Flavonoid-rich extract of Cereus jamacaru: safety assessment and protective effects via NF-κB/MAPK modulation in an acute intestinal inflammation model.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cereus jamacaru DC., commonly known as "mandacaru", is traditionally used in Northeastern Brazil for its anti-inflammatory properties and as a digestive aid. Despite its widespread ethnomedicinal use, scientific evidence supporting its safety and intestinal anti-inflammatory effects remains limited.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the chemical profile, evaluate the safety, and investigate the protective anti-inflammatory effects of the hydroethanolic extract of C. jamacaru (CJHE) in a DNBS-induced experimental colitis model in rats.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

The chemical profile of CJHE was analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS. Acute oral toxicity was evaluated in female Swiss mice after single doses of 400 and 800 mg/kg. Colitis was induced in rats, which were divided into six groups: healthy control, DNBS, sulfasalazine (250 mg/kg), and CJHE (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg). CJHE was administered orally as a prophylactic regimen for two days before induction. Colon samples were analyzed by biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical methods, and fecal metabolites were profiled by GC-MS.

RESULTS

Seventeen flavonoids were tentatively characterized, mainly glycosylated derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol. No signs of toxicity were observed. CJHE attenuated colitis, reducing disease activity, macroscopic damage, and histological alterations (p < 0.05), while restoring mucosal architecture and increasing MUC-2 and ZO-1 expression. It decreased MPO and MDA levels, increased GSH, reduced TNF-α and IL-1β, enhanced IL-10, and inhibited MAPK1/ERK2 and NF-κB p65 activation. GC-MS revealed long-chain fatty acid methyl esters and phytosterols.

CONCLUSION

CJHE exerts protective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects by modulating key inflammatory pathways and preserving intestinal barrier integrity, without evidence of acute toxicity. These effects can be attributed to the presence of flavonoids.