Potencial farmacológico de Spondias purpurea L.

Abstract

Medicinal plants are used by different peoples to the treatment various diseases. They have chemical compounds in varying concentration and composition, which subsidize their pharmacological activities. Spondia purpurea L. is a species widely distributed in Brazil, whose fruits and leaves are consumed by the population and used for various medicinal purposes. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical constitution, nutritional properties and pharmacological potential of S. purpurea L stem fruits and peels, as well as possible toxic effects. The fruits and stem bark of S. purpurea were collected in the city of Itaporã-MS. For the fruits, the results showed that the lyophilization process decreases the moisture content of the pulp, promoting an increase in the content of ashes, total fibers, proteins and lipids, ascorbic acid, acidity index, total phenols and flavonoids. The evaluation of the chemical composition of the aqueous extract of S. purpurea L. fruit pulp (EPSp) revealed the presence of tryptophan, hydroxycitric acid, diO-hexoside, O-deoxyhexosylhexosyl quercetin and O-hexosyl quercetin. In addition, EPSp showed antioxidant activity in free radical uptake assays, besides inhibiting oxidative damage in the biomolecules evaluated. No toxic effects were observed in model C. elegans. In the aqueous extract of S. purpurea stem bark (ECSp), the presence of di-O-hexoside, hydroxycitric acid, citric acid, gallic acid, various catechin derivatives and ellagic acid were identified. In vitro, ECSp showed antioxidant activity in ABTS and DPPH assays and was able to inhibit or reduce oxidative damage in the biomolecules evaluated. No signs of toxicity were observed in female mice treated with high doses of ECSp. Treatment with ECSp for 60 d reduced hypercholesterolemia and MDA levels in the organs evaluated in animals fed a high calorie diet, similar to those treated with simvastatin. Taken together, fruits and aqueous extracts of S. purpurea fruit and stem bark proved to be sources of nutrients and secondary metabolites, such as ascorbic acid and catechin derivatives, which may be responsible for the antioxidant and protective actions of biomolecules oxidative damage as well as the action in reducing serum cholesterol. The absence of signs of toxicity and the pharmacological potentials identified in this study encourage the use of S. purpurea as a functional food.