Testes biológicos com a Guazuma Ulmifolia lam. (Mutamba)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The use of plants for medicinal purposes, whether for prevention, treatment, or cure of diseases and other health conditions, is one of the oldest practices of mankind. However, recognized national and international health surveillance bodies recognize that the effects of medicinal plants should be submitted to scientific studies to better understand their properties, safety and biological efficiency. In this sense, the objective of this article is to analyze the toxicological potential of the crude extract of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam., because toxicity is a characteristic presented by almost every plant species and that may be associated with factors specific to plants, individuals who consume or use them, or related to the mode of exposure. METOLOGY: The plant material was collected in the city of Palmas/TO in five different localities. After specific procedures, the crude ethanol extract of G. ulmifolia Lam. was obtained and used for the tests 25 Swiss mice, grouped by similarity in 5 experimental groups, where exposure to crude extract was made through oral administration, through gavage, with different concentrations. RESULTS: No biochemical and hematological changes were observed in the established parameters when the control group was compared with the experimental groups. As well, no structural and morphological changes were observed in the kidneys, liver and brains among the groups analyzed. DISCUSSION: The preliminary results showed statistical difference between group B and the Control group, in relation to weight and food consumption, which could indicate toxicity indices of the crude extract of G. ulmifolia Lam. Histomorphological studies in organs such as liver, brain and kidney are common in the literature, as they reveal an important role of these organs when it is to evaluate the potential toxicity of chemical substances and formulations for therapeutic purposes. Histological analyses performed with toxic substances show that the most affected organs are the liver, but in this study, the histological samples of liver, brain and kidney did not present any significant difference in relation to the control. To confirm this information, physicochemical analyses were also performed on blood samples collected from individuals in each experimental group and none of the parameters analyzed showed significant difference in relation to the control group. Thus, it can be said that there is no evidence of the toxicity of the crude extract of G. ulmifolia in the amounts studied in mice. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that in the tested dosages the Mutamba extract does not present toxicity