Avaliação do potencial anti-inflamatório das folhas de Passiflora edulis Sims e de seus efeitos sobre o metabolismo oxidativo de neutrófilos peritoneais de ratos

Abstract

Neutrophils are the first cells recruited in an inflammatory process and play an important role in host defense by the NADPH oxidase activation and by the action of the enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO). The oxidizing species (OS) produced during activation of neutrophils are highly reactive and toxic to the pathogen, but they can compromise the cellular homeostasis of the host. The species Passiflora edulis Sims (Passifloraceae) is rich in phenolic compounds, which are known for their antioxidant activity. Most of the pharmacological studies on this species have been carried out on the Central Nervous System and few studies have been conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of this genus. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of dry extract obtained from P. edulis Sims leaves, and its activity on oxidative metabolism of rat peritoneal neutrophils in a model of acute inflammation induced by the intraperitoneal administration of carrageenan. The mass spectral analysis suggested the presence of isoorientin and isovitexin, major constituents reported by P. edulis. The extract administration reduced the number of neutrophils recruited to the inflammatory site; however, it did not alter the activity of the NADPH oxidase of these cells. On the other hand, the extract interferes with OS formation generated by the activation of this system, for instance, hypochlorous acid, which suggests a decrease in MPO activity. Furthermore, the extract decreased the catalase activity and enhanced the glutathione peroxidase activity, but it did not affect the superoxide dismutase activity. Thus, our results suggest that the anti-inflammatory potential of the dry extract from P. edulis Sims leaves could be related to the inhibition of neutrophils recruitment and to the modulation of the neutrophils oxidative metabolism at the inflammatory focus.