Avaliação das atividades antiagregante plaquetária e anticoagulante em estudo de bioprospecção de Opercutina macrocarpa (L.) Urb. (Jalapa) em plasma humano : determinação do mecanismo de ação.

Abstract

Operculina macrocarpa (L.) Urb ("Brazilian jalapa") (Convolvulaceae) is a common species of the Brazilian Northeast. It is popularly used because of its laxative and purgative properties. The tincture of Operculina macrocarpa tubers (major constituent) and Convolvulus scammonia composes the raw materials of Aguardente Alemã®, herbal medicine, referred to as antithrombotic in folk medicine. The objective of this study was to investigate the antiplatelet and anticoagulant potential for Operculina macrocarpa in human plasma, including the bioprospection study and determination of possible mechanism of action. The evaluation of antiplatelet activity of drugs (tincture and fractions of O. macrocarpa, tincture of C. scammonia and AAL) in human platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was measured by the turbidimetric method where the aggregation was induced by the addition of agonists (adenosine diphosphate (ADP), epinephrine (EPI), arachidonic acid (AA) collagen (COL) or thrombin (TROM). Unlike tincture of C. scammonia and AAL, both O. macrocarpa tincture (TOM/preciptade (P) and supernatant (S)) and one of the organic fractions obtained from O. macrocarpa (TOM/1-F4) showed antiplatelet activity in human plasma where TOM/1-F4 (100 µg/mL) presented comparable effect to AAS. Physicochemical characterization (HPLC and spectrophotometer) of TOM/PS (content of resins 1,38g%) and TOM/1-F4 allowed the identification of phenolic acids (chlorogenic, galic and caffeic) as well as the determination of total phenols of TOM (0,14g%). The antiplatelet effect of TOM/PS and TOM/1-F4 seems to result from many intracellular actions. However, TOM/PS in presence of AAS, L-ARG, ODQ, pentoxifilin (PTX) or ticlopidine (TIC) had its antiplatelet effect modified mainly because of TIC, suggesting an important role of purinergic receptors in TOM/PS. TOM/PS presented antioxidant activity determined by DPPH test. Furthermore, TOM/PS and TOM/1-F4 did not showed anticoagulant action in human plasma but TOM/PS increased the bleeding time in mice. It was observed a relative toxicity of TOM/PS in human neutrophil. Therefore, this study demonstrated, as never before, the antiplatelet potencial of tincture and the organic fraction of "jalapa" and that at least related to the presence of phenols, particulary phenolic acids, and resins in plant.