Banca de DEFESA: YASMINE ROSA BATISTA SILVA

PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF Lippia Dulcis TREV. AND EVALUATION OF ITS HYPOGLYCEMIATING POTENTIAL IN MICE

Medicinal plants; Diabetes Mellitus; dyslipidemias, sweet mint; hypoglycemic potential.

Medicinal plants have been used for the treatment and prevention of diseases for centuries. Traditional knowledge about its use is the basis for research on the therapeutic effects of plants on diseases that affect the world's population. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by insulin deficiency in the body, hormones produced in the pancreas and responsible for glucose metabolism. Excessive sugar in the diet can trigger the appearance of type 2 DM, whose aggravations include problems in the body's organs and tissues, which can lead to death. Drug treatment for this disease includes the administration of oral hypoglycemic agents, which can have side effects. In addition, other health problems related to poor diet and sedentary lifestyle increase every year, such as obesity and dyslipidemia, which increase the risk of cardiovascular problems. The discovery of new drugs from natural products represents a great advance in the scientific community, since compounds derived from plants have low toxicity and almost no adverse reactions in the body, when used correctly. A Lippia dulcis Trev. is a bushy plant of the Verbenaceae family, from Central America and known as sweet mint in the North of Brazil, it is used empirically for the treatment of controlled problems, such as cough, flu and colds, among others. In cooking, due to the extremely sweet taste of its leaves and flowers, it is used in the preparation of drinks. Considering other studies with plants of the genus Lippia that have already shown potential for reducing serum glucose in vitro and in vivo, the objective of this research is to evaluate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic potential of the Methanolic Extract of the Aerial Parts of L. dulcis (MELD), in mice diabetics induced by alloxan, in addition to determining the chemical composition of this extract. Biochemical tests will be carried out in the animals to verify blood levels of fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile (triglycerides), total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and fasting insulin in blood, in order to evaluate the impact of EMLD in serum levels of animals. The acute toxicity of MELD in healthy animals will also be evaluated. Positive results in the reduction of glucose in vivo, as well as in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels, will contribute to the knowledge about this species found in the Amazon region, as well as to the understanding of the therapeutic properties of L. dulcis.