Chemical properties and antiulcerogenic activity of a galactomannoglucan from Syagrus oleracea

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.05.066

A galactomannoglucan (GMG) with an estimated weight-average molar mass of 415,000. g/mol was obtained from an aqueous extract of the mesocarp of fruits of Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc. by fractionation by Sephacryl S-300 HR and Sephadex G-25. Chemical and spectroscopic studies indicated that GMG has a chain of (1 → 4)-linked β-d-mannopyranosyl residues attached to an initial chain of (1 → 3)-linked β-d-galactopyranosyl residues and a terminal chain of (1 → 4)-linked α-d-glucopyranosyl residues which comprised galactose, mannose and glucose in the molar ratio of 30:33:37. Results of the present study indicated that the polysaccharide GMG of S. oleracea significantly inhibited gastric lesions induced by ethanol, showing a gastroprotective property.

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.05.066

Food Chemistry 123 (2010) 1076–1080
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Food Chemistry
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem
Chemical properties and antiulcerogenic activity of a galactomannoglucan
from Syagrus oleracea
*
Bernadete Pereira da Silva, José Paz Parente
Laboratório de Química de Plantas Medicinais, Núcleo de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,
P.O. Box 68045, CEP 21941-971 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
a r t i c l e i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history:
A galactomannoglucan (GMG) with an estimated weight–average molar mass of 415,000 g/mol was
obtained from an aqueous extract of the mesocarp of fruits of Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc. by fraction-
ation by Sephacryl S-300 HR and Sephadex G-25. Chemical and spectroscopic studies indicated that GMG
Received 23 November 2009
Received in revised form 10 March 2010
Accepted 12 May 2010
has a chain of (1 ? 4)-linked b-
D
-mannopyranosyl residues attached to an initial chain of (1 ? 3)-linked
-glucopyranosyl residues which
b- -galactopyranosyl residues and a terminal chain of (1 ? 4)-linked a-D
D
comprised galactose, mannose and glucose in the molar ratio of 30:33:37. Results of the present study
indicated that the polysaccharide GMG of S. oleracea significantly inhibited gastric lesions induced by
ethanol, showing a gastroprotective property.
Keywords:
Syagrus oleracea
Arecaceae (palms)
Polysaccharide
Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Galactomannoglucan (GMG)
Antiulcerogenic activity
1. Introduction
gion of Brazil in August 2002. The identity of the plant was
confirmed by Prof. José Paz Parente, Federal University of Rio de Ja-
The genus Syagrus belongs to Arecaceae family which includes
about 3000 to 3700 species distributed among 240 to 387 genera,
out of which about 200 native and 200 exotic species of palms
grow in Brazil (Lorenzi, 1992). Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc.,
known in Brazil as catolé, is one of the native species which has
its origin and habitat in the northeast and southeast regions of
Brazil. Almost all of this palm is utilised by humans and animals.
The nuts are an important component of animal nutrition, and ker-
nels are used in the manufacture of sweets. Besides, kernel oil is
used for edible purposes. Due to its multiple uses, and to the fact
that this palm is easy to cultivate, its plantation becomes lucrative.
In Brazil, the palmetto of S. oleracea is used for the treatment of
stomach ulcers (Silva, 2009). As part of our ongoing efforts in dis-
covering new naturally occurring polysaccharides, we describe the
isolation, chemical characterisation and evaluation of the antiul-
cerogenic activity of a galactomannoglucan (GMG) from the meso-
carp of fruits of S. oleracea.
neiro, using bibliographic data (Lorenzi, 1992). A voucher speci-
men (No. LQPM-50) is maintained in the Laboratory of Chemistry
of Medicinal Plants at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The
seeds were separated from the fruits manually using a stainless
steel knife. The seeds were broken and the mesocarps were sepa-
rated and cut into small pieces.
