MEDICINAL PLANT TRADE AS A BUSINESS ALTERNATIVE IN ARAGUARI, MG, BRAZIL

The use of products based on medicinal plants has arisen as a strong trend worldwide. They comprise a promising market which has already reach expressive figures and become an attractive business environment. However, despite the social and economic importance these plants have, neither Brazil nor Minas Gerais (MG) state have adequately invested in their production, industrialization and distribution. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the existence of trade patterns of medicinal plants at the Araguari Public Market in Araguari, a city located in MG, Brazil. The methodology comprised semi-structured interviews which were answered by medicinal plant salespersons on appropriate forms. Informants mentioned the sixteen most sold medicinal plants; regarding the number of species, the family Fabaceae stood out. Most identified species are tree-like plants that are native to biomes, such as the Cerrado and the Mata Atlântica. This study showed that medicinal plant production and trade follow a local pattern, i. e., plants are bought from third parties with no minimum quality standard, except in city pharmacies, where quality control is strict. However, concerning the Araguari Public Market, there is need to implement public policies on professional training aiming at people who sell medicinal plants, so as to add value to popular knowledge about these plants and to make clients develop trust in these services.                  &nbsp

Fatphobia and the polemic “romanticization of obesity” through the eyes of Brazilian high school students

ABSTRACT: Prejudice against fat people, the so-called fatphobia, keeps affecting many people in schools. Body standardization has always been socially internalized but it is sad to know that cases of fatphobia keep taking place in schools and outside them. The fat are stereotyped as unable and are rarely chosen by their classmates to take part in collective activities. Besides, they are often embarrassed and offended. On the other hand, it is now more common to see people advocating obesity as a movement which makes people accept their own bodies in an attempt to end prejudice. As a current theme, the polemic romanticization of obesity is a risk when only the aesthetic appeal is considered. Above all, obesity is a disease that is associated with several comorbidities, such as diabetes, hepatic steatosis and arterial hypertension. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating how this issue is understood by High School students who attend the Instituto Federal do Triângulo Mineiro - Campus Uberlândia Centro, in Uberlândia, MG, Brazil, and how it affects their everyday lives. This basic, fundamental, qualitative and exploratory study collected data on “fatphobia versus romanticization of obesity” in High School. Highly connected students gave their opinions and showed how important and updated it is to address this topic in school since the social media and several people disagree regarding the dichotomy between “treating yourself” and “accepting yourself”

Bisphenol A, the Villain of Plastics: Chemistry Teaching to Raise Students’ Awareness in a High School in Southeastern Brazil

Traditional expository classes, whose only didactic resources are the blackboard and the teacher’s talk, are neither the only alternative nor the most productive one to teach Chemistry. Keeping it in mind, this study aimed at addressing one of several topics in Chemistry – plastics – by problematizing everyday situations, since the composition of some plastic packaging includes harmful compounds, such as bisphenol A (BPA). Specifically, BPA is an industrial chemical product which has been broadly used in its monomeric form to yield epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. Since it has excellent physical and chemical characteristics, it has been used as lining of metal packaging, besides the manufacturing of milk bottles and household items. However, BPA, even at low concentrations, may cause infertility, nervous system disorders, diabetes, cancer, obesity, precocious puberty and cardiovascular diseases. In order to make Chemistry teaching more attractive, this study aimed at informing students about effects of BPA at the Instituto Federal do Triângulo Mineiro - Campus Uberlândia Centro (IFTM - UDICENTRO), a high school located in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais (MG) state, Brazil. Thus, questionnaire about BPA was applied to the students and the theme and the adverse effects of this compound were discussed from a chemical point of view. Results of the study and both students’ learning and awareness-raising were considered satisfactory. Teaching which includes students’ reality is capable of improving their comprehension and make Chemistry classes more attractive and pleasant. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v12i2.144

Bisphenol A, the Villain of Plastics: Chemistry Teaching to Raise Students’ Awareness in a High School in Southeastern Brazil

