Evaluation of the effect of aqueous extract of Croton urucurana Baillon (Euphorbiaceae) on the hemorrhagic activity induced by the venom of Bothrops jararaca, using new techniques to quantify hemorrhagic activity in rat skin.

Aqueous extracts of Croton urucurana (Sangra D'agua), a plant popularly considered a cicatrizant, were analyzed for anti-Bothrops jararaca venom activity. The plant extracts antagonized the hemorrhagic activity of the venom and proanthocyanidins were involved in this activity. Two new methods for the quantification of hemorrhagic activity evoked by bothropic venoms were employed. The first consists of graphic computer analysis of the hemorrhagic halo evoked in rats by dorsal intradermic administration of venom. The second method involves quantification of the hemoglobin present in the hemorrhagic halo. Based on the results, we suggest that these methods, easily implemented in the laboratory routine, allow for quantification of venom-induced hemorrhagic activity. In addition, this study demonstrates that the rich extracts of proanthocyanidins are powerful inhibitors of bothropic venom metalloproteinases.