Natural Products as Promising Pharmacological Tools for the Management of Fibromyalgia Symptoms – A Review

Fibromyalgia (FM) is the second most common rheumatologic disorder, affecting 5% of the world population, and has a serious effect on the quality of life of patients, as well as an economic impact through lost workdays. This pain syndrome is a common cause of chronic widespread pain and is characterized by reduced pressure pain thresholds with hyperalgesia and allodynia, nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and mood disturbances. The pharmacological treatment strategies for FM include the use of antidepressants, calcium channel modulators, muscle relaxants, and analgesics but have shown limited efficacy and therapeutic adherence. Thus, researchers have been seeking potential substances (new chemical entities or through drug repositioning) that could be used for FM treatment. In this context, natural products (NPs) have been shown to be promising pharmacological tools due to the variety of their pharmacological activity and the number of molecular sites available as possible active targets. Recent clinical and preclinical studies have been conducted to verify the possible applicability of NPs such as essential oils (EOs), plants extracts, terpenes, sapogenins, and alkaloids in the treatment of FM. The results have shown that natural products have an analgesic effect in different animal models of FM, probably by activation of inhibitory descending pathways, such as the periaqueductal gray and rostroventromedial medulla. Natural products and their secondary metabolites could therefore be a promising source for FM management. However, translational studies that seek to validate the preclinical studies are scarce, incipient, and lacking an approach focused on the traditional pharmaceutical market

Uso de plantas medicinais em uma unidade de saúde da família no município de Juazeiro-BA

The use of plants for the practice of folk medicine is very old, and it is important to heal and prevent diseases. Moreover, there is a race against the loss of traditional folk knowledge about plants and herbs which are used to heal people from various diseases. It was conducted a study in Juazeiro-BA with health professionals and users of herbs about the plants which are therapeutically used, and how this knowledge could be transmitted to younger generations. The aim of this study is to give a scientific support to the use of medicinal plants in the Vale do São Francisco. The results suggest that the professionals need more effective actions in the training on the use of plants, and highlight that the population need a good empirical knowledge as well.El uso de plantas para la práctica de la medicina popular es muy antigua y tiene muy importancia en la cura y la prevención de enfermedades. Por otro lado, hay una carrera contra la pérdida de conocimiento popular tradicional de las plantas y hierbas para la cura de diversas enfermedades. Se realizó un estudio en Juazeiro-BA con profesionales sanitarios y usuarios de plantas medicinales sobrea hierbas utilizadas con fines terapéuticos, y la transferencia de este conocimiento a las generaciones más jóvenes. El objetivo de este trabajo es dar un apoyo científico a la utilización de plantas medicinales en el Valle del São Francisco. Los resultados sugieren acciones más efectivas en la formación profesional en el uso de las plantas, así como un buen conocimiento empírico sobre la parte de la población.O uso de plantas para a prática da medicina popular é bastante antigo, tendo a sua importância na cura e na prevenção de enfermidades. Por outro lado, há uma corrida contra a perda do conhecimento popular tradicional de plantas e ervas para a cura das mais diversas patologias. Realizou-se um estudo no município de Juazeiro-BA com profissionais de saúde e usuários de plantas medicinais acerca de plantas utilizadas terapeuticamente, e a transmissão desse conhecimento às gerações mais novas. O objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para dar um suporte científico ao uso de plantas medicinais no Vale do São Francisco. Os resultados sugerem ações mais efetivas na capacitação dos profissionais quanto ao uso de plantas, bem como um bom conhecimento empírico por parte da população

Análisis fitoquímico, actividad antibacteriana y acción moduladora de antibióticos de Jatropha mollissima (Pohl.) Baill. (Euphorbia­ceae)

The emergence of resistant bacterial strains and the significant increase in side effects of currently available antibacterial drugs have made it urgent to develop research to identify new bioactives antibacterial compounds. Jatropha mollissima is a plant endemic to the Caatinga biome, Brazil and this species has antioxidant, antibacterial and antiproliferative action. The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and modulatory potentials of J. mollissima against multiresistant bacterial strains. The phytochemical profile was obtained from gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. J. mollissima presented moderate antibacterial activity and modulated the activity of the antibiotic Norfloxacin, promoting an antagonistic relationship. This was the first study of this nature carried out with J. mollissima.La aparición de cepas bacterianas resistentes y los efectos secundarios de sus fármacos disponibles han hecho investigar nuevos compuestos antibacterianos bioactivos. Jatropha mollissima es una planta endémica del bioma Caatinga, Brasil. Existen informes en la literatura de que esta especie tiene acción antioxidante, antibacteriana y antiproliferativa. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el potencial antibacteriano y modulador de J. mollissima contra cepas bacterianas multirresistentes. El perfil fitoquímico se obtuvo por cromatografía de gases junto con espectrometría de masas. J. mollissima mostró actividad antibacteriana moderada y moduló la actividad del antibiótico Norfloxacino, promoviendo una relación antagonista. Este fue el primer estudio de este tipo realizado con J. mollissima

