Planta Med 2015; 81 - PW_118
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1565742

Evaluation of the antioxidant and anticholinesterase activity of extracts from Aspidosperma spp.

MP Rocha 2, PRV Campana 1, AF Silva 3, L Pieters 4, VL de Almeida 1, 4, CG Silva 2
  • 1Serviço de Fitoquímica e Prospecção Farmacêutica, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • 2Serviço de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • 3Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • 4Natural Products & Food Research and Analysis (NatuRA), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with a deficiency in cholinergic transmission, affecting the CNS [1]. Many natural products have been shown to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as exhibiting antioxidant, anti-amyloid and anti-inflammatory activities, indicating a promising source of new alternatives for the treatment of AD [1]. In this work, we evaluated the antioxidant and anticholinesterase activity of the extracts of leaves and stems of Aspidosperma spp. (Apocynaceae) using the system of co-oxidation of β-carotene/linoleic acid [2], TLC [3] and microplate assays [4], respectively. The extracts showed antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 39.02 µg/mL for the EtOH extract of stems, and 61.73 µg/mL for the EtOH extract of leaves. Quercetin and rutin were used as positive standards (IC50 of 0.44 µg/mL and 21.56 µg/mL, respectively). In the AChE inhibition assay using TLC most of the extracts showed inhibition halos of different intensities. In the microplate assay, the DCM extract of stems and leaves and the EtOH extract of stems showed AChE inhibition greater than 50% (59%, 67% and 54%, respectively). Physostigmine was used as a positive control (90% inhibition). The antioxidant activity of the stem extract can be correlated with the phenolic content while the presence of alkaloids and triterpenes may contribute to the anticholinesterase activity observed in the extracts of Aspidosperma spp. Further studies will be developed aiming for the isolation of bioactive substances, which can be used for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Acknowledgement: CNPQ and FAPEMIG.

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