Traditional expository classes, whose only didactic resources are the blackboard and the teacher’s talk, are neither the only alternative nor the most productive one to teach Chemistry. Keeping it in mind, this study aimed at addressing one of several topics in Chemistry – plastics – by problematizing everyday situations, since the composition of some plastic packaging includes harmful compounds, such as bisphenol A (BPA). Specifically, BPA is an industrial chemical product which has been broadly used in its monomeric form to yield epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. Since it has excellent physical and chemical characteristics, it has been used as lining of metal packaging, besides the manufacturing of milk bottles and household items. However, BPA, even at low concentrations, may cause infertility, nervous system disorders, diabetes, cancer, obesity, precocious puberty and cardiovascular diseases. In order to make Chemistry teaching more attractive, this study aimed at informing students about effects of BPA at the Instituto Federal do Triângulo Mineiro - Campus Uberlândia Centro (IFTM - UDICENTRO), a high school located in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais (MG) state, Brazil. Thus, questionnaire about BPA was applied to the students and the theme and the adverse effects of this compound were discussed from a chemical point of view. Results of the study and both students’ learning and awareness-raising were considered satisfactory. Teaching which includes students’ reality is capable of improving their comprehension and make Chemistry classes more attractive and pleasant. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v12i2.144

Constituintes químicos das folhas de Riedeliella graciliflora Harms (Leguminosae)

A new salicylic acid derivative, pentacosanyl salicylate, was isolated from the leaves of the plant toxic to cattle, Riedeliella graciliflora, in addition to a digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), 1,2-di-O-α-linolenoyl-3-O-α-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-galactopyranosyl-glycerol, kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, rutin, (+)-catechin and the dimer (+)-catechin-(4β-8)-catechin, glutinol, squalene, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, phytol, β-carotene, α-tocopherol and ficaprenol-12. Their structures were determined using spectral techniques (MS, IR, and NMR-1D and 2D) and based on literature data

Mixtures and Their Separation Methods: The Use of Didactic Games, the Jigsaw Method and Everyday Life as Facilitators to Construct Chemical Knowledge in High School

One of the difficulties found in Chemistry teaching, mainly in High School, is to establish relations among society, environment, science and technology. It is notorious and has required Chemistry teachers to have certain skills, including some that refer to several situations in everyday life. Therefore, this study aimed at introducing three methodological proposals to teach the content “methods of mixture separation”. The first proposal aimed at addressing concepts and procedures based on different situations found in everyday life. The second offered students some strategies to encourage them to form different points of view and opinions. It favored both intellectual autonomy and access to production of chemical knowledge collectively and collaboratively (the jigsaw method). The third was related to the use of didactic games to make learning easier. The use of games in Chemistry teaching is a methodology that has been used because it enables students to have pleasure and fun while learning. Four classes of freshmen (first year in High School) that attend the Instituto Federal do Triângulo Mineiro - Campus Uberlândia Centro (IFTM-UDICENTRO), located in Uberlândia, MG, Brazil, took part in this study. Results suggest that all methodologies under investigation are also efficient in online lessons. Teachers can use them all together or individually. In addition, the didactic game under study was adapted so that it could be played in online Chemistry lessons, since the world has still been affected by the infectious disease caused by the coronavirus. The adaptation of the game called “SeparaMix” has not been published in the literature yet). DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v13i5.165

Chemical composition and in vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (Rutaceae) ripe and unripe fruits against bacterial genera Mycobacterium and Streptococcus

This study aims to investigate chemical composition of essential oils from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (Rutaceae) ripe and unripe fruits and determine their in vitro antibacterial activity. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack ripe and unripe fruits collected in the Cerrado, in Rio Verde, southwestern Goiás, Brazil. They were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sesquiterpenes, which represent the most abundant class of compounds in oils, predominated in both ripe and unripe fruits. Major constituents of essential oils extracted from ripe fruits (RF-EO) were β-caryophyllene (21.3%), α-ylangene (13.3%), germacrene-D (10.9%) and α-zingiberene (9.7%) whereas the ones of unripe fruits (UF-EO) were sesquithujene (25.0%), α-zingiberene (18.2%), germacrene-D (13.1%) and α-copaene (12.7%). In vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils was evaluated in terms of its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values by the broth microdilution method in 96-well microplates. Both essential oils under investigation showed moderate anti-streptococcal activity against the following bacteria: Streptococcus mutans, S. mitis, S. sanguinis, S. sobrinus and S. salivarius. MIC values ranged between 100 and 400 µg/mL. Regarding the antimycobacterial activity, essential oils from M. paniculata (L.) Jack unripe and ripe fruits were active against Mycobacterium kansasii (MIC = 250 µg/mL), moderately active against M. tuberculosis (MIC = 500 µg/mL) and inactive against M. avium (MIC = 2000 µg/mL). This study was pioneer in revealing similar chemical profiles of both essential oils extracted from Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack unripe and ripe fruits, besides describing their in vitro anti-streptococcal and antimycobacterial activities