2.2. Analytical techniques
Carbohydrate content was analysed by colorimetric assays,
according to the procedure of Dubois, Gilles, Hamilton, Hebers,
and Smith (1956), without previous hydrolysis of the sample,
and by gas chromatography–electron impact mass spectrometry
(GC–EIMS) of the alditol acetates (Sawardeker, Sloneker, & Jeanes,
1965). Protein content was analysed by the method of Bradford
(1976). The experimental data were tested for statistical differ-
ences using the Student’s t-test. The weight–average molar mass
of galactomannoglucan (GMG) from S. oleracea was estimated from
the calibration curve of elution using dextrans of known molecular
weight as standards (2,000,000, 413,000, 282,000, 148,000, 68,000,
37,000, 19,500 and 9500; Sigma) on Sephacryl S-300 HR
(5 ꢀ 85 cm; Pharmacia) (Tomoda et al., 1990). Dialysis was carried
out using tubing with an Mr cut-off 12,000. The optical rotations
were measured on a Perkin Elmer 243B polarimeter. Visible and
IR spectra were measured on a Shimadzu UV-1601 and on a Perkin
Elmer FT-IR 1600 spectrometer, respectively.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Plant material
The fruits of S. oleracea (Mart.) Becc. were collected from a ca-
tolé farm situated near Senador Pompeu, Ceará state, northeast re-
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 21 2562 6791; fax: +55 21 2270 2683.
E-mail address: parente@pq.cnpq.br (J.P. Parente).
0308-8146/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.05.066

B.P. da Silva, J.P. Parente / Food Chemistry 123 (2010) 1076–1080
1077
1H and 13C-NMR spectra were obtained on a Bruker DRX-600
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
GMG
NMR spectrometer operating at 600 MHz for dH and 150 MHz for
dC, in D2O containing sodium 2,2-dimethyl-2-silapentane-5-sul-
phonate as an internal standard. Gas chromatography (GC) was
carried out with flame ionisation detector (FID), using an SE-30
glass capillary column (0.31 mm ꢀ 25 m). Mass spectra were col-
lected on a VG Auto SpecQ spectrometer operating at 70 eV.
Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of monosaccharides was per-
formed on silica gel coated plates (Merck) in n-BuOH:pyridine:H2O
(6:4:3, v/v/v), and sugars were detected by spraying with orcinol–
H2SO4 (Barreto & Parente, 2006). Paper chromatography was
carried out on Whatman No. 1 paper using the following solvent
systems: (A) EtOAc:pyridine:H2O (2:1:2, v/v/v) and (B) n-PrOH:
EtOAc:H2O (7:2:1, v/v/v). Chromatographic detection reagent was
alkaline silver nitrate (Buchala & Meier, 1973).
F1
F10
Vo
Vi
2.3. Extraction
150 170 190 210 230 250 270 290 310 330 350 370 390
Fresh mesocarps of S. oleracea (2 kg), previously cut into small
pieces, were extracted with hot water (6 l) at 80 °C under stirring
for 1 h. The aqueous extract was filtered through Whatman filter
Elution volume (5 ml each fraction)
Fig. 1. Elution diagram of GMG polysaccharide from Sephacryl S-300 HR (0.1 M
Tris–HCl). Vo, void volume; Vi, inner volume; F1, initial fraction pooled; F10, final
fraction pooled.
paper (4 lm) and the filtrate centrifuged. By precipitation with
two volumes of EtOH (12 h stirring and 24 h standing at 4 °C), a
resulting precipitate was obtained following centrifugation and
subsequent lyophilisation (yield: 4.032 g, 0.20%). The amorphous
powder (4.032 g) was dissolved in 0.01% sodium sulphate
(900 ml) and added to 5% cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide
(180 ml). After centrifugation, the supernatant was poured into
two volumes of EtOH and the precipitate obtained was dissolved
in water (560 ml), dialysed and lyophilised to yield crude polysac-
charide (yield: 405 mg). It was extracted according to Pereira, da
Silva, Pereira, and Parente, 2000.
examination of the hydrolysis products of the oligosaccharides
and methylation analyses. The partial acid hydrolysis of GMG
was done according to Buchala and Meier (1973).
