Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of leaf extracts from Annona tomentosa R.E.Fr

OBJECTIVE：Annona tomentosa R.E.Fr is a species not endemic to Brazil that belongs to the phytogeographic areas of the Amazon,Cerrado and Pantanal.Popularly known as“araticum rasteiro”or“araticum de moita”,A.tomentosa is edible and tea made from the leaves has been used as an antiinflammatory by native communities.There is no scientific evidence for these uses of A.tomentosa,especially those related to the control of pain and inflammation.For this reason,in the present study we evaluated the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of partitions from the methanolic extract of A.tomentosa leaves（A.tomentosa leaf methanolic extract（ATFM）in hexane partition：ATFM-H;ATFM in dichloromethane partition：ATFM-D;ATFM in ethyl acetate partition：ATFM-Ac;ATFM in butanol partition：ATFM-B）in mice.METHODS：The antinociceptive effects of leaf extracts from A.tomentosa were evaluated by abdominal writhing and tail-flick tests,while the anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated by paw oedema and air-pouch tests.The locomotor activity was evaluated with the open-field test.Furthermore,we evaluated the possible action mechanism of A.tomentosa,using naloxone,nitro-L-arginine methyl ester,glibenclamide,atropine,naltrindole and norbinaltorphimine in tail-flick tests.The productions of tumor necrosis factorα（TNF-α）and interleukin（IL）-1βwere also evaluated.RESULTS：The chromatographic fractionation of the partitions of the methanolic extract from the leaves of A.tomentosa revealed the presence of diterpenes,flavonoids,and steroids compounds.From the analysis of the hexane partition kaurenoic acid was identified as the major component.ATFM-H and ATFM-D had a significant antinociceptive effect in acute pain models in mice.The ATFM-H showed central antinociceptive effect from the involvement of theδopioid receptors,without causing alterations in the locomotor activity of the mice,while ATFM-D was effective in decreasing paw oedema and TNF-α and IL-1β production.CONCLUSION：These results demonstrate that leaf extracts from A.tomentosa present antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects that can to be used in relieving algesic and inflammatory conditions.

Effects of sulforaphane on brain mitochondria: mechanistic view and future directions

The organosulfur compound sulforaphane(SFN;C6H11NOS2) is a potent cytoprotective agent promoting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiglycative, and antimicrobial effects in in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Mitochondria are the major site of adenosine triphosphate(ATP) production due to the work of the oxidative phosphorylation(OXPHOS) system. They are also the main site of reactive oxygen species(ROS) production in nucleated human cells. Mitochondrial impairment is central in several human diseases, including neurodegeneration and metabolic disorders. In this paper, we describe and discuss the effects and mechanisms of action by which SFN modulates mitochondrial function and dynamics in mammalian cells. Mitochondria-related pro-apoptotic effects promoted by SFN in tumor cells are also discussed. SFN may be considered a cytoprotective agent, at least in part, because of the effects this organosulfur agent induces in mitochondria. Nonetheless, there are certain points that should be addressed in further experiments, indicated here as future directions, which may help researchers in this field of research.