In VitroTNF-αInhibitory Activity of Brazilian Plants and Anti-Inflammatory Effect ofStryphnodendron adstringensin an Acute Arthritis Model

Stryphnodendronspecies, popularly named “barbatimão,” are traditionally used in Brazil as anti-inflammatory agents. This study aimed to investigate the effect of barbatimão and 11 other species on the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated THP-1 cells, as well as their anti-arthritis activity. The extracts ofStryphnodendron adstringens,Stryphnodendron obovatum,Campomanesia lineatifolia, andTerminalia glabrescenspromoted a concentration-dependent inhibition of TNF-α. Mice injected with LPS in the knee joint were treatedper oswith fractions from the selected extracts. Both the organic (SAO) and the aqueous (SAA) fractions ofS. adstringenspromoted a dose-dependent reduction of leukocyte migration and neutrophil accumulation into the joint, but none of them reduced CXCL1 concentration in the periarticular tissue. In contrast, treatment withC. lineatifoliaandT. glabrescensfractions did not ameliorate the inflammatory parameters. Analyses of SAO by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) led to the identification of gallic acid along with 11 prodelphinidins, characterized as monomers and dimers of the B-type. Our findings contribute to some extent to corroborating the traditional use ofS. adstringensas an anti-inflammatory agent. This activity is probably related to a decrease of leukocyte migration into the inflammatory site. Polyphenols like gallic acid and prodelphinidins, identified in the active fraction, may contribute to the observed activity.