Biological Evaluation of Himatanthus Drasticus: Citotoxicity

Phytotherapy is the oldest technique for diseases treatment and prevention, and its practice has persisted through generations and maintained principally by popular knowledge. A phytotherapic is a product obtained exclusively from active vegetable raw material. In Brazil, the National Program of Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines and the Live Pharmacy are means of promoting traditional culture and making sustainable use of the high diversity of Brazilian flora. Among the families known for their medicinal potential is the Apocynaceae, in which there are species with chemical compounds that are useful in medicine, such as indolic alkaloids, tannins, triterpenes, coumarins, and saponins. Among these species, Himatanthus drasticus (janaúba) is popularly used to treat various efermities and, through the substances it presents, points to be a promising plant for medicinal studies. This study aims to evaluate the cytotoxicity of Himatanthus drasticus, to ensure the safe use of this plant by the population. The janaúba extract was prepared with 8 drops of latex for 125 mL of ultrafiltered water, and it was stored in a refrigerator until use. The culture of Vero cells was use to the citotoxicity assays, qualitative and quantitative, using extracts concentrations of 25, 50, 100 µg/mL. Standard cell culture (negative control) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, positive control) were used as controls. Qualitative evaluation was made with the analysis of cell morphology, and quantitative evaluation was performed by MTT assay. Through qualitative and quantitative cytotoxicity analysis, the extracts with concentrations of 25, 50 and 100 µg/mL were non-cytotoxic, and safe for use.