Chemical profile and evaluation of the pharmacological activity of the dry extract and fraction of ethyl acetate obtained from the leaves of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Mimosa caesalpiniifolia (Sansão-do-Campo) is a native species of the caatinga in northeastern Brazil that has been studied for its potential anti-inflammatory and antidepressant activity. It is popularly consumed as a medicinal plant and its pharmacological benefits are evidenced in the literature. Aim of the study: The present work was carried out to promote the chemical profile and evaluate the pharmacological activity of the dry extract and the ethyl acetate fraction obtained from the dry leaves of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia. Materials and methods: The leaves were collected in the municipality of Alfenas-MG and subjected to drying, followed by division in a knife mill. The preparation of the dry extract was carried out by the extraction method using simple percolation and the fraction was obtained by liquid-liquid partition. Part of the extractive solution was concentrated in a rotary evaporator followed by a drying process using the spray technique with the addition of colloidal silicon dioxide. The dry extract (33.33%) showed a higher yield in mass when compared to the yield of the ethyl acetate fraction (19.67%). The in vivo pharmacological evaluation was conducted with a total of 82 male Wistar rats that underwent cecal ligation and perforation surgery to induce the inflammatory process. One week after surgery, these animals were treated for 7 days with the dry extract and the ethyl acetate fraction and submitted to behavioral tests (open field and forced swimming). Results: The chemical results were obtained through analysis by HPLC-PDA coupled to a mass spectrometer, enabling the verification of the presence of phenolic acids, flavonoids, aglycones, and glycosides, in addition to tannins. This corroborates with data present in the literature for the genus Mimosa sp. Some compounds had their structure determined, where they were identified as catechin (m/z 288.97), cassiaocidentalin A (m/z 560.75), and procyanidin B2 [(epi)catechin–(epi)catechin; m/z 576.83)]. It was found that the animals that were submitted to the treatment did not present statistically significant results, demonstrating that the pharmacological action evaluated in the test was not highlighted in this type of experiment. The groups that underwent treatment had an aggravated locomotor activity. Conclusions: The results found with the chemical study contributed to the knowledge of the plant species studied. On the other hand, further studies are needed to provide a better understanding of the pharmacological evaluation of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia.