Gastroprotective property of Plinia edulis(Vell.) Sobral (Myrtaceae): The role of triterpenoids and flavonoids

Abstract

Based on traditional uses and on previous pharmacological assays, the ethanol leaf extract of Plinia edulis and its fractions were evaluated in vivo for gastroprotection in HCl/ethanol induced ulcers. In addition, due to our ulcerative model, the antioxidant activities of the polar fractions of the extract were analyzed by the DPPH method. The ethanol extract showed significant antiulcer activity in rats at doses of 100 mg/kg p.o. and was more active than the reference drug lansoprazole at 30 mg/kg. Among the fractions obtained by solvent partition, the hexane fraction was the most effective (100 mg/kg p.o.), but was not as effective as the original extract. The chromatographic procedures for the hexane fraction yielded β-amyrin, lupeol, ursolic acid, maslinic acid, and corosolic acid; the ethyl acetate fraction yielded gallic acid, quercitrin, myricitrin and quercetin. The ursolic acid reduced the injurious area at a 50 mg/kg dose p.o., but the antiulcer activity was not significant in our model. The polar fractions exhibited prominent antioxidant activity and high contents of phenolic compounds. These results suggest that the promising gastroprotective effects of aqueous ethanol extract from P. edulis leaves could be due to the mixture of triterpenes and flavonoids.