Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to compare the plant food diet of woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles arachnoides) inhabiting Intervales State Park in São Paulo, Brazil, with medicinal plant species used by humans in the surrounding areas of the park. The diet of a group of woolly spider monkeys living in an Atlantic forest area was recorded during 43 months of fieldwork. Fifty-three species (87 food items) were recorded. Plant specimens were collected and identified at the University of São Paulo and the Botanical Institute of São Paulo State. Using semi-structured interviews, ethnomedicinal data were also collected from four preselected respondents regarding the human therapeutic value of these plants. The study showed that 24.5% (13/53) of these species are used by residents around the park for medicinal purposes. Of these thirteen, seven species also have validated pharmacological properties, and three are utilized by local residents for similar medicinal purposes. Overlap in the plant food/medicinal diet of woolly spider monkey populations elsewhere were also noted, suggesting potential overlap in their medicinal value for humans and primates. The similarities between the ingestion of plants by primates and their medicinal use by humans provide a bio-rational for the search of bioactive plants in the primate diet. Further detailed investigation of their pharmacological and phytochemical value is warranted.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Hypericum thymopsis Boiss., Hypericaceae, is an endemic herb which generally grows at the calcareous steppe regions of Central Turkey. In flowering stage, the aerial parts of this species are used for wound-healing and sedation, and its infusions are used against stomach diseases and throat infections by local people. The aim of this study, to examine and to reveal of the morphology, anatomy and histology of the aerial vegetative and reproductive organs of the H. thymopsis, which are used in popular medicine and thus contributing to the pharmacognostic evaluation of the species. In comparison with previous published morphological description of the species, some different findings about plant height and leaf length were found. In addition, some morphological characteristics such as dimensions of sepals and ovaries, length of filaments, anthers, pistils and pedicels were examined here for the first time. The anatomical characteristics of stem, leaf, sepal, filament and pistil were studied using light microscopy and additionally for stem and leaf using scanning electron microscopy. The stem has the secondary growth, and circular shape. The leaves are amphistomatic and the mesophyll is dorsiventral. Stomata are anisocytic and sunken. The glandiferous emergences are present on stem and translucent glands exist in leaf mesophyll. Type A secretory canals are present in stem, leaf, sepal and petal cross section. While type B secretory canals are observed in sepal and petal, type C secretory canals are observed solely in ovary cross section. All the structural features herein found can assist the diagnosis of H. thymopsis.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This research is part of a larger study of the Brazilian species that are commonly referred to as "quinas" and used as substitute of Cinchona species. In this study, we have performed the botanical characterization of the stem bark of Remijia ferruginea (A. St.-Hil.) DC., Rubiaceae, by morphological and anatomical description, and the analysis of its chemical profile. Stem bark is thin and has the color and the texture of its external and internal surfaces as diagnostic features. Types and sizes of sclerified cells in the cortical parenchyma and in the secondary phloem are important features for analysis of the transversal sections and in the macerate. Alkaloids, flavonoids and chlorogenic acid were detected in the chemical analysis for TLC. These standard references can be used in the quality control of the bark of quinas.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The leaves extracts of some species of Bauhinia L. s.l. are consumed to treat diabetes, inflammation, pains and several disorders in traditional medicine in austral South America. Despite its wide use and commercialization, sale is not controlled, and botanical quality of samples is not always adequate because of plant misidentification and adulteration. Here, we characterized leaf vein pattern in nineteen taxa to contribute to the recognition and commercial quality control of plant material commercially available. The vein characters intercostal tertiary and quinternary vein fabric, areole development and shape, free ending veinlet branching and marginal ultimate venation allowed to distinguish the main medicinal species in the region.