Abstract
The family Malvaceae includes some 2500 species, owing over 100 genera, in which Hibiscus (300), Sida (200) and Pavonia (150) are the largest ones. The latter showed to be rich in alkaloids and saponines constituints. Leaves of the specie Pavonia varians are used to treat infections diseases in Brazil. The fusion of the families Brassicacea and Capparaceae resulted in 4000 species including 400 genera. That may be exemplified by the species Cleome spinosa Jacq. (rich source of fwlavonoids), that was previously classified as Capparaceae and being sited now as Brassicaceae. The antioxidant activity of the polar extracts of both Pavonia varians (PV) and Cleome spinosa (CS) were evaluated in DPPH-method. The antioxidant potential of those extracts was also evaluated in microemultions systems (SME), as a medium to improve the dissolution parameters for testing those plants extracts. SME were performed by using a mixture of Tween 80 and Span 20 (3:1) as surfactant, isopropyl myristate as oil phase, and bi-distilled water consisting on two distinct compositions (SME-1 and SME-4). Ethanol was included as cosurfactant to one of these systems (SME-1); the other was maintained ethanol-free (SME-4). The microemulsions systems assayed do not caused any significant interference in the antioxidant activity results evidenced for Pavonia varians [CE50 = 114 μg/mL (SME-1) e 246 μg/mL (SME-4)] e Cleome spinosa [CE50: 224 μg/mL (SME-1) e CE50: 248 μg/mL (SME-4)], being P. varians more effective in SME-1.