Anti-Tumor and Anti-Inflammatory Activity In Vivo of <i>Apodanthera congestiflora</i> Cogn. (Cucurbitaceae)

• Main Authors: Geovana F. G. Silvestre, Renally P. Lucena, Genil D. Oliveira, Helimarcos N. Pereira, Jhonatta A. B. Dias, Ivone A. Souza, Harley S. Alves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Pharmaceutics
• Subjects: Cucurbitaceae; norcucurbitacins; acute toxicity; anti-inflammatory; Ehrlich’s carcinoma
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/13/5/743

This work aimed to carry out a study of <i>Apodanthera congestiflora</i> by investigating its chemical composition and pharmacological potential. From the dichloromethane phase (Dic-Ac) of the <i>A. congestiflora</i> stems, three compounds were identified: cayaponoside C_5b (Ac-1), cabenoside C (Ac-2) and fevicordin C₂ glucoside (Ac-3), being last identified for the first time as a natural product. These compounds were obtained by chromatographic methods and their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis of IR, MS and NMR. In the quantification of Dic-Ac, it was possible to observe the presence of 7% of cayaponoside C_5b. Dic-Ac showed significant toxicity for in vivo tests, with macroscopic and biochemical changes. The anti-inflammatory activity of Dic-Ac was investigated using the paw edema model. A decrease in inflammatory signs was observed in the first 5 h and the most effective dose in reducing edema with was 7.5 mg kg⁻¹ (66.6%). Anti-tumor activity of Dic-Ac was evaluated by Ehrlich’s carcinoma model, which showed inhibition rate of 78.46% at 15 mg kg⁻¹ dosage. The phytochemical investigation, together with the biological tests carried out in this study, demonstrated that <i>A. congestiflora</i> is a promising species in the search for therapeutics, since it contains substances with high pharmacological potential in its composition.