-013-0271-6

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by abnormally high plasma glucose levels, leading to major complications, such as insulin resistance, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, also with alterations in the immune and neuronal systems. Brazilian plants have been studied as important sources for new molecules with medicinal properties. The genus
Passiflora
known as “Maracujá” has been used as a traditional folk medicine for a long time, so an investigation was performed regarding an endemic kind of passion fruit (
Passiflora nitida
Kunth) from Amazonas, Brazil. Here, we aimed to determine its potential biological activity against metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress, pain, and inflammation. The hydroethanol leaf extract revealed an in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) = 6.78 ± 0.31 μg/mL and an α-amylase inhibition of IC
50
 = 93.36 ± 4.37. In vivo, experiments of different saccharide tolerance resulted in significant glycemia control and, with alloxan-diabetic mice, resulted in a decrease of total cholesterol, a hypoglycemic effect, and an antioxidant activity by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances measurement. Also, it decreased the carrageenan-induced edema volume and the rate of writhing as a nociceptive response. These results indicate positive effects of
P
.
nitida
extract and its potential to inhibit metabolic syndrome.