Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: TIAGO FEITOSA RIBEIRO

DEVELOPMENT OF FORMULATION OF Momordica charantia L. AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION IN THE 

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM.

Momordica charantia, Bitter melon, asthma, fever, cough.

The species Momordica charantia is a vine native to Asia and Africa with good adaptation to the tropical climate of Brazil, being popularly known as melon-de-São-Caetano, herb-de-São-Vicente, melonzinho and bitter gourd, this species has been traditionally used as a medicinal herb in several developing countries such as Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ghana, Haiti, India, Mexico, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru due to the various medicinal properties attributed as antidiabetic, anthelmintic, antimalarial, antiviral, healing and for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, ulcers, eczema, emmenagogue, galactagogue, gout, jaundice, kidney stones, leprosy, leukorrhea, hemorrhoids, pneumonia, psoriasis, rheumatism and scabies. This work aims to develop a pharmaceutical form based on the ethanolic extract of M. charantia leaves to act in respiratory system disorders. Initially, analysis of the chemical profile of the extract was performed by thin layer chromatography (TCD), liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array (HPLC-DAD). The results obtained showed that the ethanolic extract of M. charantia presented metabolites such as: alkaloids, anthraquinones, phenolic compounds, coumarins, anthracene derivatives, lignans, mono, sesqui and diterpenes, saponins and hydrolysable tannins. Through the results of the LC-MS, two substances were identified, isoquercetin with a retention time of 26.2 minutes and astragalin with a retention time of 28.1 minutes. In the HPLC-DAD analysis, it was possible to identify and quantify these analytical markers isoquercetin and astragalin, appearing at retention times of 32.04 and 33.81 minutes, respectively. The ethanolic extract of M. charantia has no lethality at doses below 2000mg/kg. cEEM has antipyretic activity in a model of fever induced by S. cereviseae in mice and antitussive activity at doses of 100 and 300 mg/ml. The EEMc also promotes relaxation of tracheal smooth muscle pre-contracted with KCl and CCh. Thus, the ethanolic extract of M. charantia leaves presents itself as a possible target for the development of products for pharmaceutical use.