Alcaloides e outros constituintes de Xylopia langsdorffiana (Annonaceae)

The phytochemical investigation of Xylopia langsdorffiana led to the isolation of corytenchine, xylopinine, discretamine, xylopine, ent-atisan-16α-hydroxy-18-oic acid, 13² (S) hydroxy-17³-ethoxyphaephorbide and quercetin-3-α-rhamnoside. Their structures were assigned based on spectroscopic analyses, including two-dimensional NMR techniques. Antioxidant activities of discretamine were measured using the 1,2-diphenyl- 2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay

Phytochemical screening and evaluation of cytotoxicity of stem bark extracts of Anaxagorea dolichocarpa and Duguetia chrysocarpa (Annonaceae)

Purpose: To investigate the phytochemistry and cytotoxic activity of stem bark extracts from Anaxagorea dolichocarpa and Duguetia chrysocarpa - two species of the Annonaceae family.Methods: The crude ethanol bark extracts (EtOH) of the plants were obtained by maceration. The crude extracts were suspended in a mixture of methanol (MeOH) and water (H2O) (proportion 3:7 v/v) and partitioned with hexane, chloroform (CHCl3) and ethyl acetate (AcOEt) in ascending order of polarity to obtain the respective fractions. The extracts were evaluated on thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates of silica gel to highlight the main groups of secondary metabolites. Cytotoxicity was tested against human tumor cell lines - OVCAR-8 (ovarian), SF-295 (brain) and HCT-116 (colon) - using 3- (4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.Results: The screening results demonstrated that all the extracts were positive for the presence of flavonoids and tannins. The presence of alkaloids also was detected in some extracts. The hexane extract of A. dolichocarpa showed the strongest cytotoxicity against HCT-116 with cell growth inhibition of 89.02 %.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate for the first time the cytotoxic activity of the extracts of A. dolichocarpa and D. chrysocarpa, thus providing some evidence that plants of the Annonaceae family are a source of active secondary metabolites with cytotoxic activity.Keywords: Annonaceae, Anaxagorea dolichocarpa, Duguetia chrysocarpa, Anti-cancer agents, Ovarian, brain and colon cell line

Amburana cearensis: uma revisão química e farmacológica

Amburana cearensis, conhecida popularmente como “umburana-de-cheiro” ou “cumaru”, é uma planta arbórea amplamente distribuída no Nordeste brasileiro, sua madeira é utilizada na movelaria e tem apreciáveis propriedades terapêuticas na medicina popular. Vários compostos já foram isolados e identificados da A. cearensis, incluindo: ácido protocatecuico, cumarinas, flavonóides (isocampferídeo, campferol, afrormosina, 4’-metoxi-fisetina e quercetina) e glicosídeos fenólicos (amburosídeo A e B), entre outros. Apresenta atividade antiinflamatória, analgésica, antiespasmódica e broncodilatadora. Apesar de sua importância econômica e farmacológica, poucos estudos são encontrados na literatura especializada. Portanto, o presente trabalho buscou fazer uma revisão da química e farmacologia dessa espécie vegetalAmburana cearensis, popularly known as "umburana-de-cheiro" or "cumaru" is a tree widely distributed in northeastern of Brazil, its wood is used in furniture making and has considerable therapeutic properties in folk medicine. Several compounds have been isolated and identified from A. cearensis, including protocatechuic acid, coumarins, flavonoids (isokaempferide, kaempferol, afrormosin and 4’-methoxyfisetin) and the phenol glucosides (amburosides A and B) among others. This species has antiinflammatory, analgesic, antispasmodic and bronchodilator. Despite its economic and pharmacology importance few studies are found in the literature about that species. Therefore, this study attempts to review the chemistry and pharmacology of this plant specie