EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT ANNONA SQUAMOSA PEEL EXTRACTS FOR ANALGESIC POTENTIAL

Abstract

Medicinal plants are increasingly being investigated in order to find compounds of biotechnological interest. In this context, underused parts of plants reported as medicinal are of high interest for bioprospecting and sustainability. Sugar apple, Annona squamosa, is a fruit plant well used in Brazil and fits this profile. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the extraction of compounds from the fruit peel of sugar apple by different solvents and to evaluate which one has the best analgesic activity. Ripe sugar apples were collected in Recife, PE, and the bark powder was extracted with water, methanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform and cyclohexane. Screening was performed to identify several primary and secondary metabolites and an analgesic test was performed to confirm the biological potential. The yield was according to the degree of polarity of the extract, extracts with higher polarity showed higher yield. In addition, the aqueous and methanolic extracts showed a greater variety of constituents and greater analgesic potential, just over 50%. Water and methanol proved to be efficient in the extraction of compounds of medicinal interest from the peel of sugar apple. Of these, water is considered the solvent of choice, given the risk of toxicity caused by methanol.