CARACTERIZAÇÃO QUÍMICA DE EXTRATO E FRAÇÕES DE Morus nigra L. (Moraceae) E BIOPROSPECÇÃO NA MENOPAUSA: UMA ABORDAGEM TEÓRICA E EXPERIMENTAL

Abstract

Menopause indicates the end of women reproductive cycle the beginning of a hormonal imbalance that intervenes the quality of life and the wellbeing of many women. Humanity seeks from mother nature’s resources to soothe their pain and maintain the status quo, from traditional medicine multiple reports about plants with anticlimateric effects, Morus nigra L. stands out. Even thought menopause is a common condition nowadays, not many reports disclosure the inner mechanisms about the chemical and pharmacological about this species. Hence, this report shows the relation of metabolites from Morus nigra. leaves and their effects on menopause symptoms. In this study, metabolites from leaves of Morus nigra. were extracted and standardized by percolation with 7:3 hydroethanolic solution (v/v). After being dried the extract were fractioned with 7:3 water/methanol (v/v) solution and ethyl acetate, isolating metabolites by their intermolecular interactions with those solvents, specially flavonoids and phenolic acid which had multiple reports on literature about their phytoestrogenic activities. After chemical characterization by chromatographic techniques, most main compounds from Morus nigra were elucidated and tested by in silico docking with Estrogen Receptors. The spatial conformation and intermolecular activities were obtained and their effects under those receptors were elucidated. During the animal experiments ovariectomized Wistar rats were treated with estroprogestative drugs and both aqueous and ethyl acetate fractions. The results showed potential anti adipogenic effects from the rats treated with ethyl acetate partition when the blood levels of total cholesterol, HDL and triglycerides were reduced. Given those results, the ethyl acetate fraction seems to be the most promising towards the study about menopause.