Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Odontologia e Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Aug 26;149(1):62-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.05.052. Epub 2013 Jun 10.
Hymenaea courbaril L. (Caesalpinoideae) is used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat anemia, kidney problems, sore throat and other dysfunctions of the respiratory system, such as bronchitis and asthma, although such properties are yet to be scientifically validated.
In order to give a scientific basis to support the traditional use of Hymenaea courbaril, this study was designed to evaluate antioxidant, myorelaxant and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethanol extract from stem bark and its fractions. The myorelaxant effect of astilbin, a flavonoid isolated from the bioactive ethyl acetate fraction (EAF), has also been evaluated.
In the present study ethanol extract from stem bark (EEHC) and fractions were analyzed using bioassay-guided fractionation. The following activities were investigated: antioxidant by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, myorelaxant on rat tracheal smooth muscle, and anti-inflammatory using ovalbumin-induced leukocytosis and airway hyperresponsiveness in rats.
The results of the present investigation show that the whole extract of Hymenaea courbaril and some of its fractions strongly scavenged DPPH radical. The extract showed myorelaxant activity on rat trachea, being EAF its highest efficient fraction. Bio-guided study allowed the isolation of astilbin, a well-known flavonoid. The activity induced by this compound indicates that it may be partly responsible for the myorelaxant effect of EAF. EAF reduced contractions that depended on divalent cation inflow through voltage-operated Ca(2+) channels (VOCCs) or receptor-operated Ca(2+) channels (ROCCs), but it was more potent to inhibit VOCC- than ROCC-dependent contraction induced by Ca(2+) addition in ACh-enriched Ca(2+)-free medium. Oral pretreatment of antigen-challenged animals with EAF prevented airway hyperresponsiveness on KCl-induced contraction and reduced the number of total white cells, particularly eosinophils and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage.
This study provided scientific basis that Hymenaea courbaril presents potential antioxidant, myorelaxant and anti-inflammatory actions, which support its use in folk medicine to treat inflammatory airway diseases.
Hymenaea courbaril L.（豆科）在巴西民间医学中用于治疗贫血、肾脏问题、喉咙痛和呼吸系统的其他功能障碍，如支气管炎和哮喘，尽管这些特性尚未得到科学验证。
为了为支持 Hymenaea courbaril 的传统用途提供科学依据，本研究旨在评估茎皮乙醇提取物及其馏分的抗氧化、肌松和抗炎特性。此外，还评估了从生物活性乙酸乙酯馏分（EAF）中分离出的类黄酮 astilbin 的肌松作用。
在本研究中，使用生物测定指导的馏分法分析茎皮乙醇提取物（EEHC）和馏分。研究了以下活性：使用 2,2-二苯基-1-苦基肼（DPPH）测定法评估抗氧化活性、在大鼠气管平滑肌上评估肌松活性，以及使用卵清蛋白诱导的白细胞增多和气道高反应性在大鼠中评估抗炎活性。
本研究结果表明， Hymenaea courbaril 的全提取物及其一些馏分强烈清除 DPPH 自由基。提取物对大鼠气管表现出肌松活性，EAF 是其最高效的馏分。生物导向研究允许分离出 astilbin，这是一种众所周知的类黄酮。该化合物的活性表明，它可能部分负责 EAF 的肌松作用。EAF 减少了依赖于电压操作的 Ca2+（VOCCs）或受体操作的 Ca2+（ROCCs）流入的收缩，但其抑制 ACh 富集 Ca2+-free 介质中 Ca2+添加引起的 VOCC-依赖性收缩比 ROCC-依赖性收缩更有效。用 EAF 对抗原挑战的动物进行口服预处理可防止 KCl 诱导的收缩引起的气道高反应性，并减少总白细胞数，特别是支气管肺泡灌洗液中的嗜酸性粒细胞和中性粒细胞。
本研究为 Hymenaea courbaril 具有潜在的抗氧化、肌松和抗炎作用提供了科学依据，支持其在民间医学中用于治疗炎症性气道疾病。
