Author(s): Daivyane Aline Mota da Rocha, Jorge Belém Oliveira-Júnior, Wêndeo Kennedy Costa, Janderson Weydson Lopes Menezes da Silva, Janaina Carla Barbosa Machado, Magda Rhayanny A Ferreira, Luiz Alberto Lira Soares, Márcia Vanusa da Silva, Fábio André Brayner and Luiz Carlos Alves

Abstract: Brazil’s biodiversity combined with its sociodiversity contributes to the development of phytotherapy in the country, and the Caatinga biome is the main and largest ecosystem in northeastern Brazil. This biome is composed of several vegetal species, among them, Aspidosperma pyrifolium, popularly known as pereiro, and widely used by folk medicine. This article aimed to determine the phytochemical characterization and antioxidant, hemolytic and antimicrobial activity of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts from leaf and stem bark of A. pyrifolium. It was possible to identify the presence of cinnamic derivatives and flavonoids in all extracts of A. pyrifolium. The activity of removal of free radicals from A. pyrifolium extracts ranged between 5196 to 748.8 μg/mL, whereas ABTS values ranged from 1891 to 223 μg/mL, while TAC from 3827 to 726.4 μg/mL. The total phenol content of A. pyrifolium A. pyrifoliu ranged from 185 to 54 mg GAE/g and the flavonoids remained in the range of 6.13 to 2.33 mg QE/g. The hemolytic percentage of aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts from leaf were 4.07%, 11.46% and 29.27%, respectively, in the highest concentration tested (2000 µg/mL). Aqueous stem bark extract was responsible for 3.26% of hemolytic activity, followed by methanolic (9.07%) and ethanolic (37.46%). It was not possible to observe antimicrobial activity against bacterial strains tested at concentrations from 2000 to 125 μg/mL. Therefore, other studies in higher concentrations of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts from the leaf and stem bark of A. pyrifolium are necessary, considering the obtaining of bioactive substances for therapeutic purposes.