Avaliação Preliminar In Vitro do Potencial Antioxidante e da Toxicidade de Ceiba Speciosa (a. St.-hill) Ravenna (paineira)

Abstract

The research in developing drugs from plants have shown promising results for many different diseases. Ceiba speciosa (A. St. Hill) is a tropical tree species of the Malvaceae family, which in Rio Grande do Sul occurs mainly in the region of the Upper Uruguay Forest. There are reports of popular use of the bark tea of this species in the Northwestern region of Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil, to reduce blood cholesterol levels. However, both no scientific data to confirm the efficacy and safety of its effects found, or phytochemicals data about the species yet. The literature presents studies on others species of the genus Ceiba; and Ceiba pentandra, employed as a hypoglycemic agent, is the most investigated species. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a preliminary assessment on antioxidant potential and toxicity of Ceiba speciosa. Thus, Ceiba speciosa aqueous extract was prepared according to popular method, and concentrated by freeze-drying use (called EALCs), for use in testing in vitro. The precipitate obtained from crude ethanol extract (Cs1) was also used in these tests. Continuing the analyzis were performed: a phytochemical analysis of the species, determination of oxidative damage and antioxidant potential, and assessment of genotoxicity. The results obtained in this study were analyzed using the statistical software Graph Pad Prism 5.0. The aqueous extract of Ceiba speciosa and Cs1 demonstrated in vitro antioxidant potential against lipid and protein concentrations of 50 and 10 μg/mL. At these concentrations a higher activity and 50% was observed in the evaluation of the capture of the radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-pricril- hydrazyl (DPPH). Furthermore, concentrations of 10, 5 and 2 μg/mL showed no toxicity in the evaluated parameters, suggesting the relative safety of their popular use. Thus, it is possible to indicate that dose of 10 μg/ml is which had better results overall, since it does not present toxicity, and showed potential antioxidant. Because it is a plant of wide use in the Northwest of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the present study is the first evaluation regarding the characterization of the species and the safety of their use, since the doses showed no toxicity, being within parameter of biological action in humans.