Avaliação da citotoxicidade do extrato aquoso da guabiroba (Campomanesia xanthocarpa) em linhagem de células RAW 264.7: ensaio enzimático LDH

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) are mediators produced by stimulated neutrophils and macrophages and play an important role in the progression of inflammatory responses. When its production exceeds the cells' antioxidant system, it results in oxidative stress, a deleterious process that can cause damage to cellular macromolecules, including lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, and therefore, cell death and various pathological conditions. Campomanesia xanthocarpa is a plant species from the Brazilian Cerrado, in whose leaves bioactive compounds were identified, including flavonoids and tannins, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and analgesic properties. Thus, the general objective of this study is to investigate possible anti-inflammatory properties of the lyophilized aqueous extract of C. xanthocarpa leaves (EACX) in in vitro experimental models, using macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells, which represent a model for study of the biological functions of macrophages. However, initially, in this work, the specific objective was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of EACX on RAW 264.7 cells. The method used was the quantification of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme activity in culture supernatants. The results obtained showed that EACX, at the concentrations evaluated, from 500 to 1,953 µg/mL, did not decrease the viability of RAW 264.7 cells. Therefore, it is concluded that, under the experimental conditions used, EACX does not present cytotoxic effects.