Molecules (Jul 2020)

<i>Amburana cearensis</i>: Pharmacological and Neuroprotective Effects of Its Compounds

  • Juliana Helena Castro e Silva,
  • Rafael Short Ferreira,
  • Erica Patricia Pereira,
  • Suzana Braga-de-Souza,
  • Monique Marylin Alves de Almeida,
  • Cleonice Creusa dos Santos,
  • Arthur Morgan Butt,
  • Elisabetta Caiazzo,
  • Raffaele Capasso,
  • Victor Diogenes Amaral da Silva,
  • Silvia Lima Costa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153394
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 15
p. 3394

Abstract

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Amburana cearensis A.C. Smith is an endemic tree from Northeastern Brazil used in folk medicine as teas, decocts and syrups for the treatment of various respiratory and inflammatory diseases, since therapeutic properties have been attributed to compounds from its stem bark and seeds. Numerous pharmacological properties of semi-purified extracts and isolated compounds from A. cearensis have been described in several biological systems, ranging from antimicrobial to anti-inflammatory effects. Some of these activities are attributed to coumarins and phenolic compounds, the major compounds present in A. cearensis seed extracts. Multiple lines of research demonstrate these compounds reduce oxidative stress, inflammation and neuronal death induced by glutamate excitotoxicity, events central to most neuropathologies, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD). This review focuses on the botanical aspects, folk medicine use, biological effects and pharmacological activities of A. cearensis compounds and their potential as novel non-toxic drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

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