Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Mikania glomerata and Mikania laevigata Extracts

Background: Mikania glomerata and Mikania laevigata (guaco) extracts are popularly used for the treatment of asthma and cough as well as for their anti-inflammatory activity, indistinctly, despite their different chemical composition. Both species may present these activities however, the specific components and the cellular mechanisms are not fully identified. Objectives: To determine the activity of fractions obtained by countercurrent chromatography pooled based on their TLC and UHPLC-MS chromatographic profiles. Materials and Methods: Fractions with antioxidant activity in DPPH and ORAC tests were assayed in dystrophic primary muscle cell cultures from mdx mice, the experimental model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), to evaluate their cellular anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. The inflammatory process was evaluated by determining the TNF-α, NF- κB and IL-1β content by immunoblotting; content of 4-hydroxynonenal, superoxide dismutase (SOD); catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx); glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione (GSH) were determined to evaluate their antioxidant activity. Results: The crude M. glomerata and M. laevigata extracts, as well as 3 selected fractions presented antioxidant capacity in the ORAC assay and only Mlet Fr13 did not present activity by DPPH. Immunoblotting revealed no significant differences between the experimental groups, so no cellular anti-inflammatory effect was observed, however, reduced levels of anti-oxidant defence system components were observed for all fractions. Conclusion: Both species contain compounds that effectively reduced anti-oxidant defense system components, but none of these fractions significantly reduced inflammatory markers, suggesting that the reported anti-inflammatory activity of these species may be mediated by oxidative stress reduction.