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Limonium brasiliense (Boiss.) Kuntze, Plumbaginaceae, is a plant from the southern coast of Brazilian that is used for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome, menstrual disorders and genito-urinary infections. The aim of the present study was to determine the quality control parameters for rhizomes collected during different periods by pharmacopoeial and non-pharmacopoeial methods, and to develop and validate a HPLC-DAD method for quantitative control of marker substances. The measured parameters were: granulometric analysis (d50 = 0.21–0.48 mm), loss on drying (11.1–12.4%), total ash (4.9–5.7%), dry residue by extraction with acetone:water (7:3, v/v) (30.6–39.5%), total polyphenol content (8.5–15.8%), and chromatographic fingerprint by HPLC and TLC. Besides, the acetone:water (7:3, v/v) extraction solvent in combination with a turbo-extractor, yielded the crude extract with a significant increase in tannins (F4,20 = 37.0, p < 0.001). The antioxidant potential of the crude acetone:water (7:3, v/v) extract, as well as the ethyl acetate and water fractions obtained after the partition process was evaluated by DPPH and the results were, respectively: IC50 6.87, 5.91, and 6.92 µg/ml. The validation parameters for the HPLC-DAD method showed adequate specificity, precision and accuracy. The gallo- and epigallocatechin contents were, respectively, 0.8–2.7% and 1.2–2.2%. These data contribute to analysis of the pharmacognostic quality control of the commonly used part from this species.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT A new isoflavonoid glycoside, iridin A (9), along with eight known isoflavonoids: irilone 4'-methyl ether (1), irilone (2), irisolidone (3), irigenin S (4), irigenin (5), irilone 4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), iridin S (7), and iridin (8) were separated from Iris × germanica L., Iridaceae, rhizomes. The structural elucidation of these flavonoids was achieved with the aid of extensive spectroscopic techniques and comparing with the published data. They were estimated for their α-amylase and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibitory capacities. Compounds 3, 5, and 9 showed α-amylase inhibitory activities with % inhibition 70.8, 67.5, and 70.5, respectively compared to acarbose (a reference α-amylase inhibitor). Moreover, 9 exhibited moderate antioxidant activity with IC50 8.91 µM.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This work describes the isolation, by high-speed counter-current chromatography, of the diterpenes manool, jhanol and steviol and the benzaldehyde p-oxy-2-ethylhexyl benzaldehyde from the stilt roots hexane extract of the mangrove plant Rhizophora mangle L., Rhizophoraceae. For this, a non-aqueous biphasic solvent system composed of hexane–acetonitrile–methanol 1:1:0.5 (v/v/v) was applied. As far as we know, only steviol was previously isolated in Rhizophoraceae and this is the first time that p-oxy-2-ethylhexyl benzaldehyde is reported.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT High-resolution mass spectrometry is currently used to determine the mass of biologically active compounds in plants and UHPLC-Orbitrap is a relatively new technology that allows fast fingerprinting and metabolomics analysis. In this work, several phenolic compounds including eleven phenolic acids, two fatty acids, two chromones and fourteen flavones were rapidly identified in the methanolic extracts of aerial parts and flowers of the unique Chilean species Ophryosporus triangularis Meyen, Asteraceae, growing in the Atacama Desert by means of ultrahigh resolution liquid chromatography orbitrap MS analysis (UHPLC-PDA-OT-MS) for the first time. The UHPLC-MS fingerprint generated can be used for the authentication of this endemic species. The methanolic extracts of the aerial parts and flowers showed also antioxidant capacities (65.34 ± 1.32 and 52.41 ± 1.87 µg/ml in the DPPH assay, 184.88 ± 13.22 and 196.80 ± 13.28 µmol TE/g dry weight in the ferric reducing power assay and 56.17 ± 3.03 and 65.41 ± 1.96% in the superoxide anion scavenging assay, respectively).

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Gentiana veitchiorum Hemsl., Gentianaceae, a traditional Tibetan medicine, was used for the treatment of liver jaundice with damp-heat pathogen, as well as for headache and chronic pharyngitis. A rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography, photodiode array detector, quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was developed for the fast and accurate identification and quantification of the chemical constituents of G. veitchiorum. In fact, eighteen compounds were detected and identified on the basis of their mass spectra, fragment characteristics and comparison with published data. Especially, the MS fragmentation pathways of iridoid glycosides and flavone C-glycosides were illustrated. Five compounds among them were quantified by UHPLC-PDA, including swertiamarin, gentiopicroside, sweroside, isoorientin, and isovitexin. The proposed method was then validated based on the analyses of linearity, accuracy, precision, and recovery. The overall recoveries for the five analytes ranged from 96.54% to 100.81%, with RSD from 1.05% to 1.82%. In addition, ten batches of G. veitchiorum from different areas were also analyzed. The developed method was rapid and reliable for both identification and quantification of the chemical constituents of G. veitchiorum, especially for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of iridoid glycosides and flavone C-glycosides.