Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect and toxicological profile of the fruit shell extract of Caryocar brasiliensis Cambess, an agroindustrial waste

• Grant number: 23/03077-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Ethnopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Lucinéia dos Santos
• Grantee: Fernando Yutaka de Ferreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Due to its great biodiversity and ethnic-cultural diversity, Brazil has great potential for the development of plant-based therapies, and presents itself as an ideal scenario for the use of phytotherapy. In addition, it is estimated that one quarter of the approximately 140 billion tons of agricultural biomass produced annually in the world comes from Brazil. Thus, according to the United Nations (UN), there is a need to intensify research into technologies for converting waste of this nature into useful resources for society. In this context, the pequi tree (Caryocar brasiliense Cambess) appears as a potential candidate for use in phytotherapy, since studies have shown the richness of its fruit, pequi, in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. In this direction, this work aims to study the anti-inflammatory activity of an extract obtained by the acid hydrolysis method of the pequi shell (EHAP), an agroindustrial residue that represents approximately 84% of the fruit's mass and is discarded in its processing. For this purpose, the concentration of saponins present in EHAP will be determined initially. Then, through in vitro tests, the extract's cytotoxicity will be determined using the neutral red incorporation test and its anti-inflammatory activity will be determined using tests for stabilization of human red blood cell membranes after induction of hemolysis and phagocytosis. Finally, in vivo tests will be carried out to evaluate the acute toxicity of EHAP and its anti-inflammatory activity, using the carrageenan-induced paw edema test.