Protective Effect of the Hexanic Extract of <i>Eryngium carlinae</i> Inflorescences In Vitro, in Yeast, and in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Male Rats

• Main Authors: Donovan J. Peña-Montes, Maribel Huerta-Cervantes, Mónica Ríos-Silva, Xóchitl Trujillo, Miguel Huerta, Ruth Noriega-Cisneros, Rafael Salgado-Garciglia, Alfredo Saavedra-Molina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
• Series: Antioxidants
• Subjects: antioxidant activity; diabetes mellitus; <i>Eryngium carlinae</i>; oxidative stress; <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/8/3/73

In the present study, we investigated the composition and antioxidant activity of the hexanic extract of <i>Eryngium carlinae</i> inflorescences by employing in vitro assays to measure antioxidant capacity and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity. We also applied the hexanic extract to <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>, under hydrogen peroxide-induced stress. Finally, we tested the extract in male Wistar rats with and without streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The compounds in the hexanic extract were analyzed by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry, which revealed mainly terpenes and sesquiterpenes, including (Z)&#946;-farnesene (38.79%), &#946;-pinene (17.53%), calamene (13.3%), and &#945;-farnesene (10.38%). In vitro and in <i>S. cerevisiae</i>, the extract possessed antioxidant activity at different concentrations, compared to ascorbic acid (positive control). In normoglycemic and hyperglycemic rats, oral administration of 30 mg/kg of the extract reduced blood glucose levels; lipid peroxidation in liver, kidney and brain; protein carbonylation; and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. It also increased catalase activity in the brain, kidneys and liver. These findings show that this hexanic extract of <i>E. carlinae</i> inflorescences possessed antioxidant properties.