Abigail Aguilar-Contreras

The effect of the aqueous extract of Helietta parvifolia A. Gray (Rutaceae) stem bark on carrageenan-induced paw oedema and granuloma tissue formation in mice

AIMS OF STUDY Despite the ethnopharmacological relevance of Helietta parvifolia A. Gray (Rutaceae) in Mexico, we found no significant pharmacological studies of this plant in the scientific literature. The aim of the present study was to establish the anti-inflammatory effect of an aqueous extract of the stem bark of Helietta parvifolia in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS The anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous extract of the stem bark of Helietta parvifolia was evaluated using carrageenan-induced paw oedema in mice, and the cotton pellet granuloma method. RESULTS An extract dose ranging from 20 to 80 mg/kg p.o. showed a non-significant effect over the initial phase of carrageenan-induced oedema. However, it showed a significant inhibition of oedema after 3h, which can be related to the inhibition of the release of kinin-like substances. An ID(50) value of 47.4 mg/kg was obtained for the plant extract. The extract also suppressed granulomatous tissue formation during chronic inflammation. The inhibitory values were 19.2, and 22.2, corresponding to 40 and 80 mg/kg doses of extract respectively. CONCLUSIONS Aqueous extract showed a statistically significant anti-inflammatory effect in mice during the late phase of acute inflammation and during chronic inflammation. However, the exact mechanism(s) of anti-inflammatory effects of Helietta parvifolia observed in this study remains unclear.

Increased acetylcholine esterase activity produced by the administration of an aqueous extract of the seed kernel of Thevetia peruviana and its role on acute and subchronic intoxication in mice.

Background: The real mechanism for Thevetia peruviana poisoning remains unclear. Cholinergic activity is important for cardiac function regulation, however, the effect of T. peruviana on cholinergic activity is not well-known. Objective: To study the effect of the acute administration of an aqueous extract of the seed kernel of T. peruviana on the acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity in CD1 mice as well its implications in the sub-chronic toxicity of the extract. Materials and Methods: A dose of 100 mg/kg of the extract was administered to CD1 mice and after 7 days, serum was obtained for ceruloplasmin (CP) quantitation and liver function tests. Another group of mice received a 50 mg/kg dose of the extract 3 times within 1 h time interval and AChE activity was determined for those animals. Heart tissue histological preparation was obtained from a group of mice that received a daily 50 mg/kg dose of the extract by a 30-days period. Results: CP levels for the treated group were higher than those for the control group (Students t-test, P ≤ 0.001). AChE activity in the treated group was significantly higher than the control group (Tukey test, control vs. T. peruviana, P ≤ 0.001). Heart tissue histological preparations showed leukocyte infiltrates and necrotic areas, consistent with infarcts. Conclusion: The increased levels of AChE and the hearth tissue infiltrative lesions induced by the aqueous seed kernel extract of T. peruviana explains in part the poisoning caused by this plant, which can be related to an inflammatory process.