Antiproliferative activity, antioxidant capacity and tannin content in plants of semi-arid northeastern Brazil.
The objective of this study was to evaluate antiproliferative activity, antioxidant capacity and tannin content in plants from semi-arid northeastern Brazil (Caatinga). For this study, we selected 14 species and we assayed the methanol extracts for antiproliferative activity against the HEp-2 (laryngeal cancer) and NCI-H292 (lung cancer) cell lines using the (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazole) (MTT) method. In addition, the antioxidant activity was evaluated with the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay, and the tannin content was determined by the radial diffusion method. Plants with better antioxidant activity (expressed in a dose able to decrease the initial DPPH concentration by 50%, or IC50) and with higher levels of tannins were: Poincianella pyramidalis (42.95±1.77 µg/mL IC50 and 8.17±0.64 tannin content), Jatropha mollissima (54.09±4.36µg/mL IC50 and 2.35±0.08 tannin content) and Anadenanthera colubrina (73.24±1.47 µg/mL IC50 and 4.41±0.47 tannin content). Plants with enhanced antiproliferative activity (% living cells) were Annona muricata (24.94±0.74 in NCI-H292), Lantana camara (25.8±0.19 in NCI-H292), Handroanthus impetiginosus (41.8±0.47 in NCI-H292) and Mentzelia aspera (45.61±1.94 in HEp-2). For species with better antioxidant and antiproliferative activities, we suggest future in vitro and in vivo comparative studies with other pharmacological models, and to start a process of purification and identification of the possible molecule(s) responsible for the observed pharmacological activity. We believe that the flora of Brazilian semi-arid areas can be a valuable source of plants rich in tannins, cytotoxic compounds and antioxidant agents.
Biology Department, Pernambuco Federal University, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Joabe
J
Gomes de Melo
Thiago Antônio
TA
de Sousa Araújo
Valérium
V
Thijan Nobre de Almeida e Castro
Daniela
D
Lyra de Vasconcelos Cabral
Maria
M
do Desterro Rodrigues
Silene
S
Carneiro do Nascimento
Elba Lúcia
EL
Cavalcanti de Amorim
Ulysses Paulino
UP
de Albuquerque
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001938:Brazil; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D013634:Tannins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
D000975:Antioxidants; D003603:Cytotoxins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013634:Tannins