Fauna used in popular medicine in Northeast Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Animal-based remedies constitute an integral part of Brazilian Traditional Medicine. Due to its long history, zootherapy has in fact become an integral part of folk medicine both in rural and urban areas of the country. In this paper we summarize current knowledge on zootherapeutic practices in Northeast of Brazil, based on information compiled from ethnobiological scientific literature.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In order to examine the diversity of animals used in traditional medicine in Northeast of Brazil, all available references or reports of folk remedies based on animals sources were examined. 34 sources were analyzed. Only taxa that could be identified to species level were included in assessment of medicinal animal species. Scientific names provided in publications were updated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The review revealed that at least 250 animal species (178 vertebrates and 72 invertebrates) are used for medicinal purposes in Northeast of Brazil. The inventoried species comprise 10 taxonomic categories and belong to 141 Families. The groups with the greatest number of species were fishes (n = 58), mammals (n = 47) and reptiles (n = 37). The zootherapeutical products are used for the treatment of different illnesses. The most widely treated condition were asthma, rheumatism and sore throat, conditions, which had a wide variety of animals to treat them with. Many animals were used for the treatment of multiple ailments. Beyond the use for treating human diseases, zootherapeutical resources are also used in ethnoveterinary medicine</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The number of medicinal species catalogued was quite expressive and demonstrate the importance of zootherapy as alternative therapeutic in Northeast of Brazil. Although widely diffused throughout Brazil, zootherapeutic practices remain virtually unstudied. There is an urgent need to examine the ecological, cultural, social, and public health implications associated with fauna usage, including a full inventory of the animal species used for medicinal purposes and the socio-cultural context associated with their consumption.</p

Spectroscopic evidence for a preferential location of lidocaine inside phospholipid bilayers

We examined the effect of uncharged lidocaine on the structure and dynamics of egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) membranes at pH 10.5 in order to assess the location of this local anesthetic in the bilayer. Changes in the organization of small unilamellar vesicles were monitored either by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-in the spectra of doxyl derivatives of stearic acid methyl esters labeled at different positions in the acyl chain (5-, 7-, 12- and 16-MeSL)-or by fluorescence, with pyrene fatty-acid (4, 6-, 10- and 16-Py) probes. The largest effects were observed with labels located at the upper positions of the fatty-acid acyl-chain. Dynamic information was obtained by H-1-NMR. Lidocaine protons presented shorter longitudinal relaxation times (T,) values due to their binding, and consequent immobilization to the membrane. In the presence of lidocaine the mobility of all glycerol protons of EPC decreased, while the choline protons revealed a higher degree of mobility, indicating a reduced participation in lipid-lipid interactions. Two-dimensional Nuclear Overhauser Effect experiments detected contacts between aromatic lidocaine protons and the phospholipid-choline methyl group. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy spectra revealed that lidocaine changes the access of water to the glycerol region of the bilayer. A 'transient site' model for lidocaine, preferential location in EPC bilayers is proposed. The model is based on the consideration that insertion of the bulky aromatic ring of the anesthetic into the glycerol backbone region causes a decrease in the mobility of that EPC region (T-1 data) and an increased mobility of the acyl chains (EPR and fluorescence data). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.99322924

Zooterapia popular na Chapada Diamantina: uma medicina incidental? Folk medicine using animals in the Chapada Diamantina: incidental medicine?

Este trabalho analisa o sistema zooterápico tradicional de uma população afrodescendente na Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. A pesquisa foi conduzida ao longo de oito meses de trabalho nos quais foram realizadas entrevistas livres e semi-estruturadas, registro fotográfico e identificação de espécies. Busca-se, além da apresentação de uma lista de produtos oriundos de animais e seus respectivos usos, iniciar uma discussão sobre as possíveis razões para crença no potencial terapêutico ou profilático das frações e produtos animais amplamente utilizados na medicina tradicional de populações brasileiras.<br>This study examines the traditional therapeutic use of animals or parts of animals by an Afro Brazilian population living in the Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil. The investigation was conducted over a period of eight months and consisted of open- and semi-structured interviews, photographic documentation and identification of species. Besides presenting a list of animal products and their respective use, we seek to stimulate a discussion about the possible existence of a rational basis for the belief in the therapeutic or prophylactic potential of the animal products used in the traditional medicine of Brazilian populations