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The emergence of multiresistant strains of bacteria reinforces the need to search for new compounds able to combat resistant organisms. Medicinal plants are a great resource of bioactive substances, providing the possibility of obtaining molecules with potential antimicrobial activity. The aim of the present study is the evaluation of the antibacterial activity of extracts and alkaloids isolated from the root bark of Zanthoxylum tingoassuiba A. St.-Hil., Rutaceae, against four resistant clinical isolates and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. The dichloromethane and methanol extracts were fractionated by chromatography on silica gel, leading to the isolation of dihydrocheleryhtrine and N-methylcanadine, identified by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity of the extracts and isolated compounds was evaluated by the disc diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration was determined. The dichloromethane extract was the most active against all the tested strains and the two pure alkaloids were more active than the extracts. The anti-MRSA activity of the two benzophenanthridine alkaloids is demonstrated for the first time in this study. These compounds appear as potential leads for the development of new anti-MRSA compounds and could be responsible for the antibacterial activity, justifying the ethnobotanical use of Z. tingoassuiba and other species for the treatment of various infectious diseases.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Amburana cearensis (Allemão) A.C. Sm., Fabaceae, has been widely studied for its medicinal activities. Many neurodegenerative disorders are caused by oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity induced by glutamate and ultimately cell death. This study describes the chemical profile of the ethanolic, hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate extracts obtained from seeds of A. cearensis. The objective of this study was to investigate the chemical profile of extracts obtained from seeds of A. cearensis, as well as their cytotoxicity and neuroprotective effects in cultures of neural PC12 cells. Metabolite profile was performed by GC–MS. PC12 cells were treated with increasing concentrations of the extracts (0.01–2000 µg/ml) and the cell viability was analyzed after 24 and 72 h using an MTT test. For the excitotoxicity assay, PC12 cells were pre-treated with glutamate (1 mM) for 6 h and treated with increasing concentrations (0.1–1000 µg/ml) of the extracts. The chromatographic analysis of the extracts detected various compounds with antioxidant properties, with the majority of peaks corresponding to the isoflavone coumarin. Only the hexane extract showed toxicity after 72 h exposure at the highest concentration (1000 µg/ml). By contrast, all extracts increased the cellular viability of PC12 cells against the toxicity caused by glutamate. Therefore, the extracts from the seeds of A. cearensis showed no toxicity and have neuroprotective potential against neuronal damage induced by glutamate, which may be related to their antioxidant properties.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Euphorbia umbellata (Pax) Bruyns, Euphorbiaceae, is commonly used in folk medicine of southern Brazil to treat several kinds of cancer. The latex (part of the plant used for this purpose) is mixed with water and taken as treatment; but this matrix contains toxic potential related to the presence of some phorbol type diterpenes. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the crude extract of the bark of E. umbellata and its fractions (Hex, CHCl3, EtOAc and MeOH) using in vitro assay (applying Jurkat cells line). A preliminary cytotoxic study (MTT reduction, trypan blue exclusion and DNA quantification assays) was executed to identify the most active material. The CHCl3 fraction displayed the highest activity and was selected for further investigation of any cytotoxic mechanism and evaluation of chemical composition; flow cytometry, Acridine orange and Hoechst 33342 staining experiments and Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis were applied to achieve these results. This fraction demonstrated the best cytotoxic results against Jurkat cells line with IC50 of 29.00 ± 1.49, 10.06 ± 1.48 and 4.83 ± 2.25 µg/ml for 24, 48 and 72 h of experiment, respectively (trypan blue exclusion). The mechanism responsible for this action can be associated with the promotion of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The two main classes of compounds present in the CHCl3 fraction are steroids and triterpenes. Further, phytochemical studies with this fraction need to be evaluated, to try isolating these substances and establishing a more detailed cytotoxic study against Jurkat cells.