2.6. Molar carbohydrate composition and D,L configurations
The molar carbohydrate compositions of GMG (1 mg) and its six
partial acid hydrolysis products (100 g each one) were deter-
l
mined by GC–MS analyses of their monosaccharides, as their trim-
ethylsilylated methylglycosides obtained after methanolysis
(0.5 M HCl in MeOH, 24 h, 80 °C) and trimethylsilylation (Kamer-
ling, Gerwig, Vliegenthart, & Clamp, 1975). The configurations of
the glycosides were established by capillary GC and GC–EIMS of
their trimethylsilylated (ꢁ)-2-butylglycosides (Gerwig, Kamerling,
& Vliegenthart, 1978).
2.4. Purification of the polysaccharide
A sample of the crude polysaccharide (100 mg) was dissolved in
the eluent 0.1 M Tris–HCl buffer (2 ml; pH 7.0), and applied to a
Sephacryl S-300 HR column (5 ꢀ 85 cm; 1650 cm3) with a flow rate
of 1 ml/min. The carbohydrate content of each fraction was mea-
sured by spectrometry according to the colorimetric method re-
ported by Dubois et al. (1956). Fractions of 5 ml corresponding to
the peak galactomannoglucan (GMG) (1100–1550 ml) (Fig. 1) were
pooled, dialysed and freeze dried. The obtained powder was dis-
solved in water (2 ml) and applied to a Sephadex G-25 column
(1.5 ꢀ 50 cm; 15 g) with a flow rate of 1 ml/min and 5-ml fractions
were collected (100–150 ml). The obtained eluate was concen-
trated and lyophilised to yield GMG (23 mg). The carbohydrate
content of the fractions was measured. This procedure was re-
peated 7ꢀ to obtain GMG (92 mg), using the method of Pereira
et al. (2000).
2.7. Methylation analysis
GMG (1 mg) and its six partial acid hydrolysis products (100
each one) were dissolved in dimethylsulphoxide (200 l) in a Tef-
lon-lined screw-cap tube. Lithium methylsulphinyl carbanion
(200 l) was added to each solution under an inert atmosphere
and the mixture was sonicated for 60 min. After cooling to ꢁ4 °C,
cold methyl iodide (400 l) was added. Sonication was conducted
lg
l
l
l
in a sonication bath (20 °C) for 45 min. The methylation was termi-
nated by addition of water (4 ml) containing sodium thiosulfate,
and the permethylated product extracted with chloroform
(3 ꢀ 2 ml) and evaporated (Parente et al., 1985). The methyl ethers
were obtained after hydrolysis (4 N TFA, 2 h, 100 °C) and analysed
as alditol acetates by GC–EIMS (Sawardeker et al., 1965).
2.5. Partial acid hydrolysis of GMG
GMG (50 mg) was treated with 25 mM oxalic acid (20 ml) for
6 h at 100 °C. Only glucose and galactose were released. The insol-
uble residue was then heated with 0.1 M sulphuric acid (5 ml) for
6 h at 100 °C in a sealed tube. The hydrolysate was neutralised
with 0.1 M NaOH (10 ml), shaken with activated charcoal and fil-
tered. The aqueous phase contained galactose, mannose and glu-
cose and was discarded. The charcoal was then washed on a
filter with 1%, 10% and 50% aqueous ethanol solutions. Thin-layer
chromatography on silica gel coated plates showed that the first
eluate contained mainly monosaccharides. These oligosaccharides
were purified by paper chromatography using the solvent systems
A and B to give six components: 1 (1.1 mg), 2 (1.7 mg), 3 (2.5 mg),
4 (2.7 mg), 5 (1.5 mg) and 6 (3.5 mg). They were identified by
2.8. Periodate oxidation of GMG
GMG (25 mg) was dissolved in water (25 ml). After addition of
0.1 M sodium metaperiodate (25 ml) the reaction mixture was
kept at 5 °C in the dark. The periodate consumption was measured
by a spectrometric method (Dixon & Lipkin, 1954). The oxidation
was completed after 5 days, then 2 ml of the solution were used
for the measurement of formic acid liberation by titrating with
0.01 N sodium hydroxide after addition of one drop of ethylene
glycol.

1078
B.P. da Silva, J.P. Parente / Food Chemistry 123 (2010) 1076–1080
2.9. Smith degradation and analysis of products
showed positive specific rotation, ½a D20
ꢂ
+80° (c 1.0, H2O). The
weight–average molar mass of GMG was estimated to be
415,000 g/mol based on the calibration curve of elution volume
of standard dextrans from gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 HR.
