Non-Polar Natural Products from Bromelia laciniosa, Neoglaziovia variegata and Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae)

Extensive regional droughts are already a major problem on all inhabited continents and severe regional droughts are expected to become an increasing and extended problem in the future. Consequently, extended use of available drought resistant food plants should be encouraged. Bromelia laciniosa, Neoglaziovia variegata and Encholirium spectabile are excellent candidates in that respect because they are established drought resistant edible plants from the semi-arid Caatinga region. From a food safety perspective, increased utilization of these plants would necessitate detailed knowledge about their chemical constituents. However, their chemical compositions have previously not been determined. For the first time, the non-polar constituents of B. laciniosa, N. variegata and E. spectabile have been identified. This is the first thorough report on natural products from N. variegata, E. spectabile, and B. laciniosa. Altogether, 20 non-polar natural products were characterized. The identifications were based on hyphenated gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and supported by 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) plant metabolomics.

Antinociceptive effect of Encholirium spectabile: A Bromeliaceae from the Brazilian caatinga biome

Background:

Encholirium spectabile is a species found in outcrops rocky throughout the Brazilian Caatinga.

Objective:

This study was carried out to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of ethanolic extract of the leaves from E. spectabile (Es-EtOH) in mice using chemical and thermal models of nociception.

Material and Methods:

HPLC was used to determine the fingerprint chromatogram. The Es-EtOH was examined for its antinociceptive activity at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.). The evaluation of antinociceptive activity was carried out by the acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin and hot plate tests in mice. Rota-rod test was used for the evaluation of motor coordination.

Results:

In the acetic acid-induced writhing test, the Es-EtOH (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced the number of writhings by 68.59, 79.33 and 65.28%, respectively. Additionally, Es-EtOH (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased by 34.14, 52.61 and 60.97% the paw licking time in the first phase, as well as 89.56, 79.90 and 96.71% in the second phase of the formalin test, respectively. Es-EtOH also showed effect in the hot plate test, since increased the latency time at dose of 100 mg/kg after 60 minutes. In addition, Es-EtOH did not impair motor coordination. The presence of phenolic compounds in the extract was confirmed using HPLC. These results indicate that Es-EtOH has antinociceptive activity, probably of peripheral origin. The mechanism involved is not completely understood but, at least in part there is the participation of opioid receptors.

Dried extracts of Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae) present antioxidant and photoprotective activities in vitro

The antioxidant and photoprotective activities of dried extracts from the leaves of Encholirium spectabile were investigated. It was also evaluated the total phenolic and flavonoid contents by the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated by using of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging and β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching and compared with ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) used as reference compounds. The photoprotective effect was evaluated by the spectrophotometric method. The most significant total phenolic and flavonoid contents was of 188.50 ± 27.50 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g and 129.70 ± 4.59 mg of catechin equivalent/g, respectively, for chloroform fraction (Es-CHCl3). The Es-CHCl3 also presented the best antioxidant activity (IC50 25.35 ± 4.35 μg/ml) for DPPH scavenging. The ethanol extract (Es-EtOH), Es-CHCl3 and the fraction ethyl acetate (Es-AcOEt) showed characteristic absorption bands in regions UVB and UVA in a concentration-dependent manner. Es-CHCl3 presented the highest sun protection factor SPF (8.89 ± 2.11). It shows the possibility to use this extract as sunscreen in pharmaceutical preparations.