Vasorelaxant effect of standardized extract of Cecropia glaziovii Snethl encapsulated in PLGA microparticles: In vitro activity, formulation development and release studies.

In this study, the standardized dry extract of C. glaziovii (SDE) provided a significant vasorelaxant effect after contractions induced by phenylephrine in rat aortic rings in an endothelium-dependent manner, confirming that endothelial factors are needed to stimulate this response. A vasorelaxation close to that of acetylcholine was achieved, justifying the development of new formulations for this plant material. In this context, microparticles were selected to encapsulate SDE and the double emulsion technique was considered because of the hydrophilic nature of plant material. Two experimental designs were applied. Firstly, the effect of formulation parameters on particle size, size distribution and encapsulation efficiency (EE) was evaluated. As low EE was achieved, the effect of the osmotic pressure of the external phase was evaluated in a second experimental design. The presence of the osmotic agent (NaCl) impacted positively on the EE and slower in vitro release profile was obtained, which is desired in controlled release systems. The formation of denser and less porous particle surface, which was identified by SEM analysis, contributes to explain these findings. Microstructures showed to be a promising delivery system for the C. glaziovii SDE considering that a sustained release was achieved.

LC/QTOF profile and preliminary stability studies of an enriched flavonoid fraction of Cecropia pachystachya Trécul leaves with potential antidepressant-like activity.

There is increasing interest in natural antioxidants that are candidates for the prevention of brain damage occurring in major depressive disorders. Cecropia pachystachya is a tropical tree species of Central and South America and a rich source of polyphenols, particularly flavonoids. The aim of this study was to characterize the flavonoid profile of an enriched flavonoid fraction of C. pachystachya (EFF-Cp) and evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of its acute administration in behavior, cytokine levels, oxidative stress and energy metabolism parameters. The EFF-Cp chemical characterization was performed by HPLC/DAD and LC/QTOF. The antidepressant-like effects were performed by the forced swimming test, splash test and open field test. EFF-Cp revealed 15 flavonoids, including seven new glycosyl flavonoids for C. pachystachya. Quantitatively, EFF-Cp showed isoorientin (43.46 mg/g), orientin (23.42 mg/g) and isovitexin (17.45 mg/g) as major C-glycosyl flavonoids. In addition, EFF-Cp at doses 50 and 100 mg/kg reduced the immobility time in the forced swimming test, without changing the locomotor activity and grooming time. In addition, EFF-Cp was able to prevent the oxidative damage in some brain areas. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that EFF-Cp exerts antidepressant-like effects with its antioxidant properties.

Experimental design as a tool to evaluate chlorogenic and caffeic acids extracted from Cecropia glaziovii Sneth.

The effects of different parameters, including ethanol concentration, time of drug:solvent contact, temperature and the presence of a preservative, on chlorogenic acid (CGA) and caffeic acid (CFA) yields in Cecropia glaziovii Sneth extracts were investigated using an experimental design. In order to quantify the phenolic acids in these extracts a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method was developed and validated. Extracts with 80% ethanol presented a higher CGA content, but low amounts of CFA. Extracts with 20% ethanol showed a higher CFA concentration, but a sharp reduction in CGA extraction yield. The presence of a preservative, under the same extraction conditions, resulted in a slight difference or no difference in the CGA and CFA extraction yields. When the temperature was controlled at refrigerator or room temperature, a slight alteration in the concentrations of the phenolics studied was observed. The present approach can be applied in order to determine the optimum conditions for the preparation of C. glaziovii Sneth extracts based on CGA or CFA extraction yield as a chemical marker.