QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF (-) MAMMEA A/BB COUMARIN IN EXTRACTS OF CALOPHYLLUM BRASILIENSE CAMBESS (CLUSIACEAE) BY HPLC

Comparing conventional and supercritical extraction of (-)-mammea A/BB and the antioxidant activity of Calophyllum brasiliense extracts

Calophyllum brasiliense is a rich source of bioactive coumarins, xanthones and biflavonoids. The aim of the study was to compare the phenol contents and the antioxidant activity of C. brasiliense extracts obtained by conventional and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) methods, as well as the quantification of crude extracts and (-)-mammea A/BB yields. Dichloromethane and hexane were used as solvents for the conventional extractions and SFE was developed using supercritical CO₂; the kinetic curves were modeled using a second-order empirical model. The dichloromethane extract presented the best total yield, although it showed the lowest content of (-)-mammea A/BB. The concentration of the coumarin was considerably higher in extracts obtained by the supercritical fluid method and a higher antioxidant activity was assigned to extracts obtained by this technique. Concerning the total phenolic contents, both the dichloro-methane and the supercritical extractions produced satisfactory amounts. The SFE method proved to be more promising than conventional methods.

Intramuscular and topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions in mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis using coumarin (-) mammea A/BB

Treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis remains limited to a few available options. Recent studies showed in vitro antileishmanial activity of (-) mammea A/BB, a coumarin isolated from leaves of Calophyllum brasiliense. Moreover, the dichloromethane crude extract and hexane fraction from this plant demonstrated in vivo activity in mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis. We evaluated the antileishmanial activity of (-) mammea A/BB in the L. amazonensis BALB/c mice model. The animals were given intramuscular and topical treatment with (-) mammea A/BB for 30 consecutive days. The results demonstrated that 18mg/kg/d intramuscularly or 0.2% topically of (-) mammea A/BB significantly reduced the size of skin lesions in footpads of mice compared with those in the control group (p<0.05). The activity of Glucantime(®) (corresponding to 27mg/kg/d of pentavalent antimony) administered intramuscularly was similar to that of (-) mammea A/BB (p<0.05) by both routes of administration. The histopathological evaluation showed no changes in the organs analyzed. These results indicate that the coumarin obtained from C. brasiliense is the antileishmanially active compound and can be used to control the development of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions caused by L. amazonensis.

Inhibition of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, toxicological and chemical profile of Calophyllum brasiliense extracts from Chiapas, Mexico

Calophyllum species are sources of calanolides, which inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT). The hexane extract of the leaves from C. brasiliense collected in Soconusco, State of Chiapas, Mexico, analyzed by HPLC showed to contain apetalic acid, calanolides B, and C. It showed potent anti-HIV-1 RT inhibition (IC(50)=20.2 μg/ml), but was not toxic in mice (LD(50)=1.99 g/kg). The histological study of the mice treated at the highest dose revealed no alteration on hepatocytes, and an increase in the number of spleen megakaryocytes. These results suggest this extract is suitable to continue studies for developing a phytodrug against HIV-1.