Identification of compounds present in two different Caatinga medicinal plants obtained in free markets in Senhor do Bonfim – BA: Análise dos compostos de duas plantas medicinais da Caatinga obtidas na feira livre de Senhor do Bonfim – BA

Medicinal plants of Brazilian native flora are consumed with little or no proof of its pharmacological properties, based only on users’ or traders’ reports. Although they are natural and, therefore, popularly considered free of side effects, medicinal plants’ toxicity is a serious public health concern, either because of the plant’s own compounds, either by adulterations or interaction with other medicines. Since these medicinal plants are usually sold in markets and free fairs by people without formal education, there may be labeling or manipulation problems, resulting in the absence of the desired effects or presence of adverse effects. In this work, compounds present in different medicinal plants samples found in Senhor do Bonfim free market (BA) were identified: six samples of Sene (Senna occidentalis; Fabaceae) and six samples of Umburana (Amburana cearensis; Fabaceae). For the compounds extraction of S. occidentalis, hydrodestilation was used, and for A. cearensis the compounds were extracted using maceration with hexane. All extracts were analyzed by GC-MS. Compounds in both plants had a high variation among samples, which can mean either that some of the medicinal plants sold in free markets belong to a species different from the announced one or, at least, that compounds found in the sample had degraded between harvest and sale

Atividade antimicrobiana de uma mistura de dois isômeros de glicosídeos fenilpropanóides de Arrabidaea harleyi A.H. Gentry (Bignoniaceae)

Arrabidaea harleyi A.H. Gentry (Bignoniaceae) is an ornamental plant found in some regions of the Atlantic forest in Brazil. From its bark a mixture of verbascoside and isoverbascoside was isolated. This mixture was shown to be active againstStaphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus mycoides, Enterecoccus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcensisand Candida albicans. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was established by diffusion method.Arrabidaea harleyi A.H. Gentry (Bignoniaceae) é uma planta ornamental, encontrada em algumas regiões da Mata Atlântica do Brasil. A partir das cascas do caule foi isolada a mistura dos isômeros verbascosídeo e isoverbascosídeo. A mistura mostrou-se ativa frente a Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus mycoides, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcensis e Candida albicans. Foi estabelecida a concentração mínima inibitória (CMI) através do método de difusão em meio sólido

Pharmacognostical study of Indigofera microcarpa Desv. (Fabaceae)

O estudo farmacognóstico de Indigofera microcarpa Desv. (Fabaceae) foi realizado enfocando aspectos farmacobotânicos e fitoquímicos para fins diagnósticos. A anatomia das folhas, caule e raízes foi descrita e a presença de características típicas da família e do gênero Indigofera foram confirmadas. A triagem fitoquímica revelou a presença de fenóis, taninos, flavanonas, esteróides, triterpenóides, saponinas e bases quaternárias.Pharmacognostical study of Indigofera microcarpa with diagnostic aims was performed. The anatomy of the leaves, stem and roots and the presence of typical features of this family and the genus Indigofera was described and confirmed. The phytochemistry screening showed the presence of phenols, tannins, flavanones, steroids, terpenoids, saponins and quaternary compounds

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and immunostimulant properties of saline extract from Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swartz (Fabaceae) leaves

281-289Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swartz is a species that originates in India and Central America and is widely distributed in the world. This plant presents important biological properties, due to the presence of some secondary medicinal metabolites, such as tannins, glycosides, flavonoids and diterpenes. In folk medicine, C. pulcherrima is used in different diseases as bronchitis, asthma, infections, wounds and eye irritations. The aim of this study was to perform a phytochemical screening and evaluate which biological properties the saline extract of leaves from C. pulcherrima have against microorganisms and animal cells. Results showed that 15 majority compounds could be found in saline extract distributed among phenol, coumarin and quercetin groups.Saline extract of leaves from C. pulcherrima also showed good results in antioxidant test and showed significant antifungal property against Candida strains. Moreover, the saline extract did not showed cytotoxicity against mice splenocytes and promoted proliferation in these cells. These results may be predictive for future studies using the saline extract from C. pulcherrima leaves as cell stimulant agent in a pharmaceutical phytotherapic formulation used in cicatricial and in vitro immunostimulant assays

Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Properties of Extracts from Plants Traditionally Used in North-East Brazil

The north-eastern region of Brazil is home to communities of diverse ethnic origins that still depend significantly on folk medicine, with emphasis on plant extracts. The present work aims at investigating medicinal plants used in the traditional medicine of north-eastern Brazil with an assessment of the antimicrobial profile of their extracts. The antimicrobial activity of 12 extracts from 11 plant species from eight higher plant families traditionally used was evaluated against three human pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae) using the Agar Disk Diffusion and Broth Microdilution assays. The cytotoxic effects were evaluated on human keratinocytes. A hydroalcoholic extract from Anadenanthera colubrina presented the most promising in vitro antimicrobial activity against S.aureus associated with low cytotoxicity towards human keratinocytes. The information gathered in the present study represents a starting point for further research aiming at providing scientific evidence to the empirical usage of medicinal plants in traditional practices