The sequence of the sugar chain of GMG was established by
methylation analysis (Parente et al., 1985), periodate oxidation
and Smith degradation (Tomoda et al., 1978) and partial acid
hydrolysis (Buchala & Meier, 1973). The permethylated GMG was
hydrolysed with acid, converted into the alditol acetates, and ana-
lysed by GC and GC–EIMS. GMG afforded 1,5-di-O-acetyl-2,3,4,6-
tetra-O-methyl mannitol, 1,5-di-O-acetyl-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl
glucitol, 1,4,5-tri-O-acetyl-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl mannitol, 1,4,5-tri-
O-acetyl-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl glucitol and 1,3,5-tri-O-acetyl-2,4,6-
tri-O-methyl galactitol. GMG was oxidised with sodium metaperio-
date (Tomoda et al., 1978). TLC and GC–EIMS analyses identified
galactose, indicating (1 ? 3)-linked galactosyl residues. Glycerol
and erythritol were identified, indicating that (1 ? 4)-linked glyco-
syl residues exist in GMG. This result is according to that obtained
by methylation analysis. Controlled mild hydrolysis of GMG (Fig. 2)
with acid gave galactose and glucose as the main products. Further
hydrolysis of GMG gave the following oligosaccharides (Fig. 3): 3-
The residue of the reaction mixture was successively treated
with ethylene glycol (0.3 ml) and sodium borohydride (120 mg)
at 5 °C for 16 h, then adjusted to pH 5 by addition of glacial acetic
acid. The reaction mixture was treated with repeating addition of
ethanol followed by evaporation. The concentrated solution
(2 ml) was applied to a column (5.5 ꢀ 72 cm) of Sephadex G-15.
The column was eluted with water, and fractions of 50 ml were
collected and analysed by the phenol–sulphuric method (Dubois
et al., 1956). The eluates obtained from tubes 10 to 14 were com-
bined, concentrated and lyophilised (Tomoda, Satoh, & Ohmori,
1978). The product (1 mg) was hydrolysed with 1 N sulphuric acid
at 100 °C for 6 h, the hydrolysates were derived to alditol acetates
and determined by GC–EIMS as described by Sawardeker et al.
(1965).
2.10. Animals
Male Swiss mice (three months old, 25–35 g) were obtained
from the central animal care facilities, Health Sciences Centre, Fed-
eral University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mice were maintained
under standard laboratory conditions (12 h light/dark cycle, at
22 2 °C). Standard pellet food and water were available ad libi-
tum. The animals were deprived of food 24 h prior to the experi-
ment. The experimental protocol was performed according to the
‘‘Principles of Laboratory Animal Care” (NIH Publication 85–23, re-
vised 1985).
O-b-
-mannose (2), 4-O-b-
mannopyranosyl- -glucose (4), 4-O-
(5) and O-b- -mannopyranosyl-(1 ? 4)-O-b-
(1 ? 4)- -mannose (6). The isolation of these oligosaccharides
D
-galactopyranosyl-
-mannopyranosyl-
-glucopyranosyl-
-mannopyranosyl-
D
-galactose (1), 4-O-b-
-mannose (3), 4-O-b-
-glucose
D-galactopyranosyl-
D
D
D
D-
D
a
-D
D
D
D
D
shows that there are contiguous mannosyl residues.
Galactose and mannose were assigned the b-pyranose form
from characteristic peaks of 811, 871 and 891 cmꢁ1 in the FT-IR
spectrum (Barreto & Parente, 2006). A characteristic absorption
2.11. Antiulcerogenic activity
at 841 cmꢁ1 was detected due to an
a-configuration (Pereira
et al., 2000). The anomeric signals in the 1H-NMR spectrum of
Antiulcerogenic activity was evaluated by measuring acute gas-
tric lesions induced by absolute ethanol (Yamada et al., 1991).
Male Swiss mice in groups of five were fasted for 24 h before the
experiment and administered orally with 1 ml of pure water as
the negative control, or galactomannoglucan (100 mg/kg), or the
reference compound cimetidine (100 mg/kg) dissolved in vehicle
as a positive control. One hour after the treatments, all animals re-
GMG at d 4.64, 4.72 and 5.41 were assigned to (1 ? 4)-linked
b-D-Manp, (1 ? 3)-linked b-D-Galp and (1 ? 4)-linked a-D-Glcp,
respectively (Hua, Zhang, Fu, Chen, & Chan, 2004; Pereira et al.,
2000; Saulnier, Brillouet, & Moutounet, 1992; Tomoda, Shimizu,
Shimada, & Suga, 1985). The 13C-NMR spectrum of GMG showed
signals for anomeric carbons at d 100.4, 102.4 and 105.6, attributed
to (1 ? 4)-linked b-
linked b- -Galp, respectively. Others were present at d 77.5 (O-
substituted C-4 b- -Manp), 78.8 (O-substituted C-4 -Glcp) and
82.5 (O-substituted C-3 b- -Galp), and 60.1, 61.5 and 62.1 (unsub-
D-Manp, (1 ? 4)-linked a-D-Glcp and (1 ? 3)-
ceived orally 200 ll of absolute ethanol to induce gastric lesions.
D
The animals were killed 1 h after treatment with the ulcerogenic
agent and the stomachs removed, opened along the greater curva-
ture and rinsed with physiological saline to determine the lesion
damage. The degree of gastric mucosal damage was evaluated from
digital pictures using a computerised image analysis system. The
percentage of the total lesion area (haemorrhagic lesions) to the to-
tal surface area of the stomach was defined as the ulcer index
(Hamauzu, Irie, Kondo, & Fujita, 2008).
D
a-D
D
stituted C-6) (Barreto & Parente, 2006; Pereira et al., 2000; Saulnier
et al., 1992; Yamada, Kiyohara, & Otsuka, 1984). These data
showed that GMG extracted from mesocarp of fruits of S. oleracea
possesses certain structural characteristics: it is composed of gal-
actose, mannose and glucose in the molar ratio of 30:33:37 and
has a chain of (1 ? 4)-linked b-
tached to an initial chain of (1 ? 3)-linked b-
residues and a terminal chain of (1 ? 4)-linked a-D
D
-mannopyranosyl residues at-
-galactopyranosyl
-glucopyranosyl
D
3. Results and discussion
residues, as shown in Fig. 2.
Carbohydrate and protein contents of the crude polysaccharide
were determined to be 88.96% and 11.04%, respectively. The high
protein content of the crude polysaccharide is probably due to
According to the literature, complex mannoglycans isolated
from different sources have been shown to possess important bio-
logical activities, such as stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation,
promotion of antibody production (Ebringerová et al., 2008),
enhancement of phagocytosis and inhibition of capillary perme-
ability (Barreto & Parente, 2006). In order to confirm the utilisation
of S. oleracea in traditional medicine, the gastroprotective property
of the polysaccharide was investigated. The antiulcerogenic activ-
ity was evaluated by measuring the inhibition of acute gastric le-
sions induced by absolute ethanol (Yamada et al., 1991). Ethanol
tends to dissolve the components of the mucous membrane of
the stomach, bringing gastric blood flow to a standstill. This con-
tributes to the development of the haemorrhage and necrotic as-
the high content of a-(1 ? 4)-linked D-glucopyranosyl residues in
the polysaccharide (Pereira et al., 2000). The polysaccharide was
determined to be composed of galactose, mannose and glucose
by the identification on TLC of the acid hydrolysates and by GC
of the trimethylsilylated methyl glycosides derivatives prepared
from the monosaccharides. Quantitative determination showed
that the molar ratio of galactose, mannose and glucose was
30:33:37. The absolute configurations of the galactose, mannose
and glucose were determined by GC and GC–EIMS of their trimeth-
ylsilylated (ꢁ)-2-butylgalactoside, (ꢁ)-2-butylmannoside and (ꢁ)-
2-butylglucoside.
