Phenolic compounds have been scientifically recognized as beneficial to intestinal health. The cactus Nopalea cochenillifera, used as anti-inflammatory in traditional medicine, is a rich source of these bioactive compounds. The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical profile of N. cochenillifera extract and evaluate its acute toxicity and anti-inflammatory effect on 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (DNBS)-induced colitis in rats. The total phenolic content per gram of dry extract was 67.85 mg. Through HPLC-IES-MSⁿ, a total of 25 compounds such as saccharides, organic acids, phenolic acids and flavonoids were characterized. The dose of 2000 mg/kg of extract by an oral route showed no signs of toxicity, mortality or significant changes in biochemical and hematological parameters. Regarding intestinal anti-inflammatory effects, animals were treated with three different doses of extract or sulfasalazine. Macroscopic analysis of the colon indicated that the extract decreased the disease activity index. Levels of IL-1β and TNF-α decreased, IL-10 increased and MDA and MPO enzyme levels decreased when compared with the control group. In addition, a down-regulation of MAPK1/ERK2 and NF-κB p65 pathway markers in colon tissue was observed. The epithelial integrity was improved according to histopathological and immunohistological analysis. Thus, the extract provided strong preclinical evidence of being effective in maintaining the remission of colitis.

Terminalia catappa L. (Combretaceae) is a medicinal plant that is part of the Brazilian biodiversity; this plant is popularly used for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. To better understand the chemical composition of T. catappa in different seasons, we conducted a thorough study using LC-MS and NMR data analysis techniques. The study helped obtain a chemical profile of the plant ethanolic extracts in different seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter). The dereplication of LC-HRMS data allowed the annotation of 90 compounds in the extracts of T. catappa (hydrolyzable tannins, ellagic acid derivatives, and glycosylated flavonoids). Triterpenes and C-glycosyl flavones were the compounds that significantly contributed to differences observed between T. catappa plant samples harvested in autumn/winter and spring, respectively. The variations observed in the compound composition of the plant leaves may be related to processes induced by environmental stress and leaf development. Data fusion applied in the metabolomic profiling study allowed us to identify metabolites with greater confidence, and provided a better understanding regarding the production of specialized metabolites in T. catappa leaves under different environmental conditions, which may be useful to establish appropriate quality criteria for the standardization of this medicinal plant.

Nopalea cochenillifera (Cactaceae), popularly known as “palma” or “palma doce”, is from Mexico, but it was widely introduced in Brazil through crops.