Phytochemical and pharmacological screening of extracts from Gunnera tinctoria Mol., a native chilean plant

Gunnera tinctoria Mol.((Gunneraceae), is a native plant from Chile. In spite of the traditional use of aqueous extracts from petiols and leaves of this species to treat inflammation, no scientific studies are available, and the potential use of its major components as a dermo pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory ingredient has not been explored thus far.¹ This study aimed to corroborate their presumed antiinflammatory activity, identify their active ingredients and validate their traditional use.

A phytochemical and pharmacological screening was performed to determine the presence of secondary metabolites. The determination of total polyphenols was measured spectrophotometrically using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. All samples, were subjected to topical assays for the inhibition of inflammation elicited by arachidonic acid (AA) or phorbol ester (TPA), inducing inflammation on the mice ear.²

The presence of secondary metabolites in the phytochemical screening was detected principally in aqueous, methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts. All extracts showed anti-inflammatory effect. Ethyl acetate extract had already been shown to exhibit strong anti-inflammatory effects in both models AA and TPA, 55.0% and 54.7%, respectively.

References:

[1] Estomba D., Ladio A., Lozada M. Medicinal wild plant knowledge and gathering patterns in a Mapuche community from North-western Patagonia. J. of Ethnopharmacol. 2006, 103: 109 – 119

[2] Rodríguez-Díaz M, Delporte C, Cassels BK, González P, Silva X, León F, and Wessjohann L. Topical anti-inflammatory activity of quillaic acid from Quillajasaponaria Mol. and some derivatives J Pharm Pharmacol 2011; 63: 718 – 724.