Atividades antioxidante e antimicrobiana do látex in natura e liofilizado da Jatropha multifida L.: um estudo in vitro

Abstract

Jatropha multifida or Adenoropium multifidum (synonymy), popularly known as coral plant, coral, coral flower, blood flower, balsam, mertiolate, a shrub whose red flowers with yellowish anthers look like small pieces of coral and stem with latex presence. Widely used in folk medicine, as a purgative, against gonorrhea, diuretic, healing and anti-inflammatory. The aim of this research was to verify the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of in natura and lyophilized latex from J. multifida. The latex was collected in the city of Igreja Nova/AL and was later submitted to the lyophilization process, thus originating the in natura and lyophilized extracts used in the study. Phytochemical prospection, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity tests were performed. The phytochemical activity of the latex extracts performed confirmed the presence of saponins, flavonoids, anthraquinones and tannins. The results showed that the in natura and freeze-dried latex extract showed moderate antioxidant activity, and can be considered as a promising source of fighting free radicals, but the values found in the freeze-dried latex (73.1 μg/mL) were more expressive in the concentration a 5% than in natura latex (84.5 μg/mL). For antimicrobial activity, both extracts presented a MIC of 15.6 µg mL-1 and a CBM of 125 µg mL-1 against S. epidermidis and E. faecalis, E. aerogenes same values for the MIC extracts of 125 µg mL-1 and 125 µg ml-1 CBM. For S. aureus the MIC was the same for both extracts of 125 µg mL-1, however, the CBM was better in the lyophilized with the same MIC value, the same happened with P. aeruginosa. Against E. coli, the lyophilized latex showed a better 125 µg mL-1 MIC, but in natura latex showed a better 125 µg mL-1 CBM activity in CBM. Already against the fungal strain C. albicans both extracts showed weak activity for both MIC which was 500 µg mL-1 and CBM 1000 µg mL-1. It is concluded that the in natura and lyophilized latex of J. multifida can be considered potential antimicrobial and antioxidant agents, but the lyophilized latex showed the best results in the tests performed, being a promising one to be used in future researches.