INIBIÇÃO DE ACETILCOLINESTERASE E α-AMILASE POR EXTRATO DAS FOLHAS DE Mouriri elliptica MARTIUS

Abstract

The food production has increased due to population growth, requiring new sources to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products. In this scenario vegetables have played an important role in pest control, because they are sources of molecules with insecticidal properties. The Mouriri elliptica Martius (Myrtales: Melastomataceae) is a shrub used in traditional medicine and its fruits well appreciated by the local population. Secondary compounds such as tannins, flavonoids and triterpenoids are found in its air portion. It aimed to evaluate the inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase activity and α- amylase for crude extract methanol and ethyl acetate of M. elliptica leaves, and to determine and quantify the fractions of different extracts with inhibitory action of these enzymes. Methanol extract and ethyl acetate were prepared from species M. elliptica, for conducting the characterization of the chemical profile for analysis by column chromatography and thin layer CCDC and for conducting tests in vitro of acetylcholinesterase and α-amylase inhibitor. The results indicate that the leaves of this plant species are potentially useful for agriculture, and the methanolic extract a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, and the ethyl acetate moderate inhibitor of α-amylase.The MF1 and MF4 fractions of the methanol extract showed inhibition percentage of 73 and 79% respectively of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase and the ethyl acetate extract an inhibition of 40% of α-amylase. Studies contributed to the knowledge of this species that has few scientific reports, which can be considered as a promising source of bioactive compounds.