Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine the preclinical efficacy of a decoction
from the roots of Acourtia thurberi as a hypoglycemic, antihyperglycemic, and antihyperalgesic agent using well-known
experimental models in mice. Acute oral administration of A. thurberi decoction did not produce toxic effects in mice, according to the Lorke procedure.
A. thurberi decoction (31.6–316.2 mg/kg, p. o.) decreased blood glucose levels during acute hypoglycemic
and the oral glucose tolerance and oral sucrose tolerance tests, both in normoglycemic
and hyperglycemic animals. Phytochemical analysis of A. thurberi roots led to the isolation of perezone (1), a mixture of α-pipitzol (2) and β-pipitzol (3), and 8-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy-4-methoxy-5-methyl-coumarin (4). A pharmacological evaluation of compounds 1–4 (3.2–31.6 mg/kg) using the same assays revealed their hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic
actions. Finally, local administration of A. thurberi decoction (31.6–316.2 µg/paw) and compounds 1–4 (3.2–31.6 µg/paw) produced significant inhibition on the licking time during the
formalin test in healthy and hyperglycemic mice, demonstrating their antinociceptive
and antihyperalgesic potential, respectively. Altogether, these results could be related
to the use of A. thurberi for treating diabetes and painful complaints in contemporary Mexican folk medicine.
A suitable UPLC-ESI/MS method was developed and successfully applied to quantify simultaneously
compounds 1 and 4 in A. thurberi decoction.
Key words
Acourtia thurberi
- Asteraceae - hypoglycemic activity - antihyperalgesic action - perezone -
α-pipitzol -
β-pipitzol