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This study assesses the anti-arthritic effect of the affinin-enriched (spilanthol, main alkamide) hexane extract from the roots of Heliopsis longipes (A. Gray) S.F. Blake, Asteraceae, on a Freund adjuvant-induced arthritis model in rodents. The extract was orally administered at a dose of 2, 6.6, or 20 mg/kg; a significant edema-inhibitory activity in the acute and chronic phases was observed with a dose of 2 and 20 mg/kg, respectively. The extract showed higher anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects than the reference drug phenylbutazone (80 mg/kg). Moreover, the extract prevented the occurrence of secondary lesions associated to this pharmacological model.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Guavira fruits have antimicrobial, antioxidant, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory activities. Spray drying has been widely used in the food industry presenting good retention in bioactive compounds used to transform the pulp/fruit juice into powder form. Therefore, the present study has evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the microencapsulated pulp of Campomanesia adamantium (Cambess.) O.Berg, Myrtaceae, by spray drying. Different groups of mice were treated with the doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg of microencapsulated "guavira" pulp and inflammatory parameters were assessed in a carrageenan paw edema-model and leukocyte migration with pleurisy model, while the antinociceptive activity was assessed using the formalin method and CFA-induced hyperalgesia model. A significant reduction in leukocyte migration and in paw edema was observed in rodents in all time after carrageenan injection for both doses of microencapsulated pulp of C. adamantium when compared with control group. Microencapsulated pulp of C. adamantium also reduced licking time at the first (nociceptive) and second (inflammatory) phases in the formalin model. In CFA-induced cold and mechanical hyperalgesia, depressive behavior, and knee edema, all parameters analyzed were significantly inhibited by microencapsulated pulp of C. adamantium. Microencapsulation by spray drying proved to be a technique that promotes bioavailability and the preservation of bioactive components in guavira pulp.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The chronic and comorbid nature of HIV infection necessitate the use of multiple drugs including herbs to relieve symptoms with a possible increase in herb–drug interaction cases. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Millettia aboensis (Hook. f.) Baker, Fabaceae, on cytochrome P450 3A isoenzyme and the influence of this effect on the bioavailability of two antiretroviral agents. In vitro effect of ethanol extract of M. aboensis on intestinal and liver microsomes extracted from female rats was assessed using erythromycin-N-demethylation assay method while in vivo effects were determined by estimating simvastatin plasma concentrations in rats. The effect of the extract on pharmacokinetic parameters of orally administered efavirenz (25 mg/kg) and nevirapine (20 mg/kg) was determined in rats divided into groups (n = 5). Plasma drug concentrations were assayed using HPLC and pharmacokinetic parameters determined through a non-compartmental analysis as implemented in WinNonlin pharmacokinetic program. The extract inhibited both intestinal and liver microsomal cytochrome P450 3A isoenzyme activities in vitro and enhanced simvastatin absorption in vivo with possible inhibition of metabolizing enzymes as indicated by significant (p < 0.05) increase in maximal concentration, area under curve and mean resident time of the drug. However, further in vivo interaction studies in animal model did not produce significant (p > 0.05) changes in the pharmacokinetic parameters of efavirenz and nevirapine. HPLC fingerprinting indicated the presence of quercetin and kaempferol in the extract. These findings revealed M. aboensis as an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A enzyme but, with no significant effect on the bioavailability of orally administered nevirapine and efavirenz.