TECENDO INSTRUMENTOS METODOLÓGICOS DE INVENTÁRIO TURÍSTICO E CULTURAL PARA AS COMUNIDADES QUILOMBOLAS DA REGIÃO TURÍSTICA DAS SERRAS GERAIS – TOCANTINS

O Projeto de Inovação Pedagógica Tecendo Instrumentos Metodológicos de Inventário Turístico e Cultural para as Comunidades Quilombolas da Região Turística das Serras Gerais – Tocantins, possibilitou aos acadêmicos do Curso de Turismo Patrimonial e Socioambiental uma formação teórico-prática que permita, de acordo com as diretrizes do Projeto Político Pedagógico do Curso (PPC): “Desenvolver pesquisas, inventários, monitoramentos e manejos de atividades turísticas de modo a garantir que o desenvolvimento dessa atividade aconteça de acordo com os princípios da sustentabilidade [...]”, destacando ainda ser uma das competências, atitudes e habilidades básicas de formação do graduando em turismo. Nesse sentido, o projeto se apresentou como uma inovação pedagógica que tece as metodologias de inventário turístico e cultural, enquanto formação teórico-prática do turismólogo, ao articular o ser-fazer profissional, mas também os saberes e fazeres da sua trajetória pessoal, tecida como uma narrativa que tem como foco a articulação do patrimônio cultural e natural das comunidades tradicionais ao desenvolvimento de um turismo inclusivo, participativo e responsável que contribua para o processo de ensino-aprendizagem do graduando em turismo enquanto participante ativo na construção do seu conhecimento e de metodologias participativas que possam contribuir diretamente com o levantamento de informações contextualizadas que possam alimentar as bases de dados dos inventários do Estado do Tocantins

Síndrome de Chiari e Hidrossiringomielia com comprometimento neurológico: um relato de caso

A Malformação de Chiari (MC) pertence a um amplo grupo de raras deformidades estruturais da junção craniocerebelomedular. O tipo I da doença caracteriza-se pela herniação tonsilar ou amigdaliana cerebelar devido à anomalia da base do crânio e da parte superior da coluna cervical, além de a porção medial do lobo inferior do cerebelo pelo canal cervical também se protuberar através do forame magno, impedindo que o líquor flua normalmente através do canal. A real prevalência da doença é desconhecida, pois muitos pacientes com herniação cerebelar são assintomáticos e o problema agrava-se na fase adulta, com queixas de cefaleia intensa e, por vezes, parestesia. O objetivo deste estudo é relatar um caso de síndrome de Chiari (SC) em uma paciente de 53 anos, ao abordar sua apresentação clínica, diagnóstico e tratamento. Paciente do sexo feminino, 53 anos, foi admitida em um hospital da rede pública de referência se queixando de cefaleia occipital intensa e cervicalgia com irradiação da dor para os membros superiores, acompanhada de parestesia nos quatro segmentos. Relatou já sentir dor há 2 anos, mas apresentou piora do quadro clínico há 8 meses. Foi, também, observada incontinência urinária devido à dissinergia detrusora-esfincteriana por provável bexiga neurogênica. Foi, então, realizado exame de imagem de ressonância magnética (RNM) do crânio e da coluna cervical, com obtenção de sequências ponderadas em T1, T2 e STIR, nos planos sagital e transverso com contraste, o qual evidenciou leve alargamento medular, além de sinais de hidrossiringomielia difusa, com hipossinal na sequência T2 intramedular na altura de D1-D2 (coluna dorsal). Foi notada discreta herniação das tonsilas cerebelares junta ao forame magno, típica da SC, sendo, por fim, confirmado o diagnóstico. A paciente, no entanto, não apresentava hidrocefalia, mesmo com a interrupção do fluxo do líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR) para o canal vertebral. Ela encaixou- se nos parâmetros de indicação cirúrgica, sendo realizada craniotomia occipital, com acesso ao plexo coroide do quarto ventrículo do tronco encefálico com o intuito de elevar as tonsilas cerebelares baixas, herniadas no canal espinhal cervical e bloqueando o fluxo do LCR. Após a descompressão craniocervical, o curso do líquor foi restaurado e a paciente foi, por fim, encaminhada à sala de recuperação pós-operatória. A SC é uma rara doença que apresenta quadro clínico e alterações radiológicas complexas e extensas e, por vezes, o diagnóstico é retardado devido à inespecificidade dos sintomas confundidos com cervicalgias e cefaleias comuns. A hipótese diagnóstica deve ser embasada nas queixas do paciente, na anamnese minuciosa, exame clínico e nos exames de imagens, sendo a prevalência desta patologia de difícil definição e com faixas etárias distintas

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran\u27s eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R$^{2}$ = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R$^{2}$ = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Aim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

AimAmazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types.LocationAmazonia.TaxonAngiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots).MethodsData for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny.ResultsIn the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types.Main ConclusionNumerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions