Persea major: Teor de Compostos Fenólicos Totais e Desenvolvimento Magistral de Gel para Aplicação em Endodontia.

Persea major (Pau de Andrade), is a plant native to southern Brazil known for its medicinal properties, focusing on the bark as a raw material. The growing interest in herbal medicine research stands out, moving sustainable resources towards the development of medicines. Persea major has traditionally been used due to its gastroprotective, antibacterial and antiseptic healing properties, although there is a paucity of publications on its use. Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of bioactive compounds, such as benzyl tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins, with pharmacological potential, including cytotoxic action against cancer cells. However, its potential in Endodontics remains little explored. In the present study, phenolic compounds were extracted from three different solvents, water, ethanol:water (70:30 v/v) and ethanol:water:acetic acid (70:25:5) and then the total concentration of phenolics was quantified by Folin-Ciocalteau method. The most significant result of total phenolic compounds was observed in the acidified hydroethanolic extract sample (439.9 ± 1.22mg/mL), followed by the hydroethanolic extract sample (153.2 ± 1.38mg/mL) and the extract sample aqueous (98.8 ± 1.52mg/mL). Subsequently, a pilot formulation of gel containing Persea major was developed for endodontic use, lesions to bacterial elimination in root canals, with emphasis on the eradication of Enterococcus faecalis, a bacterium known for its resistance to conventional treatments.A Persea major (Pau de Andrade), é uma planta nativa do Sul do Brasil conhecida por suas propriedades medicinais, com foco na casca como matéria-prima. Destaca-se o crescente interesse na pesquisa de fitoterápicos, visando recursos sustentáveis para o desenvolvimento de medicamentos. A Persea major tem sido utilizada tradicionalmente devido a suas propriedades cicatrizantes gastroprotetoras, antibacterianas e antissépticas, embora haja uma escassez de publicações sobre seu uso. Estudos fitoquímicos revelaram a presença de compostos bioativos, como alcaloides benzil tetraidroisoquinolinas, flavonóides e taninos, com potencial farmacológico, incluindo ação citotóxica contra células cancerígenas. No entanto, seu potencial na Endodontia permanece pouco explorado. No presente estudo, os compostos fenólicos foram extraídos por três solventes distintos, água, etanol:água (70:30 v/v) e etanol:água:ácido acético (70:25:5) e então quantificado a concentração total de fenólicos pelo método de Folin-Ciocalteau. O resultado mais expressivo de compostos fenólicos totais foi observada na amostra do extrato hidroetanólico acidificado ( 439,9 ± 1,22mg/mL ), sequida pela amostra do extrato hidroetanólico (153,2 ± 1,38mg/mL) e pela amostra do extrato aquoso (98,8 ± 1,52mg/mL ). Porterior a isso foi elaborado uma formulação piloto de gel contendo Persea major para uso endodôntico visando à eliminação bacteriana nos canais radiculares, com ênfase na erradicação do Enterococcus faecalis, uma bactéria conhecida por sua resistência aos tratamentos convencionais

Antifungal bioassay-guided fractionation of an oil extract of propolis

The study aimed to evaluate the antifungal potential of an extract of propolis obtained with edible vegetable oil (ODEP) and to identify antifungal compounds in this extract. Propolis sample was extracted with canola oil. After filtration, the oily liquid extract was submitted to solvent partition and dried to obtain ODEP, which was tested in vitro against Candida albicans strains. ODEP was fractioned on Sephadex and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Active fractions and/or a pure compound were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance, liquid chromatographic mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to characterize their chemical composition. Bioassay-guided fractionation allowed the isolation of dihydrokaempferide, which was also quantified in ODEP by HPLC together with the total flavonoid content. Kaempferide and isosakuranetin were identified by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS in fractions with a potential activity against C.albicans. In vitro assays showed that some fractions from ODEP produced better inhibition of C.albicans than the propolis extract itself

Composição química e atividade biológica de extrato oleoso de própolis: uma alternativa ao extrato etanólico Chemical composition and biological activity of oil propolis extract: an alternative to ethanolic extract

<abstract language="eng">Propolis is mostly used as hydroalcoholic extract. Recently there has been a growing number of patents dealing with new solvents for preparing propolis extracts. This study aimed to prepare edible oil propolis extracts and compare their chemical composition and biological activity with ethanolic propolis extracts. ESI-MS and spectrophotometric methods were used for qualitative and quantitative analyses, respectively. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by diffusion in agar. Cytotoxicity was tested by MTT assay using tumor cell lines. The oil is able to extract bioactive compounds from propolis. Further studies are needed to improve extraction efficiency and to characterize the active components