Traditional Plants Used in Southern Brazil as a Source to Wound Healing Therapies.

In southern Brazil, the biodiversity is great and the traditional use of medicinal plants for wound healing has been documented in ethnobotanical studies and pharmacological studies have assessed their wound properties and phytochemistry. Therefore, this study evaluated ethnobotanical surveys regarding medicinal plants used in southern Brazil for wound healing and studies about the healing properties of these plants published between 2000 and 2022. To retrieve articles related to the study, Web of Science, PubMed (NLM), Open Access Journals, Scielo, Lilacs, and Google Scholar, with keywords including medicinal plants, wound healing, and South of Brazil, have been used. As a result, 73 medicinal plants belonging to 39 families were found in ethnobotanical surveys as a traditional resource used for wound healing in southern Brazil, 15 of which were cited more than once. Besides, 14 of these 15 plants were also used as healing agents worldwide. The most cited plant with healing actions in southern Brazil was Symphytum officinale L. (comfrey). From 2000 to date, 44 articles scientifically demonstrated the wound-healing effects of the southern Brazilian plants found in ethnobotanical surveys reviewed. The folk medicine of southern Brazil presents a variety of medicinal plants for wound-healing purposes, and scientific data were found for some of those plants. However, the wound-healing properties of many plants have yet to be investigated, and the current literature still needs more phytochemical information about the plants studied. Aside from this, the future focus should be on the standardization of herbal extracts, and further research is required to investigate the pharmacological mechanisms. Clinical research in this area remains in its infancy and warrants more robust further clinical studies.

Sonchus oleraceus L. Promotes Gastroprotection in Rodents via Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antisecretory Activities.

Sonchus oleraceus L. is an edible and medicinal plant used to treat stomachache and gastric ailments around the world. Thus, this study aimed to determine the gastroprotective mode of action of hydroalcoholic extract of S. oleraceus (HES). Mice were treated with HES before induction of gastric ulceration by ethanol/HCl. The area and histological appearance of ulcers were quantified, and mucus was measured histochemically. The effects of HES on inflammatory and oxidative markers were assessed in the ulcerated tissue. In addition, we investigated the gastric acid antisecretory activity of HES in pylorus-ligated rats. Chemical analyses of HES and its antioxidant activity were also performed in vitro. The HES (30 or 300 mg/kg) reduced the ulceration by 71.5 and 76.2%, respectively, compared with vehicle (p < 0.001), and the histological analysis confirmed the macroscopic results with elevation in mucin levels by 361.4 and 477.5%, respectively, compared with vehicle (p < 0.001). Moreover, the gastroprotection was accompanied by increases in GSH levels and in SOD, CAT, and GST activities; in parallel to a reduction in MPO activity and TNF levels. Furthermore, HES reduced the total acidity, and pepsin activity of the gastric juice of rats by 61 and 63%, respectively, compared to the vehicle. Phytochemical analysis indicated that luteolin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside is the main active compound annotated in HES. Was also found that HES scavenged the DPPH radical with an IC50 of 15.41 µg/mL. In conclusion, the gastroprotective effects of HES involve reductions in oxidative stress and inflammatory injury, in conjunction with an increase in mucus layer and inhibition of gastric secretion. This study advances in elucidating the modes of the antiulcer potential of S. oleraceus and contributes to the prospection of new gastroprotective molecules.

Extract of Tagetes erecta L., a medicinal plant rich in lutein, promotes gastric healing and reduces ulcer recurrence in rodents.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tagetes erecta L. (Asteraceae), popularly known as Aztec Marigold, is used in South America to treat several ailments. Despite reports that T. erecta flowers are used in folk medicine to treat gastrointestinal diseases, there is no study regarding its gastric healing effects. AIM OF THE STUDY: The effect of dry extract of T. erecta L. (DETe) in gastric healing and gastric ulcer recurrence was evaluated, contributing to the validation of the antiulcer potential of this medicinal plant. METHODS: Rats were treated orally with vehicle (1 ml/kg), omeprazole (20 mg/kg), or DETe (3, 30 or 300 mg/kg) for 7 days, twice a day. The lesion area was evaluated, and the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipoperoxides (LOOH) and the activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured. The ulcer recurrence was evaluated in mice and induced by interleukin (IL)-1ß (1 µg/kg, i.p). The recurred area, gastric wall thickness, GSH and cytokines levels, MPO and N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) activities were measured. RESULTS: DETe accelerated the healing of gastric ulcers only at 300 mg/kg, reducing the ulcerated area by 66%. In parallel, DETe reduced LOOH levels, SOD, CAT and MPO activities, while increasing GST activity and mucin amount. In the recurrence model, DETe reduced the lesion area by 94%, and in parallel decreased the gastric wall thickness and TNF levels, while increasing IL-10 amount. CONCLUSIONS: Corroborating the popular use of T. erecta, DETe favors the antioxidant system and reduce gastric inflammation, accelerating the gastric healing process and reducing the ulcer recurrence.