Estudio fitoquímico y actividad antiinflamatoria de hojas, flores y frutos de Bejaria resinosa Mutis ex L. (Pegamosco)

Introduction: Bejaria resinosa Mutis ex L. is a plant species known as pegamosco in Colombia. It is used by several communities to catch insects and to treat respiratory disorders. Few chemical and biological studies have been conducted about this species. Objectives: Contribute to the phytochemical study of leaves, flowers and fruits of B. resinosa (Ericaceae) and evaluate its anti-inflammatory activity. Methods: Leaves, flowers and fruits were extracted separately by cold maceration with petroleum ether and 96% ethanol. The extracts obtained were fractioned using liquid/liquid partition and chromatographic methods. Their anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated with the mouse model of ear edema induced by 12-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA). Structural characterization of the compounds isolated was based on GC-MS and NMR techniques (experiments¹H,¹³C, COSY, J-MOD, HSQC and HMBC). Results: Separation of extracts and fractions by thin-layer and preparative column chromatography made it possible to obtain a mixture of triterpene compounds made up of germanicol, α-amyrin and β-amyrin, and isolate lupeol, methyl salicylate, 3,5,7,3´,4´-pentahydroxyflavone (quercetin), 3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimetoxyflavona and 3,5,7,3´,4´-pentahydroxyflavanol. It was found that the fraction containing the mixture of triterpenes and quercetin had an anti-inflammatory effect above 65%. Conclusions: The phytochemical study of the plant species B. resinosa revealed similarities between the chemical composition of the different organs, since common secondary metabolites were found in leaves, flowers and fruits, such as the mixture of triterpenes, lupeol and quercetin. It was also established that the mixture of triterpenes and quercetin is a strong anti-inflammatory agent, for it significantly reduced the mouse ear edema caused by TPA with inhibition percentages close to those of the drug of reference indometacin.