Mixtures and Their Separation Methods: The Use of Didactic Games, the Jigsaw Method and Everyday Life as Facilitators to Construct Chemical Knowledge in High School

One of the difficulties found in Chemistry teaching, mainly in High School, is to establish relations among society, environment, science and technology. It is notorious and has required Chemistry teachers to have certain skills, including some that refer to several situations in everyday life. Therefore, this study aimed at introducing three methodological proposals to teach the content “methods of mixture separation”. The first proposal aimed at addressing concepts and procedures based on different situations found in everyday life. The second offered students some strategies to encourage them to form different points of view and opinions. It favored both intellectual autonomy and access to production of chemical knowledge collectively and collaboratively (the jigsaw method). The third was related to the use of didactic games to make learning easier. The use of games in Chemistry teaching is a methodology that has been used because it enables students to have pleasure and fun while learning. Four classes of freshmen (first year in High School) that attend the Instituto Federal do Triângulo Mineiro - Campus Uberlândia Centro (IFTM-UDICENTRO), located in Uberlândia, MG, Brazil, took part in this study. Results suggest that all methodologies under investigation are also efficient in online lessons. Teachers can use them all together or individually. In addition, the didactic game under study was adapted so that it could be played in online Chemistry lessons, since the world has still been affected by the infectious disease caused by the coronavirus. The adaptation of the game called “SeparaMix” has not been published in the literature yet). DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v13i5.165

Anticariogenic and Antimycobacterial Activities of the Essential Oil of Siparuna guianensis Aublet (Siparunaceae)

Siparuna guianensis is a Brazilian plant with extensive ethnobotanical indication and identified as one of the priority species that should be preserved in the Brazilian Cerrado. This work aimed to investigate the chemical composition and the antibacterial effects of the essential oil from leaves of S. guianensis (SG-EO) grown in southeastern Brazil against a representative panel of oral pathogens and mycobacteria. Anticariogenic and antimycobacterial activities of SG-EO were evaluated in terms of their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). The essential oil from leaves of S. guianensis was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Forty one compounds were identified, accounting for 92.7 % of the SG-EO composition. E,E-farnesol (18.0 %), β-myrcene (16.0 %), germacrene-D (10.0 %) and siparunone (14.6 %) were the major SG-EO constituents. SG-EO showed the strongest anticariogenic activity against the aerobic bacterium Streptococcus mutans (MIC of 50 µg/mL). SG-EO was also evaluated for its antimycobacterial activity, and showed MIC values of 250 µg/mL against Mycobacterium avium and 500 µg/mL against M. tuberculosis and M. kansasii. These results imply that S. guianensis may be a new alternative source of substances of medicinal interest. This is the first report of anticariogenic and antimycobacterial activities of essential oil of S. guianensis. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v0i0.93

Anticariogenic and Antimycobacterial Activities of the Essential Oil of Siparuna guianensis Aublet (Siparunaceae)

Siparuna guianensis is a Brazilian plant with extensive ethnobotanical indication and identified as one of the priority species that should be preserved in the Brazilian Cerrado. This work aimed to investigate the chemical composition and the antibacterial effects of the essential oil from leaves of S. guianensis (SG-EO) grown in southeastern Brazil against a representative panel of oral pathogens and mycobacteria. Anticariogenic and antimycobacterial activities of SG-EO were evaluated in terms of their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). The essential oil from leaves of S. guianensis was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Forty one compounds were identified, accounting for 92.7 % of the SG-EO composition. E,E-farnesol (18.0 %), β-myrcene (16.0 %), germacrene-D (10.0 %) and siparunone (14.6 %) were the major SG-EO constituents. SG-EO showed the strongest anticariogenic activity against the aerobic bacterium Streptococcus mutans (MIC of 50 µg/mL). SG-EO was also evaluated for its antimycobacterial activity, and showed MIC values of 250 µg/mL against Mycobacterium avium and 500 µg/mL against M. tuberculosis and M. kansasii. These results imply that S. guianensis may be a new alternative source of substances of medicinal interest. This is the first report of anticariogenic and antimycobacterial activities of essential oil of S. guianensis. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v0i0.93