INVESTIGATION OF THE POSSIBLE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF Smilax fluminensis STEUD. LEAF IN MICE SUBJECTED TO OXIDATIVE STRESS BY PARACETAMOL

Abstract

Paracetamol (PCM) is a drug widely used by the population as an antipyretic and analgesic. If administered in high doses it can cause liver damage, leading to hepatoxicity. The genus Smilax, found in temperate and tropical regions, is traditionally used by the population through the extract of leaves and roots for several conditions, such as in the treatment of syphilis, diabetes, asthma and as a diuretic action. Through this, Smilax fluminensis leaf extracts were used to evaluate the protective effect against oxidative stress induced by a high dose of PCM in mice that received the drug and after receiving treatment with crude extract and fractions. Plasma analysis was performed using aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol, in addition to biochemical techniques such as catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), reduced glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (ASA), substances reactive to thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) and carbonylated proteins (CARBONYL) of liver, brain and kidneys. Fraction 1 of the extract was the most promising, decreasing the plasma levels of AST and ALT, the levels of CAT and GST of the liver, together with GSH and in the renal and brain tissue there was a decrease in carbonylated proteins (PCM + F1 versus PCM). Besides, fraction 1 proved to be hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic. It is concluded that fraction 1 of Smilax fluminensis leaves has good antioxidant activity in the face of the damage caused by the high dose of paracetamol.