Resumo Croton floribundus, Euphorbiaceae, conhecida popularmente como “capixingui” é uma árvore nativa da Mata Atlântica. Na medicina popular é relatada a atividade do chá da casca caulinar de C. floribundus para o tratamento de leucemia, tumores e sífilis. O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever as características morfoanatômicas e estabelecer parâmetros para o controle de qualidade da casca caulinar de C. floribundus. Para isso, diferentes ensaios foram realizados, incluindo a análise organoléptica, morfológica, anatômica e histoquímica das amostras, além da caracterização dos cristais do tipo drusa por espectroscopia por energia dispersiva de raios-X. A amostra apresentou odor de mentol, cânfora e sabor amargo. A principal característica macroscópica foi a presença de periderme delgada com estriações. As principais características microscópicas distintivas da espécie foram: fibras gelatinosas calibrosas, idioblastos fenólicos, esclereides, numerosos idioblastos cristalíferos contendo drusa localizados no córtex e abundantemente nos raios parenquimáticos do floema, e ausência de laticíferos na casca caulinar. Com os resultados das análises foi possível descrever a morfoanatomia dessa espécie, contribuindo com futuros estudos fitoquímicos e farmacognósticos de C. floribundus.

Abstract Croton floribundus, Euphorbiaceae, popularly known as “capixingui” is a native tree of the Atlantic Forest. In folk medicine, the tea of C. floribundus stem bark is used for the treatment of leukemia, tumors, and syphilis. The aim of this work was to describe the morphological and anatomical characteristics of C. floribundus stem bark and to establish parameters for its quality control. Accordingly, different analyses were performed, including organoleptic, morphological, anatomical, and histochemical analysis of the samples, plus the characterization of druse crystals by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The sample showed menthol and camphor odor, and bitter taste. The main macroscopic characteristic was the presence of a thin periderm with striations. The main distinctive microscopic features of the species were: dense gelatinous fibers, phenolic idioblasts, sclereids, numerous crystalline idioblasts with druses located in the cortex and abundantly in the parenchymal rays of the phloem, and absence of laticifers in the mature stem bark. These analyses made possible to describe the morpho-anatomy of that species, contributing to phytochemical and pharmacognostic future studies of C. floribundus.

The aim of this study was evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of crude extracts from Eugenia uniflora, Libidibia ferrea and Psidium guajava. The extracts were obtained by turbo-extraction using water (AQ) or acetone-water (AC-W) (7:3, v/v) as solvents and lyophilized to obtain the crude extracts (CE). The CE were characterized by UV-Vis, TLC and HPLC. The activity of CEs was investigated against clinical isolates of Candida spp. and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), MIC50 and MIC90 were determinated. The analysis by TLC showed that all CEs presented polyphenols (flavonoids and tannins). The CEs from E. uniflora showed higher amount of polyphenols (30.35 ± 2.15%, AC-W) and the HPLC analysis revealed the tannins in all extracts. The CEs of E. uniflora showed MIC range from 1.9 to 500.0 µg/mL, and lower values of MIC50 and MIC90 against non-albicans Candida isolates. Regarding L. ferrea and P. guajava, the results showing MIC from 3.9 to 1000.0 µg/mL (CE-AQ) against C. albicans. The results demonstrate antifungal performance from CE against various species of Candida spp., suggesting that the herbal species may be use as new potential antifungal agents. Additionally, the polyphenol content can play a pivotal role in the antifungal properties of CE.

O novo flavan-3-ol contendo um substituinte fenilpropanoide apocinina E, juntamente com oito substâncias conhecidas, epicatequina, procianidina B2, procianidina B4, procianidina C1, cinchonaína Ia, cinchonaína Ib, cinchonaína IIb e cinchonaína IIa foram isoladas a partir do extrato acetona-H2O das cascas secas de Trichilia catigua. As substâncias cinchonaína Ib e cinchonaína IIb foram reavaliadas em relação à sua estereoquímica. Todas as substâncias foram caracterizadas por análises espectroscópicas incluindo ressonância magnética nuclear (NMR) 1D e 2D e espectrometria de massa (MS) de seus derivados acetilados. A configuração absoluta do substituinte fenilpropanoide foi determinada por espectropolarimetria de dicroísmo circular (CD) e pela análise do efeito anisotrópico empregando modelo de Dreiding, e por experimento de espectroscopia de efeito nuclear Overhauser (NOESY NMR). As nove substâncias mostraram maior atividade sobre o sequestro de radical livre e poder de redução do que o ácido ascórbico e Trolox frente ao radical livre 2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazila e no sistema do teste de redução do ferro (Fe3+-Fe2+).

The new phenylpropanoid substituted flavan-3-ol apocynin E, together with eight known compounds, epicatechin, procyanidin B2, procyanidin B4, procyanidin C1, cinchonain Ia, cinchonain Ib, cinchonain IIb, and cinchonain IIa were isolated from an acetone-H2O extract of the air-dried stem bark of Trichilia catigua. The cinchonain Ia e Ib were reevaluated to its estereochemistry. All the compounds were characterized by spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) of their peracetate derivatives. The absolute configuration of the phenylpropanoid moiety was determined by circular dichroism (CD) spectra and by analyzing the anisotropic effects in the Dreiding model and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOESY NMR) experiments. The nine isolated compounds showed higher radical scavenging activity and reducing power than ascorbic acid and Trolox in the free-radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and Fe3+-Fe2+ reduction assay systems.

Atividade antioxidante de extrato, frações, subfrações e substâncias isoladas das cascas de Stryphnodendron obovatum Benth. foi avaliada através da redução do radical 1,1-difenil-2-picrilhidrazila (método DDPH·) em cromatografia em camada delgada. O extrato bruto (CE, acetona:água), as frações acetato de etila (EtOAc) e aquosa (FW), as subfrações (F1-F12) e as substâncias isoladas I, II e III apresentaram a capacidade de reduzir o radical DDPH·. A atividade antifúngica foi determinada pela concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) e concentração fungicida mínima (CFM) frente às amostras de leveduras Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei e Candida tropicalis. O extrato bruto (CE), as frações (EtOAC e FW), e os compostos isolados I, II e III, como também as subfrações cromatográficas (F1-F12) foram inativos frente a todas as leveduras testadas. Por outro lado, as subfrações cromatográficas F13-15 e F20 apresentaram atividade antifúngica moderada. Já as subfrações F16-19 e F21-22 mostraram boa atividade antifúngica frente às cepas de C. albicans e C. parapsilosis. As substâncias I, II, e III, isoladas da fração EtOAc por cromatografia e recromatografia em coluna de Sephadex® LH-20, foram identificadas como sendo os monômeros de flavan-3-ol, epigalocatequina e galocatequina, e um dímero, epigalocatequina-(4<FONT FACE=Symbol>b®</FONT>8)-galocatequina, respectivamente.

The antioxidant activity of stem-bark extracts from Stryphnodendron obovatum Benth., including fractions and isolated compounds, was evaluated by DPPH in thin-layer chromatography. All the fractions and isolated compounds showed antioxidant activity. Antifungal activity was determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) against the yeasts Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis. All extracts (CE, EtOAc and FW), subfractions (F1-F12) and the compounds I, II and III were inactive against the yeasts. Against C. parapsilosis and C. albicans, fractions F13-15 and F20 showed moderate antifungal activity, and fractions F16-19 and F21-22 showed good activity. Chemical isolation of the ethyl-acetate fraction resulted in the identification of three compounds: epigallocatechin, gallocatechin and epigallocatechin-(4<FONT FACE=Symbol>b®</FONT>8)-gallocatechin.