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT A 33 Box–Behnken design and Response Surface Methodology were performed to evaluate the influence of extract feed rate, drying air inlet temperature and spray nozzle airflow rate on the process yield, stability parameters (moisture content and water activity) and on several physicomechanical properties of spray-dried rosemary extracts. Powder yield ranged from 17.1 to 74.96%. The spray-dried rosemary extracts showed moisture content and water activity below 5% and 0.5%, respectively, which indicate their chemical and microbiological stabilities. Even without using drying aids, some sets of experimental conditions rendered dried products with suitable flowability and compressibility characteristics for direct preparation of solid dosage forms. Analysis of variance and Response Surface Methodology proved that studied factors significantly affected most of the spray-dried rosemary extract quality indicators at different levels. The main processing parameter affecting the spray-dried rosemary extract characteristics was inlet temperature. The best combination of parameters used to obtain a reasonable yield of stable dry rosemary extracts with adequate technological properties for pharmaceutical purpose involves an extract feed rate of 2 ml/min, 80 °C inlet temperature and 40 l/min SA. The design of experiments approach is an interesting strategy for engineering spray-dried rosemary extracts with improved characteristics for pharmaceutical industrial purpose.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The increasing loss of local ecological knowledge may have negative impacts on the resilience of socio-ecological systems and may also negatively impact bioprospecting efforts, since local ecological knowledge is an important source of information for searching new drugs. Recent studies try to evaluate whether communities are experiencing loss of local ecological knowledge. However, some of them make conclusions which are erroneously based on specific analyses of a single indicator. We propose an integrative analysis of three indicators, namely: number of plants cited by young people and elders, therapeutic choices and people's connectance in terms of medicinal plant learning. The study was carried out in the community of Sucruiuzinho (Bahia, Brazil). We conducted semistructured interviews and a therapeutic recall with 24 local dwellers. We did not find evidence of local ecological knowledge loss in the studied community. Although younger people know fewer plants, they are well connected in terms of knowledge transmission. Moreover, in illness events, young people and adults have similar proportions of choice for plants when compared to allopathy. Concomitant use of the three indicators leads to a more realistic scenario of local ecological knowledge loss than the use of only one of them.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Four compounds including beauvericin, parahydroxybenzaldehyde, indole-3-carboxylic acid and quinizarin were isolated from endophytic fungus Epicoccum nigrum and their cytotoxicity, antibacterial and antioxidant activity were evaluated. Beauvericin had remarkable activity against two Gram-negative strains (Bacillus cereus and Salmonella typhimurium) with respective MIC values of 3.12 and 6.25 µg/ml. All the compounds had weak cytotoxic effect on both normal and tumor cells. LC50 values ranged from 40.42 to 86.56 µg/ml, 31.87 to 86.57 µg/ml and 21.59 to 67.27 µg/ml on Vero cells, THP-1 and RAW 264.7 respectively. The present study showed that these compounds could be developed for the formulation of antioxidant-rich therapeutic diets and as a therapeutic agent against bacterial infections.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Medicinal plants play an important role in human health care. It is estimated that about 25–30% of all drugs are evaluated as therapeutic agents derived from natural products. Research in the pharmaceutical industry has demonstrated that for complex diseases, natural products still represent a valuable source for the production of new chemical compounds, since they possess privileged structures. Among Brazilian biodiversity, "catuaba" is popularly used as a tonic to treat fatigue, stress, impotence, memory deficits, and digestive disorders. Studies show antibacterial, trypanocidal, antioxidant, antiarrhythmic, antidepressant, improvement of memory, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities, as well as phytocosmetic activity in cellulite treatment and in anti-ageing. The Brazilian plants known and used as catuaba are represented by more than twenty different species; however, the plant most commonly found in Brazil as "catuaba" is the species Trichilia catigua A. Juss., Meliaceae. Thus, the aim of this paper is to present a review of T. catigua, with emphasis on biological activities, chemical and analytical development and formulations in order to provide a broader and deeper insight, seeking a herbal medicine and/or phytocosmetic as well as future prospects for commercial exploitation and directions for future studies.