Medicinal Plants Classification Biosynthesis and ... - Index of

Pharmacologic Study of Some Plant Species from The Brazilian Northeast
The anti-nociceptive activity of latex protein was proven by many pharmacological tests
of nociception using mice, such as acetic acid induced contortions, formalin test and hot
plaque test. Such effect justifies the use of this plant in folk medicine and may be
independent on opioid system (Soares et al., 2005).
Studies have shown that chloroformic fraction of C. procera roots has potent antiinflammatory
activity against exudative and proliferative stages of inflammation. Besides,
this fraction also showed analgesic effects in acetic acid induced alterations in rats (Basu,
Chaudhuri, 1991).
2.3. Antitumoral Properties
Antitumoral activity of latex was tested in assays using different lines of tumor cells, and
it was able to inhibit the growth of the cells lines HL-60 (leukemia), HCT-8 (cervix cancer),
MDA-MB-435 (breast cancer) and F295 (brain cells cancer) when analyzed by MIT (Oliveira
et al., 2007).
The citotoxic activity of the laticifer protein (LP) of latex was also tested in vitro. LP
showed citotoxicity IC (50) values of 0.42 and 1.36 µg/ml to cell line SF295 and MDA-MB-
435, respectively. Effects on the cell viability and morphology were not seen in healthy
mononuclear cells of peripheral blood exposed to LP (10µg/ml) for 72h (Oliveira et al.,
2007).
2.4. Hepatoprotector Properties
Liver is an organ of vital importance to the metabolism of exogenous and endogenous
challenges like drugs, viral infections, xenobiotics and chronic alcoholism. Thus, if the
natural defense mechanisms are not efficient to eliminate these metabolites, hepatocytes will
suffer injuries (Setty et al., 2007).
In the model of hepatotoxicity induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats, latex
showed potent antioxidant and hepatoprotector properties. Histological analysis of rat liver
demonstrated necroinflammatory changes associated to increase in the levels of thiobarbituric
acid (TBARS), PGE2 and catalase, and reduction in the level of glutathione (GSH),
superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Antioxidant and antiinflammatory
effects of latex and silymarin are similar, suggesting that latex can be used as
hepatoprotector agent (Padhy, Srivastava, Kumar, 2007).
Hepatoprotector effect of C. procera extract was also observed in rats with
acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity. Alcoholic extract reduced the levels of hepatic
enzymes TGO, TGP, alkaline phosphatase and bilirrubin (Setty et al., 2007).
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