Anticonvulsant activity of Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. fixed pulp oil against pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures

In silico molecular modeling, neuro-behavioral profile, and toxicity assessment of the essential oil of Ferula gummosa Boiss. as an anti-seizure agent

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ferula gummosa Boiss., known in Persian as "Baridje," belongs to the Apiaceae family. All parts of this plant, especially the root, contain galbanum. Galbanum, the oleo-gum resin of F. gummosa, is one of the essential traditional herbal medicines in Iran, which is used as a tonic for epilepsy and chorea, memory enhancement, gastrointestinal diseases, and wound healing.

AIM OF THE STUDY

We investigated the toxicity, anticonvulsant effects, and molecular modeling of the essential oil (EO) distilled from the oleo-gum resin of F. gummosa.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify the EO components. The cytotoxicity of EO on HepG2 cell lines was assessed by the MTT method. Male mice were arranged as follows: negative control groups (sunflower oil (10 ml/kg, i.p.) or saline (10 ml/kg, p.o.)), EO groups (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2.5 ml/kg, p.o.), and positive control groups (ethosuximide (150 mg/kg, p.o.) or diazepam (1.0 or 2 mg/kg, i.p.)). The motor coordination and neurotoxicity of EO were studied using the rota-rod test. Open-field, novel object recognition, and passive avoidance learning tests were used to investigate the effect of EO on locomotor activity and memory function. An acute pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure model was utilized to evaluate the anticonvulsant properties of the EO. The interaction of the EO main components with the GABA_A receptor was investigated by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations.

RESULTS

β-pinene, sabinene, α-pinene, and ρ-cymene were the main components of EO. The IC₅₀ of the EO at 24, 48, and 72 h was found to be 59.90, 12.96, and 3.93 μl/ml, respectively. No adverse effects were observed in memory, motor coordination, and locomotor activity in mice treated with EO. Administration of EO (1, 1.5, and 2.5 ml/kg) improved survival rates in mice receiving pentylenetetrazole (PTZ; to induce an epileptic seizure). Sabinene was able to bind to the binding site of benzodiazepines at the GABA_A receptor.

CONCLUSIONS

Acute treatment with the EO of F. gummosa caused antiepileptic effects and could effectively increase the survival rate in PTZ-treated mice with no significant toxicity.

Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. (Caryocaraceae): Botany, Ethnomedicinal Uses, Biological Activities, Phytochemistry, Extractivism and Conservation Needs

Caryocar coriaceum is an endemic tree of Brazil, occurring mainly in the northeast region in the Cerrado environment. The species, popularly known as “pequi”, produces fruits that are used in the manufacture of oil for food and medicinal purposes. This work reviewed studies conducted with the species, highlighting its ethnomedicinal use, its pharmacological potential, including its chemical constituents, and its cultural and socioeconomic importance. Information was obtained through the main scientific research platforms. The keyword “Caryocar coriaceum” was used as the main index for searching the following platforms: PubMed^®, PubMed Central^®, SciElo, Scopus^® and Web of Science^TM. The compiled papers demonstrate that C. coriaceum has great medicinal, economic and cultural importance for northeastern Brazil. Popularly, the fruits of C. coriaceum are used to treat broncho-pulmonary diseases (bronchitis, colds and flu). The fixed oil is widely used to relieve pain from various causes in the treatment of inflammation, flu, eczema, burns, fever, rickets, indigestion, heart murmurs, fatigue and erectile dysfunction. Some of these uses are corroborated by pharmacological trials, which have demonstrated the antioxidant, healing, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, antinociceptive and antimicrobial properties of the species. Chemically, fatty acids and phenolic compounds are the main constituents recorded for the species. Due to its medicinal properties, the fruits and oil of C. coriaceum have a high commercial demand and are one of the main forms of subsistence activities for local populations. On the other hand, the extractive practice of the fruits, associated with anthropic factors and its physiological nature, makes the species threatened with extinction. Thus, public management policies are highly necessary in order to avoid its extinction.

Effects of fixed oil of Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. Seeds on the respiratory system of rats in a short-term secondhand-smoke exposure model

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Pequi fruit are obtained from the pequi tree (Caryocar coriaceum), from which the pulp and nut are used in order to extract an oil that is commonly used in popular medicine as an antiinflammatory agent, particularly for the treatment of colds, bronchitis and bronchopulmonary infections. Making use of the fixed oil of Caryocar coriaceum (FOCC), an attractive alternative for the treatment of diseases caused by exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To evaluate whether oral intake FOCC provides beneficial effects in the respiratory system of rats submitted to a short-term secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The experiments were performed on Wistar rats divided into 4 groups; in the SHS + O and SHS + T groups, the animals were pretreated orally with 0.5 mL of FOCC (SHS + O) or vehicle (Tween-80 [1%] solution) (SHS + T). Immediately after pretreatment, the animals were submitted to the SHS exposure protocol, for a total period of 14 days. Exposures were performed 6 times per day, with a duration of 40 min per exposure (5 cigarettes per exposure), followed by a 1-h interval between subsequent exposures. In the AA + O and AA + T groups, animals were submitted to daily oral pretreatment with 0.5 mL of FOCC (AA + O) or vehicle (AA + T). These animals were then subjected to the aforementioned exposure protocol, but using ambient air. After the exposure period, we investigated the effects of FOCC in respiratory mechanics in vivo (Newtonian resistance -R_N, tissue elastance -H, tissue resistance -G, static compliance -C_ST, inspiratory capacity -IC, PV loop area) histopathology and lung parenchymal morphometry in vitro (polymorphonuclear cells -PMN, mean alveolar diameter -L_m, bronchoconstriction index -BCI), temporal evolution of subjects' masses, and percent composition of the FOCC.

RESULTS

Regarding the body mass of the animals, the results demonstrated an average body mass gain of 10.5 g for the animals in the AA + T group, and 15.5 g for those in the AA + O group. On the other hand, the body mass of animals in the SHS + T and SHS + O suffered an average loss of 14.4 and 4.75 g, respectively. Regarding respiratory system analyzes, our results demonstrated significant changes in all respiratory mechanics variables and lung parenchyma morphometry analyzed for the SHS + T group when compared to the AA + T group (p < 0,05), confirming the establishment of pulmonary injury induced by SHS exposure. We also observed that rats pretreated orally with FOCC (SHS + O) showed improvement in all variables when compared to the SHS + T group (p < 0,05), thus demonstrating the effectiveness of FOCC in preventing lung damage induced by short-term SHS exposure.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our results demonstrate that FOCC was able to prevent lung injury in rats submitted to short-term SHS exposure.