Chemopreventive effects of Paullinia cupana Mart var. sorbilis, the guaraná, on mouse hepatocarcinogenesis
Introduction
Paullinia cupana (the guaraná), belongs to the Sapindaceae family and it is original from Amazonia, Brazil where the Saterê-Maué Indians [1] have used it for many years as a stimulant. It is used in the composition of several phytoproducts, like non-alcoholic beverages, tonics, anti-stress capsules and others. Some properties of P. cupana have already been scientifically shown, like weight loss [2], stimulation of central nervous system [3], maintenance of memory [3], blood ‘thinning’ [4] and possible aphrodisiac property [5].
The guaraná extract presents some compounds like methyl-xanthines such as caffeine, theobromine and theophyline, also occurring tannins, saponins, catechins, epicatechins, proanthocyanidols and other compounds in minor concentrations [6]. Tannins can reach 16% in dry matter, and caffeine varies from 2.5 to 5% [6]. Phytochemicals can modulate the process of carcinogenesis blocking the adverse effects of carcinogenic agents, or suppressing the malignant transformation of preneoplastic cells [7]. For instance, the green tea (Camelia sinensis) has some substances like epigallocatechin gallate, which has demonstrated chemopreventive effects in various studies [8], [9], [10] and also as an adjuvant in chemotherapy [11], [12]. There are many similar substances both in tea and guaraná, particularly substances from the polyphenolic class. Taking into account these facts, does guaraná present chemopreventive effects?
In-vitro studies evidenced that the anti-oxidant effects of P. cupana are related to the inhibition of spontaneous oxidative processes, probably due to a high concentration of tannins [13]. Some tannins have been shown to protect DNA from lesions by benzopyrene [14]. There were different possible pathways describing the action of the poliphenols in controlling the carcinogenesis specially related to genomic stability [15].
Besides several studies about plants related to cancer chemoprevention, to our knowledge there are no studies investigating the chemopreventive effects of this Brazilian plant. The aim of this study was to verify the effects of guaraná, supplied in three different doses: 0.1, 1.0 and 2.0 mg P. cupana/g BW (milligram of P. cupana per gram of body weight) on mouse hepatocarcinogenesis.
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Animals
BALB/c female mice were used. They were maintained at the animal facility from the Department of Pathology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo. Animals (five per cage) were housed in polycarbonate cages, and maintained under controlled conditions of temperature (20±4 °C), and relative humidity (45–65%), with a 12 h-light/dark cycle.
Paullinia cupana
The P. cupana powder was kindly supplied by EMBRAPA, Amazônia Ocidental (Agropecuary Research Brazillian Enterprise) and
Food consumption, body weight, body weight gain, liver weight and relative liver weight in P. cupana treated animals
The food consumption, body weight, body weight gain, liver weight and relative liver weight of animals submitted to this experiment showed no difference from the control group (data not shown).
Effects of P. cupana on gross lesions
Effects of P. cupana on gross lesions are shown in Table 2. After macroscopic evaluation, animals that received control diet showed a 100% incidence of lesions. The other groups showed minor incidence of gross lesions when compared with control, and the animals treated with 2.0 mg P. cupana/g BW (D) showed
Discussion
By definition, chemoprevention of cancer is a means of cancer control in which the occurrence of this disease is prevented by administration of one or several chemical compounds [18], interfering beneficially in the carcinogenic process [19]. The chemoprevention of cancer can be classified as: primary prevention or preventing the induction of cancer in healthy animals; secondary prevention or preventing cancer in patients that have pre-malignant alterations; and tertiary prevention or
Acknowledgements
These experiments were made at the level of scientific initiation by Heidge Fukumasu, who was the recipient of a fellowship from FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil, process number 02/02736-0). The study has been supported by CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil).
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2018, Nonvitamin and Nonmineral Nutritional SupplementsDirect solid analysis for the determination of Mn, Ni, Rb and Sr in powdered stimulant plants using high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry followed by chemometric classification based on elemental composition, polyphenol content and antioxidant activity
2016, Microchemical JournalCitation Excerpt :Coffee is probably the most commonly used stimulant plant in the world, although other stimulant plants, such as mate (Llex paraguariensis) and guarana (Paullinia cupana varsorbilis) are also well-known sources of stimulant compounds [1]. These plants and their seeds have been typically used as stimulants, which also encompass uses in medicine for the treatment of a series of diseases [2–5]. Many stimulant plants produce compounds such as methylamines (e.g. caffeine) and polyphenols [6,7], which are known stimulants that may also show bactericidal activity by inhibiting bacteria in the digestive tract, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa [4].
Microparticles containing Guaraná extract obtained by spray-drying technique: Development and characterization
2015, Revista Brasileira de FarmacognosiaGuarana: Revisiting a highly caffeinated plant from the Amazon
2013, Journal of EthnopharmacologyCitation Excerpt :The protective effect of guarana extract against acute ethanol-induced gastric lesions was demonstrated in rats (Campos et al., 2003). An antiproliferative effect in the treatment of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (Fukumasu et al., 2011) and hepatocarcinogenesis in animals (Fukumasu et al., 2006b) was also observed. Additionally, aqueous guarana extract is able to inhibit platelet aggregation, which might be attributable to the procyanidins and catechins in the extract (Bydlowski et al., 1991; Subbiah, 2005).
Development of an analytical method using reversed-phase HPLC-PDA for a semipurified extract of Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis (guaraná)
2012, TalantaCitation Excerpt :The antidepressive effect has been reported to be comparable to that of the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine, and with a beneficial effect on cognition, without altering locomotor activity [4–8]. Guaraná extract also shows low toxicity, with antioxidant and antiamnesiac effects [5,6,9–11], potential effect as a chemoprophylactic in carcinogenesis [9], and potential antibactericidal activity against Streptococcus mutans, a cause of bacterial dental plaque [3]. Chemical assay of a semipurified fraction of guaraná (EPA) showed the presence of caffeine, epicatechin, catechin, ent-epicatechin and procyanidins B1–B4, A2 and C1 [2,3].
Acute and subchronic toxicological evaluation of the semipurified extract of seeds of guaraná (Paullinia cupana) in rodents
2010, Food and Chemical Toxicology