Effects of the Brazilian phytopharmaceutical product Ierobina® on lipid metabolism and intestinal tonus

Ierobina® is a Brazilian phytopharmaceutical product indicated for the treatment of dyspepsia. It contains the hydroethanolic extracts of Solanum paniculatum L. (Solanaceae), Remijia ferruginea D.C. (Rubiaceae), Jacaranda caroba D.C. (Bignoniaceae) and Erythraea centaurium (L.) Borkh. (Gentianaceae), species traditionally used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. The effect of Ierobina® on the digestive system was investigated in rats fed with normal or high-fat (HF) diets, at doses of 2.16, 4.32 and 8.64 mg/kg. The product did not affect the plasmatic levels of glucose, total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol in the evaluated doses, whereas the triacylglycerol (TAG) concentration showed a dose-dependent increase in HF-fed animals. TAG-rich lipoprotein uptake, estimated by measuring total lipoprotein lipase activity in epididymal adipose tissue, was accompanied by TAG increase in HF-fed rats, after Ierobina® administration. The product also induced a concentration-dependent relaxant effect on spontaneous ileum contractions and on the rat ileum pre-contracted with carbachol. Together, these results support the indication of Ierobina® as an anti-dyspeptic agent.