A Polyphenol-Rich Fraction from Eugenia uniflora Exhibits Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Activities In Vivo

Abstract

Leaves from Eugenia uniflora, the red Brazilian cherry, have a high content of flavonoids that possess several biological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities. However, their influence on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury in rats has not been investigated. In the current study, a bioguided fractionation assay revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) of Eugenia uniflora is the safest and most active fraction. LC-MS analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction revealed 22 secondary metabolites, mainly myricetin and quercetin derivatives. EAF did not show toxicity up to 2000 mg/kg, and exhibited antioxidant activities in vitro in DPPH assay with IC50 of 3.35 µg/mL. Additionally, EAF exhibited substantial antioxidant activities in vivo by counteracting the oxidative damage of the prooxidant juglone [80 µM] in Caenorhabditis elegans model organism and increased its survival rate in a dose-dependent fashion through the DAF-16/Foxo pathway. Furthermore, the hepatoprotective activity of EAF (200 mg/kg against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) intoxicated male Wistar rats was assessed. EAF significantly inhibited CCl4-induced elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bilirubin (TB), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG), in the blood serum and prevented lipid peroxidation and restored superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) content in liver tissues. The observed hepatoprotective effects of EAF, which were supported by histopathological observations as pretreatment with EAF, effectively attenuated the CCl4-induced histopathological changes. In conclusion, EAF of Eugenia uniflora leaves has substantial hepatoprotective activities against CCl4 induced acute liver injury in rats due to its antioxidant activity.

A sulfated polyphenols-rich extract from Sabal yapa exhibits antitumor activities in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma

“…This efficacy could be attributed to its high phenolic content, which was assayed by Folin Ciocalteu method; it represented 312 mg gallic acid equivalents/ g extract. The obtained results come in agreement with numerous plant extracts rich in polyphenols ( Sobeh et al, 2019 , Sobeh et al, 2020 , El-Hawary et al, 2020a ).…”

The Review of Anti-aging Mechanism of Polyphenols on Caenorhabditis elegans

“…In addition, myricetin was first discovered by Spanier for its activation of DAF-16 and its increase in the expression of its downstream gene sod-3 , but it was found that the activation of DAF-16 was not the cause of the extended lifespan because it was found that DAF-16 activation was not correlated with the myricetin-mediated decrease in mitochondrial ROS and the increase in longevity (Grunz et al, 2012 ). However, further experiments proved that myricetin does exert its anti-oxidant effect through DAF-16 (Buchter et al, 2013 ; Sobeh et al, 2020 ). All these studies found that, in DAF-16 mutants, the ROS-scavenging effect of myricetin was blocked to a great extent, and the beneficial effect on lifespan also disappeared completely.…”

Protective Property of Scutellarin Against Liver Injury Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride in Mice

“…SOD is the main antioxidant enzyme that eliminates these free radicals and limits hepatic damage. MDA, the final product of lipid peroxidation, is a biomarker of oxidative stress ( Sobeh et al, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ). The results show that SCU significantly enhances SOD activity and attenuates MDA production relative to the CCl 4 group.…”