Citation: Feijo, F.M.C.; Fernandes,
F.d.C.; Alves, N.D.; Pimenta, A.S.;
Santos, C.S.; Rodrigues, G.S.d.O.;
Pereira, A.F.; Benicio, L.D.M.; Moura,
Y.B.F. Efficiency of Pyroligneous Extract
from Jurema Preta (Mimosa tenuiflora
[Willd.] Poiret) as an Antiseptic in Cats
(Felis catus) Subjected to
Ovariosalpingohysterectomy.
Animals 2022, 12, 2325. https://
doi.org/10.3390/ani12182325
Academic Editor: Mandy Paterson
Received: 19 May 2022
Accepted: 30 August 2022
Published: 7 September 2022
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional affil-
iations.
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
animals
Article
Efficiency of Pyroligneous Extract from Jurema Preta (Mimosa
tenuiflora [Willd.] Poiret) as an Antiseptic in Cats (Felis catus)
Subjected to Ovariosalpingohysterectomy
Francisco Marlon Carneiro Feijo
1,
* , Fernando da Costa Fernandes
1
, Nilza Dutra Alves
1
,
Alexandre Santos Pimenta
2
, Caio Sergio Santos
1
, Gardenia Silvana de Oliveira Rodrigues
1
,
Alexsandra Fernandes Pereira
3
, Leon Denner Moreira Benicio
1
and Yasmin Beatriz França Moura
3
1
Center of Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural University of Semi-Arid Region—UFERSA,
Mossoro 59625-900, Brazil
2
Agricultural Sciences Academic Unit, Forest Sciences Graduate Program—PPGCFL, Forest, Bioenergy and
Environment Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte—UFRN, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
3
Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of
Semi-Arid Region—UFERSA, Mossoro 59625-900, Brazil
* Correspondence: marlon@ufersa.edu.br; Tel.: +55-(84)-98864-1017
Simple Summary: The pyroligneous extract from Mimosa tenuiflora was used as an antiseptic in cats.
The objective of this study was to analyze the action of 20% pyroligneous extract from M. tenuiflora as
an antiseptic for surgical wounds of cats subjected to ovariohysterectomy. In addition to the absence
of cytotoxicity, the number of bacteria was reduced after treatment. Tissue dehiscence, hyperemia,
edema, crust, and secretions were not observed. Thus, the pyroligneous extract of M. tenuiflora has
potential as a natural antiseptic alternative.
Abstract: Pyroligneous extract of Jurema preta (Mimosa tenuiflora [Willd.] Poiret) was evaluated for
its efficacy as a cutaneous antiseptic in cats (Felis catus) that were subjected to ovariosalpingohys-
terectomy. For this purpose, 30 cats without a defined breed were sterilized and divided into two
groups. The first group was the positive control, treated with 0.5% chlorhexidine-alcohol solution,
and the second group was treated with 20% pyroligneous extract of M. tenuiflora. Regardless of
age and sex, all animals had visible healing at similar times. A significant reduction in bacterial
growth was observed in animals treated with the extract, and no cytotoxicity was observed in the
feline epithelial cells. In addition, surgical wounds of cats treated with M. tenuiflora extract exhib-
ited improved healing. On agar plates, treatment with both chlorhexidine and M. tenuiflora extract
resulted in the inhibition zones for all bacterial strains isolated from surgical wounds. Therefore, M.
tenuiflora extract is demonstrated to have antiseptic effects on the surgical wounds of cats undergoing
ovariosalpingohysterectomy.
Keywords: medicinal plants; antimicrobials; antiseptics; sterilized
1. Introduction
Brazil is in a privileged position in terms of biodiversity, comprising several biomes
which includes Caatinga [1]. The Caatinga biome is in north-eastern Brazil, covering an
extensive area, and is composed of a rich biodiversity of native plants with antimicrobial
properties [2,3] due to their phytochemical components [4].
The use of plants for therapeutic purposes is one of the oldest forms of medicinal
practices [5]. In the decade 2010–2020, there was an increase in the use of alternative
therapeutic practices supported by policies, particularly the use of medicinal plants and
herbal medicines. Ethnobotanical studies have mainly focused on plant species traditionally
used for therapeutic applications [6]. Previously, research on the use of pyroligneous
Animals 2022, 12, 2325. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182325 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals