Estudo fitoquímico e toxicológico da espécie Eleutherine bulbosa (miller) Urb.

Abstract

The species Eleutherine bulbosa (Miller) Urb. is a plant belonging to the Iridaceae family, popularly known as palmeirinha and marupazinho, traditionally used as a medicinal plant. Its distribution and cultivation is wide, being endemic to South America. It can be found in tropical countries such as Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, but due to its therapeutic properties, E. bulbosa has taken on worldwide proportions. This work reports the chemical constituents identified in the phytochemical analysis of the ethanol extract of bulbs (EEB) and straws (EEP) of the species Eleutherine bulbosa, collected in the micro-region of Baixo Parnaíba in Piauí, as well as the evaluation of the antioxidant activities, the content of total flavonoids and the toxicity test against Artemia salina. Analyzing the chromatographic profile (CCD) of the ethanolic extracts of e. bulbosa, it was possible to identify, in the EEB, the presence of substance of a phenolic nature, especially flavonoids, anthracene derivatives and coumarins, whereas terpene compounds werw identified in both extracts (EEP and EEB). The phytochemical tests, carried out with EEP and EEB, indicated the presence of condensed tannins, leucoanthocyanidins, flavanones, quinones, coumarins, saponin heterosides and alkaloids. Chalcones, aurones and pentacyclic triterpenes were identified only in EEB, while free steroids were detected in EEP. In the evaluation of the antioxidant activity by the DPPH method, the EEP of E. bulbosa showed weak antioxidant activity (20.95%) at the highest concentration tested (250 g.mL-1). As for the total flavonoid content, it was observed that the EEP presented a value (118.30 ± 1.01 mg ER/g EtOH) higher than the content obtained for the EEB (51.83 ± 0.34 mg ER/g EtOH). Both EEP (LD50 = 803.52 g.mL-1) and EEB (LD50 704.85 g.mL-1) showed weak toxicity against Artemia salina, and can therefore be considered safe at the concentrations tested. This is the first report of the phytochemical and pharmacological profile of the EEP and EEB of E. bulbosa found in the northeast region of Brazil, which contributes to the enrichment of chemical-toxicological studies of the species, in addition to the appreciation of local biodiversity.