Extratos da planta Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC, carqueja, possui atividades antioxidante e anti-adipogênica por inibir a expressão de proteínas envolvidas na diferenciação adipocitária in vitro

Abstract

Obesity is considered an important public health problem, being a risk factor for several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes and other. Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC (carqueja) is a medicinal plant used in traditional medicine in various parts of Brazil. Infusions, decoctions and tinctures of its leaves are produced and used for the treatment of obesity and diabetes, and also as diuretics, digestive agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, among others. In this work, in order to support the medicinal potential of carqueja, extracts of Baccharis trimera leaves were obtained, characterized chemically and phytochemically and evaluated in relation to their antioxidant and antiadipogenic activities. Three extracts were obtained: aqueous (AE), decoco (AE-D) and methanolic (ME); From these, six different in vitro antioxidant assays were performed: superoxide and hydroxyl radical assay, reducing power, total antioxidant capacity and chelation of iron and copper ions. As well, its possible antiadipogenic activity was evaluated with oil red O, free glycerol and measurement of adipogenic transcription factors C / EBPα, C / EBPβ and PPARγ. Phytochemical characterization revealed the presence of flavonoids (chlorogenic acid and apigenin) and phenolic compounds in extracts AE and AE-D. As for the antioxidant activity, a dose-dependent activity was observed. Regarding antiadipogenic activity, Baccharis trimera significantly inhibited the differentiation and accumulation of fat in adipocytes by MDA in a dose-dependent relationship and significantly reduced the expression of the transcription factors C / EBPα, C / EBPβ and PPARγ, during adipogenesis in a relation dose-dependent too. This work suggests that Baccharis trimera has an excellent antioxidant activity, preventing oxidative stress, and may contribute to the decrease of adipogenesis, besides having an excellent antiadipogenic activity. This was the first work that demonstrated the potential effect of Baccharis trimera extracts on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes into adipocytes.