ANTI-SNAKE VENOM ACTIVITIES OF Casearia sylvestris EXTRACTS

DUQUE DE ARCE MATIAS; GONZALEZ MIRAGLIOTTA ANA; DELLACASSA EDUARDO; TORRES ANA MARÍA

Buenos Aires

Congreso; REUNIÓN CONJUNTA DE SOCIEDADES DE BIOCIENCIAS; 2017

Sociedad Argentina de Farmacologia Experimental

Casearia sylvestris Sw. (burro-kaa, guaçatonga), has ethnopharmacologicalantecedents as ophidian antivenom in several regions,inhibiting the hemorrhagic, edematogenic, proteolytic and coagulantactivities of Bothrops sp venom. In this study, we evaluated the activityof native plants extraxts against B. diporus venom in order toverify the ethnopharmacological knowledge from the northeast regionof Argentina.Aerial parts of C. sylvestris were collected in Corrientes at twodifferent vegetative stages: autumn (I) and spring (II). The materialwas dried and powdered in order to prepare aqueous, ethanolic andhexanic extracts. The screening of the extracts antisnake venomactivity was performed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. The coagulantactivity neutralization was evaluated by recalcification time ofcitrated plasma with a Col1 coagulometer. Inhibition of the indirecthemolytic activity was evaluated through on agarose-blood-phosphatidylcolinegel plates and the inhibition of the proteolytic activityby SDS-PAGE with casein. Phytochemical analysis was performedin order to identify chemical groups of compounds.The results from SDS-PAGE showed the ethanol extract as themost active against B. diporus venom, independently of the vegetativestate of the plant. The ethanol extract inhibited 54% (II) and60% (I) of coagulant activity (venom-extract ratio, 1:30); 50% (II)and 44% (I) of indirect hemolytic activity (1:40) and 100% (I) and (II)of proteolytic activity (1:30) of venom. The demonstrated phenols,anthraquinones, alkaloids, steroids and tannins were found as componentsof the active extract.In conclusion, we were able to demonstrate that the ethanolicextracts of C. sylvestris leaves possess in vitro antisnake activityagainst B. diporus venom supporting its ethnopharmacological antecedents.Further research is required to identify the single componentsresponsible for this activity and, so, the best way for theiradministration in ophidian accidents.