Abstract Andirobeira is an Amazonian tree, the seeds of which produce a commercially valuable oil that is used in folk medicine and in the cosmetic industry. Andiroba oil contains components with anti-inflammatory, cicatrizing and insect-repellant actions. However, virtually nothing is known of the safety of this oil for humans. The aim of this work was therefore to investigate the hematotoxicity, genotoxicity and mutagenicity of andiroba oil using the comet and micronucleus assays, and to assess its antioxidant properties and lipidome as a means of addressing safety issues. For the experiments, andiroba oil was administered by gavage for 14 consecutive days in nulliparous female Swiss mice randomly distributed in four groups: negative control and three doses of oil (500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg/day). These doses were chosen based on recommendations of the OECD guideline no. 474 (1997). GC/MS was used to investigate the free fatty acid, cholesterol and triterpene content of andiroba oil in a lipidomic analysis. No clinical or behavioral alterations were observed throughout the period of treatment, and exposure to andiroba oil at the doses and conditions used here did not result in hematotoxic, genotoxic or mutagenic effects. Tests in vitro showed that oil sample 3 from southwestern of Brazilian Amazon had a high antioxidant capacity that may protect biological systems from oxidative stress, although this activity remains to be demonstrated in vivo.

Two compounds, (+)-catechin and epicatechin, were isolated from leaves of T. myrmecophyla, using chromatographic techniques. The structural identification was carried out on the basis of ¹H and 13C NMR spectral data and comparison with literature data. The compounds (+)-catechin and epicatechin were submitted to germination inhibition and radicle and hypocotyl growth assays. Results showed some significant activities confirming the initial hypothesis about allelopathic properties of that plant.

Cultura de calos foram estabelecidos de folhas e galhos finos de plântula de B. coccinea produzida in vitro e analisada para isoflavonóide. A quantificação do 6,9,11-triidroxi-6a,12a-desidro-rotenóide isolado das raízes de B. coccinea P Miller, coletada em seu habitat natural, e do mesmo rotenóide produzido na cultura de células estão descritos neste artigo. A análise rotineira em CLAE mostrou que a cultura de calos produziu o mesmo isoflavonóide encontrado nas raízes da planta do campo. A quantidade do metabólito secundário produzido in vitro foi de 955.35 µg/g de massa seca de callus, atingindo uma concentração de 2,5 vezes maior do que a quantidade do metabólito produzido pela planta em seu meio ambiente natural.

Calli cultures were established from leaves and stem of B. coccinea plantlet produced in vitro and analysed for isoflavonoid content. The quantification of 6,9,11-trihydroxy-6a,12a-dehydrorotenoid isolated from the roots of Boerhaavia coccinea P. Miller collected from its natural environment, and the same metabolite produced in callus tissue culture of the same plant are described in this paper. The rotinary quantitative HPLC analysis indicated that callus culture produced the same isoflavonoid compound found in the roots of intact wild growing plant. The amount of the secondary metabolite produced in vitro was 955.35 µg/g of dry cell weight, 2.5 times more than the highest amount concentration produced by the wild growing plant in its natural environment.

L-asparaginase production was investigated in the filamentous fungi Aspergillus tamarii and Aspergillus terreus. The fungi were cultivated in medium containing different nitrogen sources. A. terreus showed the highest L-asparaginase (activity) production level (58 U/L) when cultivated in a 2% proline medium. Both fungi presented the lowest level of L-asparaginase production in the presence of glutamine and urea as nitrogen sources. These results suggest that L-asparaginase production by of filamentous fungi is under nitrogen regulation.