A Talipariti elatus Sw. Fryxell Flowers Extract Inhibits Histamine-Induced Edema in Mice

Introduction: Talipariti elatus Sw. Fryxell (Malvaceae) is a wooden botanical species that is endemic to Jamaica and Cuba. The main flavonoids identified in the flowers of this species have several biological activities, including the inhibition of vascular hyperpermeability induced by different stimuli. This work was aimed to assess whether a hydroalcoholic extract of T. elatus flowers (TFE) inhibits the edemagenic effect of histamine. Methods: The flowers were collected from T. elatus trees at Cerro Municipality in Havana. TFE was obtained with 70% ethanol and was characterized by a phytochemical screening. Acute oral toxicity was determined in both sex SD rats. TFE (67; 200 and 600 mg/kg) or ketotifen (3 mg/kg) were orally administered to male Balb/c mice 1 hour before an intraplantar injection of histamine (50 μg) and the edemagenic reaction determined as the paw weight increment. Results: Saponins, phenols- such as: tannins and flavonoids, anthocyanins, alkaloids, quinones, and coumarins were the major bioactive compounds in the extract. There were neither deaths nor any sign of toxicity among the rats treated with TFE. There was a significant inhibition of histamine-induced edema that was independent of TFE dose that was comparable with ketotifen. Conclusion: This was the first evidence of the anti- edemagenic effect of the 70% ethanol extract of T. elatus flower petals against histamine-induced edema as a result of the early stage of a research project that deals with the pharmacological study of this endemic species.