Gastroprotective and cicatrizing activity of the Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. leaf hydroalcoholic extract

Ziziphus joazeiro Mart., popularly known as 'juazeiro', is a species used in popular medicine for the treatment of bronchitis, gastric ulcers, skin wounds, and in the manufacture of cosmetic and food products. The objective of this study is to evaluate the gastroprotective and cicatrizing activity of the Z. joazeiro Mart. leaf hydroalcoholic extract (EHFZJ). The acute pre-clinical toxicity was determined by the single administration of the EHFZJ (2000 mg/kg/p.o.) and by assessing clinical signs of toxicity, according to established criteria by Malone, or mortality. Gastroprotective activity was identified through classical models of acute gastric lesions induced by indomethacin, absolute and acidified ethanol (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg/per os) and the physical barrier mechanism (400 mg/kg/per os or intraperitoneally). The cicatrizing activity of the EHFZJ was investigated by measuring the speed of wound closure and the percentage of contraction. The acute pre-clinical toxicity of EHFZJ showed no signs of toxicity and mortality. The EHFZJ demonstrated a gastroprotective effect at the 400 mg/kg dose in the classical models of acute gastric injury induced by indomethacin, absolute and acidified ethanol. The EHFZJ administration (orally) demonstrated significant inhibition, suggesting a possible physical barrier mechanism exists. The EHFZJ showed no significant differences in terms of percentage of contraction or the speed of wound closure during the observation times (0, 3, 7, 11 and 14 days). The results obtained in this study provide evidence of a potential gastroprotective activity for the Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. Leaf hydroalcoholic extract.

Analysis of bioactivities and chemical composition of Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. using HPLC-DAD

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical profile and antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities of the hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves of Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. (HELZJ). The antioxidant DPPH and FRAP assays and chemical profile were determined by colorimetric methods and HPLC/DAD. The antiparasitic, antibiotic and antibiotic-modifying activity were evaluated by microdilution assays. The HPLC-DAD assay showed the presence of mostly tannins and flavonoids, such as caffeic acid and quercetin. The levels of polyphenols and flavonoids were 183.136 mg/g extract and 7.37 mg/g extract, respectively. DPPH and FRAP showed low antioxidant activity for the extract. The antibacterial and antifungal activities were not of clinical relevance, showing MIC>1024 μg/mL. However, synergism was observed between HELZJ and the antibiotics amikacin and gentamicin, which resulted in decreased bacterial drug resistance. EHFZJ showed low toxicity in fibroblasts in vitro, while antiparasitic results against Trypnosoma cruzi, Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum were not clinically relevant. Thus, our results indicate that Z. joazeiro Mart. (HELZJ) could be a source of plant-derived natural products that could lead to the development of promising new antibiotic compounds for infectious diseases.