D
-Galactopyranose,
D
-mannopyranose and
D
-glu-
pects of tissue injury (Guth, Paulsen,
& Nagata, 1984). By
copyranose were identified. The galactomannoglucan (GMG)
macroscopic observations, in the control animals that received

B.P. da Silva, J.P. Parente / Food Chemistry 123 (2010) 1076–1080
1079
HO
OH
O
OH
O
HO
HO
OH
O
OH
O
O
OH
O
O
HO
OH
947
OH
O
OH
845
O
OH
768
HO
OH
HO
OH
Fig. 2. Schematic representation of the galactomannoglucan (GMG), where the values 768, 845, and 947 were calculated on the basis of the weight–average molar mass of
GMG (4.15 ꢀ 105) and the molar composition of galactose:mannose:glucose (30:33:37).
OH
O
OH
OH
OH
O
HO
HO
OH
OH
O
HO
HO
HO
HO
OH
O
OH
OH
O
OH
O
OH
OH
O
HO
O
O
OH
HO
OH
3
HO
2
OH
1
HO
HO
OH
O
HO
O
OH
O
O
HO
HO
OH
HO
HO
OH
O
HO
OH
O
O
HO
HO
HO
HO
OH
HO
O
O
HO
HO
OH
OH
HO
O
OH
O
HO
4
OH
5
6
Fig. 3. The partial acid hydrolysis products 1–6 of GMG.
only water before absolute ethanol administration, intense and
widespread gastric hyperaemia and thickened lesions were evi-
dent. In contrast, the stomachs of the animals which received the
polysaccharide showed an aspect close to normality, with signifi-
cant reduction in gastric hyperaemia and in number and severity
of lesions. This protective action is closely related to the reference
compound cimetidine at the same dosage (Singh et al., 2008). The
intensity of gastric ulcers was quantified by the percentage of the
injury area in relation to the control group (Fig. 4).
In the case of gastric ulcers induced by absolute ethanol, the
polysaccharide probably interferes with the ulcerogenic mecha-
nism, showing a cytoprotective property. The mechanisms which
protect the gastric mucosa against acute attack by necrotic agents
involve a variety of events (Galati, Monforte, Tripodo, d’Aquino &
Mondello, 2001). Among these, a crucial role is played by mucus
production, which is an important protective factor for the gastric
mucosa and consists of a viscous, elastic, adherent and transparent
gel formed by water and glycoproteins that covers the entire gas-
trointestinal mucosa. The protective properties of the mucus bar-
rier depend not only on the gel structure but also on the amount
or thickness of the layer covering the mucosal surface (Laine,
Takeuchi, & Tarnawski, 2008).
The use of this plant in traditional medicine against gastric dis-
orders can be explained by the structural similarities between the
galactomannoglucan and other antiulcerogenic polysaccharides.
For example, the main chain composed of (1 ? 4)-linked b-D-man-
nose may be responsible for the protection of the mucosa surface,
forming a protective coating, since this backbone is shared by the
bioactive polysaccharide isolated from Aloe vera, a medicinal plant
used to treat gastric ulcers (Chow, Williamson, Yates, & Goux,
2005). Additionally, the initial chain of (1 ? 3)-linked b-
ose and the terminal residues composed of (1 ? 4)-linked
D
-galact-
a
-D-glu-
cose can also be involved in the antiulcerogenic activity, as occurs
in the gastroprotective polysaccharide isolated from Cochlosper-
mum tinctorium, which possesses these type of linkages (Nergard
et al., 2005). Probably, these combined structural features syner-
gistically contribute to the mode of action of this high molecular
weight polysaccharide, protecting the mucosa by increasing the
mucus synthesis, preventing the penetration of the necrotizing
agent or interacting with the macromolecules of the gastric surface
(Galati, Monforte, Tripodo, d’Aquino, & Mondello, 2001). In conclu-
sion, these results suggested that the galactomannoglucan present
in the fruits of S. oleracea is potentially applicable as dietary fibre,
in a similar way to other polysaccharides of the same class
(Ebringerová et al., 2008) and as component of nutritional supple-
ments or pharmaceuticals with gastroprotective properties, justi-
fying the use of this plant as a food source and in traditional
medicine.
GMG
*
cimetidine
*
control
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by FINEP and CNPq.
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
Area of Gastric Lesion (percentage of total area)
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*
**
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