Pharmacological safety of Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel in rabbits

Fruit peels of Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel are widely used in Brazilian traditional medicine, but no studies have proved the safety of its pharmacological effects on the respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems. The present study assessed the safety pharmacology of P. cauliflora in New Zealand rabbits. First, an ethanol extract (EEPC) was selected for the pharmacological experiments and chemical characterization. Then, different groups of rabbits were orally treated with EEPC (200 and 2000 mg/kg) or vehicle. Acute behavioral and physiological alterations in the modified Irwin test, respiratory rate, arterial blood gas, and various cardiovascular parameters (i.e., heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiography) were evaluated. The main secondary metabolites that were identified in EEPC were ellagic acid, gallic acid, O-deoxyhexosyl quercetin, and the anthocyanin O-hexosyl cyanidin. No significant behavioral or physiological changes were observed in any of the groups. None of the doses of EEPC affected respiratory rate or arterial blood gas, with no changes on blood pressure or electrocardiographic parameters. The present study showed that EEPC did not cause any significant changes in respiratory, cardiovascular, or central nervous system function. These data provide scientific evidence of the effects of this species and important safety data for its clinical use.