Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Ipiranga 2752, Porto Alegre, RS 90610-000, Brazil.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Jan 6;139(1):228-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.11.005. Epub 2011 Nov 9.
Peppers from Capsicum species (Solanaceae) are native to Central and South America, and are commonly used as food and also for a broad variety of medicinal applications.
The red pepper Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum is widely consumed in Brazil, but there are few reports in the literature of studies on its chemical composition and biological properties. In this study the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Capsicum baccatum were evaluated and the total phenolic compounds and flavonoid contents were determined.
The antioxidant property was assayed by scavenging abilities using DPPH and the anti-inflammatory activity was tested through the carrageenan-induced pleurisy model in mice. The total phenolic compounds and flavonoid contents were determined spectrophotometrically.
The ethanolic and butanol extracts (200mg/kg, p.o.) presented a significant anti-inflammatory activity toward carrageenan-induced pleurisy model in mice in comparison to dexamethasone (0.5mg/kg, s.c.). Among the parameters evaluated, the treatment with these samples inhibited leukocyte migration and reduced the formation of exudate. The contents of flavonoids and total phenolic compounds could be correlated with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities observed for Capsicum baccatum.
Our findings suggest that Capsicum baccatum contains potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds which could be tested as drug candidates against oxidative and inflammation-related pathological processes in medicinal chemistry studies.
辣椒属（茄科）的辣椒原产于中美洲和南美洲，通常既作为食物，也有广泛的药用用途。
红色辣椒 Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum 在巴西被广泛食用，但关于其化学成分和生物特性的研究报告很少。本研究评估了 Capsicum baccatum 的抗氧化和抗炎活性，并测定了总酚类化合物和类黄酮的含量。
通过 DPPH 清除能力测定法评估抗氧化性能，通过角叉菜胶诱导的胸膜炎模型在小鼠体内测试抗炎活性。用分光光度法测定总酚类化合物和类黄酮的含量。
与地塞米松（0.5mg/kg，sc）相比，乙醇和正丁醇提取物（200mg/kg，po）对小鼠角叉菜胶诱导的胸膜炎模型表现出显著的抗炎活性。在所评估的参数中，这些样品的治疗抑制了白细胞迁移并减少了渗出物的形成。类黄酮和总酚类化合物的含量与 Capsicum baccatum 的抗氧化和抗炎活性相关。
我们的研究结果表明，Capsicum baccatum 含有潜在的抗氧化和抗炎化合物，这些化合物可以在药物化学研究中作为针对氧化和炎症相关病理过程的候选药物进行测试。
