ANTIOPHIDIAN ACTIVITY OF BROSIMUM GUIANENSE (AUBL) HUBER

Abstract

Snakebites envenomations are a problem public health in worldwide due to the high rates of morbidity and mortality. The Bothrops venom causes local tissue damage and inflammation is one of the most important events that occur. At present, effective treatment for snakebites is serum therapy with antivenom, which neutralizes systemic alterations but does not prevent local damage that can cause disabilities. Many plants are used in popular medicine to treat these accidents but few attempts have been made to investigate the scientific validity of these assertions. In Amazon region, indigenous and local people use the macerated bark of Brosimum guinanensis applied in the form of cataplasm, on the site of snakebite. This study aimed to analyze the ability of the Brosimum guianensis aqueous extract in the neutralization several effects induced by Bothrops atrox snake venom to investigate the scientific validity of folk medicine informations by means of controlled experiments. Our results showed that Brosimum guianensis aqueous extract was not effective to inhibit oedema, peritonitis, coagulant, myotoxic, phospholipase A2 activity (indirect hemolytic method) induced by B. atrox venom, but was able to inhibited significantly hemorrhagic and nociceptive activities. These results support a potential effect of this extract as a compounds source for biotechonological application and synthesis of new drugs with therapeutic purpose.