Abstract

Ilex paraguariensis (mate-tea) has been used to treat type-2 diabetes and emphysema. This tea presents antioxidant activity and promotes satiety, body weight lowering and improves bone mineral density. Blood constituents have been labeled with technetium-99m (^99mTc) and this labeling depends on the presence of a reducing agent. Stannous chloride has been widely utilized with this purpose. The influence of natural and synthetic drugs in this procedure has been reported. It was evaluated with effect of an aqueous mate-tea extract on the labeling of blood constituents with ^99mTc and on the morphology of erythrocyte. Blood samples of Wistar rats were incubated with mate-tea extract, stannous chloride and ^99mTc-sodium pertechnetate. Blood cells (BC) and plasma (P) were isolated. BC and P were also precipitated and soluble (SF) and insoluble (IF) fractions separated. The radioactivity was counted and percentage of incorporated radioactivity (%ATI) determined. Blood smears were performed for morphological evaluation. The data show a significant (p < 0.05) alteration of %ATI in BC, IF-C and IF-P as well as on the erythrocyte morphology. These findings could be related to the redox properties of the substances of the mate-tea extract, as well as due to the interference in the transport of stannous and/pertechnetate into the BC due to the morphological alterations of the erythrocytes.

Key words: Ilex paraguariensis, blood constituents, radiolabeling, morphology, technetium-99m, stannous ion.