Abstract

PINEDA P, Neuman et al. Irritant effect in vitro of the gel made with aqueous extract of the mesocarp of Hylocereus megalanthus (Cactaceae)"pitahaya" by the HET-CAM method. Arnaldoa [online]. 2019, vol.26, n.1, pp.369-380. ISSN 1815-8242.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22497/arnaldoa.261.26118.

In this study, we evaluated in vitro the irritant effect of the gel made with aqueous extract of mesocarp of Hylocereus megalanthus (Cactaceae) "pitahaya" using the HET-CAM method to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the formulation. The pitahaya fruits were collected in the province of Huaral, department of Lima, in the area called Virgen de la Esperanza, at an altitude of 190 meters above sea level. The gel was prepared based on carbopol, triethanolamine and deionized water; its preparation took place in the Pharmaceutical Industry Laboratory of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biochemistry of the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega University. For the elaboration of the aqueous extract, we used 300 g of mesocarp of Hylocereus megalanthus "pitahaya" per liter of water, concentrating the solvent with the help of a rotavap. The gel concentrations prepared with the aqueous extract were 0.5 % and 1 %, and NaOH 0.1N and SLS were used as a positive control. The phytochemical study determined the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, quinones, glycosides, terpenoids and phenols. The pharmaceutical formulations made with the gel kept the chorioallantoic membrane intact without causing an irritant effect; the control based on sodium hydroxide and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) turned out to be moderate and severe irritant. According to the HET-CAM method, the irritation index obtained for all aqueous extract formulations of the mesocarp of Hylocereus megalanthus "pitahaya" allowed classifying the product as nonirritating. The formulation is expected to be used in phase I tests.

Keywords : irritating effect; pitahaya extract; gel; mesocarp; chorioallantoic membrane.

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