Abstract

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Pyrostegia venusta is a native Brazilian plant which has a variety of uses in traditional folk medicine including the treatment of vitiligo. However, its effectiveness on melanogenesis is not yet elucidated.
AIM OF THE STUDY
This study aimed to investigate the melanogenic activity of hydroalcoholic extracts from the leaves and flowers of P. venusta on murine B16F10 melanoma cells.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Different concentrations of the hydroalcoholic extracts of flowers and leaves of P. venusta were evaluated in trials of spontaneous melanin content (4 days), and cell viability by the MTT assay in murine B16F10 cells, and in the mushroom tyrosinase activity in vitro.
RESULTS
Both extracts, leaves (0.1; 0.3; 1 and 3 μg/mL) and flowers (0.03 and 0.1 μg/mL) increased the melanin content in a concentration dependent manner after 4 days of incubation on melanoma cells. Leaves extract promoted enhancement of melanogenesis with maximum effect of 33.3±3% (3 μg/mL), and the flower extract increased in 23.4±3% (0.1 μg/mL). The cell viability test using MTT showed that in the same tested concentrations of both extracts no cell death was detected. Actually, either extract was not able to cause any change in the tyrosinase activity. HPLC analysis of P. venusta extracts found 0.09% and 1.08% of allantoin on leaves and flowers extracts, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The leaves and flowers extracts of P. venusta stimulates B16F10 melanogenesis at very low concentrations. These findings support the folk medicinal use of P. venusta on the treatment of hypopigmentation diseases, such as vitiligo.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Moreira CG, Horinouchi CD, Souza-Filho CS, Campos FR, Barison A, Cabrini DA, Otuki MF

Institution

Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

Source

Journal of ethnopharmacology 141:3 2012 Jun 14 pg 1005-11

MeSH

Allantoin
Animals
Bignoniaceae
Cell Survival
Cells, Cultured
Flowers
Melanins
Melanocytes
Melanoma, Experimental
Mice
Monophenol Monooxygenase
Plant Extracts
Plant Leaves

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22504061