Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Hypoglycemic Effects of the Leaf Extract from Passiflora nitida Kunth

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by abnormally high plasma glucose levels, leading to major complications, such as insulin resistance, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, also with alterations in the immune and neuronal systems. Brazilian plants have been studied as important sources for new molecules with medicinal properties. The genus Passiflora known as "Maracujá" has been used as a traditional folk medicine for a long time, so an investigation was performed regarding an endemic kind of passion fruit (Passiflora nitida Kunth) from Amazonas, Brazil. Here, we aimed to determine its potential biological activity against metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress, pain, and inflammation. The hydroethanol leaf extract revealed an in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) = 6.78 ± 0.31 μg/mL and an α-amylase inhibition of IC₅₀= 93.36 ± 4.37. In vivo, experiments of different saccharide tolerance resulted in significant glycemia control and, with alloxan-diabetic mice, resulted in a decrease of total cholesterol, a hypoglycemic effect, and an antioxidant activity by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances measurement. Also, it decreased the carrageenan-induced edema volume and the rate of writhing as a nociceptive response. These results indicate positive effects of P. nitida extract and its potential to inhibit metabolic syndrome.

Asiatic Acid Alleviates Hemodynamic and Metabolic Alterations via Restoring eNOS/iNOS Expression, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome Rats

“…There is a study supporting that antioxidant compounds have been shown to alleviate insulin resistance and lipid profile in metabolic diseases. For example, antioxidant substances in the leaf extract from Passiflora nitida Kunth decreased plasma glucose in diabetic rats that was associated with a decrease in lipid peroxdation [35]. …”

Chemical and Biological Aspects of Extracts from Medicinal Plants with Antidiabetic Effects

“…In alloxan-diabetic mice, these assays showed a decrease in total cholesterol, a hypoglycemic effect, and antioxidant activity based on the measurement of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. The hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities can be related to the presence of tannins in the extract, which may be concluded from experiments with tannic acid that demonstrated antilipogenic effects and glucose transport mediated by insulin pathways in adipocytes [54].…”

Antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of pine needle powder ingestion and endurance training in high cholesterol-fed rats

“…Among the available options, medicinal plants are generally considered to be safe substitutes [12,13]. Proven functions of medicinal plants include anti-cancer [14], anti-obesity [15], cholesterol reduction and antidiabetic effects [16]. In particular, it has been reported that the needles of a pine tree which accounts for about 40% of the mountainous area in Korea contain essential oil components such as α-oinene, β-pinene and camphene, and flavonoids, pinitol and chlorophyll, vitamin A, vitamin C, protein, fat, phosphorous, iron, enzymes and minerals which are typical for medicinal plants [17,18].…”