title: Passiflora actinia hydroalcoholic extract and its major constituent, isovitexin, are neuroprotective against glutamate-induced cell damage in mice hippocampal slices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether Passiflora actinia hydroalcoholic extract and its major constituent, isovitexin, protect mice hippocampal brain slices from glutamate-induced neurotoxicity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neuroprotective effect of the extract against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity (10 mm) was evaluated through cell viability of hippocampal slices. The extract or its flavonoids were directly applied to hippocampal slices and then subjected to glutamate-induced toxicity. Alternatively, hippocampal slices from extract-treated mice were also subjected to the same toxicity protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mice supplementation with the extract protected hippocampal slices from in-vitro neurotoxicity. When directly applied to hippocampal slices, the extract showed a higher neuroprotective potential than a commercial dry extract of Passiflora incarnata, which was related to P. actinia extract which had higher isovitexin and total flavonoid content expressed as isovitexin. Isovitexin, but not apigenin, induced a similar neuroprotective response when applied alone, at a concentration equivalent to that found in the extract.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights new neuropharmacological activity of the Passiflora genus, suggesting that it can act as modulator of the glutamatergic system. The search for improved pharmacotherapies with novel mechanisms of action has been shown of great importance for the treatment of resistant neurological and psychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kely Cristina
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Curso de Farmácia, Universidade do Contestado, Canoinhas, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiane Vieira
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.affiliation: Curso de Farmácia, Universidade do Contestado, Canoinhas, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gislaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olescowicz
authors.affiliation: Curso de Farmácia, Universidade do Contestado, Canoinhas, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabiana Kalyne
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Ludka
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cid Aimbiré de Moraes
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Curso de Farmácia, Universidade do Contestado, Canoinhas, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6021-0024
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Molz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D047310:Apigenin / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D029598:Passiflora / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D047310:Apigenin; C049772:isovitexin
keywords: biological characterisation of novel molecules; biological evaluation of natural products; biomedicinal chemistry; drugs from natural sources