Medicinal plants popularly used in the Xingó region – a semi-arid location in Northeastern Brazil

The aim of this study was to identify plant species among the diverse flora of the caatinga ecosystem that are used therapeutically. Research was undertaken in the municipalities of Piranhas and Delmiro Gouveia, in the Xingó region (state of Alagoas, NE Brazil). In order to identify the medicinal plants used in this region, semi-structured questionnaires were applied. The species cited were collected and sent to the Xingó Herbarium for taxonomic analysis. The relative importance (RI) of each species cited was calculated to verify their cultural importance. The therapeutic indications attributed to the species were classified under 16 body systems. A total of 187 medicinal species were cited, from 64 families and 128 genera. The main indications for medicinal plant use were against common colds, bronchitis, cardiovascular problems, kidney problems, inflammations in general, and as tranquilizers. Approximately 16% (30 plant species) were versatile in relation to their use, with an Relative Importance value over 1, having been indicated for up to nine body systems. The body systems that stood out the most were: the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, and infectious diseases. Most cited plant parts used for medicinal purposes were flowers, leaves, and inner stem bark

Medicinal Plants Used as Antitumor Agents in Brazil: An Ethnobotanical Approach

We describe the medicinal plants that have been reported to be antitumor agents and that have been used in ethnobotanic research in Brazil to answer the following questions: what is the abundance of plants reported to be antitumor in Brazil? Have the plant species used for tumor treatment in traditional Brazilian medicine been sufficiently examined scientifically? Our analysis included papers published between 1980 and 2008. A total of 84 medicinal plant species were reported to be used for cancer and tumor prevention or treatment; 69.05% of these were cited as being used for the treatment of tumors and cancer in general and 30.95% for specific tumors or cancers. The plants that were cited at a higher frequency were Aloe vera, Euphorbia tirucalli, and Tabebuia impetiginosa. At least, one pharmacological study was found for 35.71% of the species. Majority of the studies selected were conducted in rural communities and urban areas and in areas with traditional healers in Brazil. We found the following molecules to be the most studied in vitro and in vivo: silibinin, β-lapachone, plumbagin and capsaicin. The species addressed here constitute interesting objects for future studies to various professionals in the field of natural products

Influence of glucose and stirring in the fermentation process in order to produce anti- Candida metabolites produced by Streptomyces sp.

Este estudo avaliou a influência da glicose e agitação no processo de fermentação para a produção de metabólitos anti-Candida produzidos por Streptomyces sp. MPO4 isolado do solo da Amazônia. A produção dos metabólitos anti-Candida foi registrada a partir de 24 h de fermentação sob agitação em meio ISP2, apresentando halos de inibição entre 12,3 mm e 25,3 mm, obtendo-se maior produção do antifúngico em 96 h. A agitação foi um fator determinante para a produção de metabólitos secundários anti-Candida e a ausência de glicose refletiu na produção tardia do antifúngico a partir do Streptomyces sp.This study evaluated the influence of glucose and stirring in the fermentation process in order to produce anti-Candida metabolites produced by Streptomyces sp. MPO4 isolated from Amazon soil. The anti-Candida metabolites production was registered after 24 h of fermentation in stirred ISP2 medium, having antifungal inhibition halos between 12.3 mm and 25.3 mm, yielding higher production of anti-Candida agents after 96 h. Stirring was a determining factor for the production of anti-Candida secondary metabolites, since the absence of glucose reflected in the late production of the antifungal starting from Streptomyces sp

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

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

Brazilian Caatinga: Phenolic Contents, Industrial and Therapeutic Applications

Phenolic compounds, mainly represented by flavonoids, tannins and coumarins, bioactive molecules with various applications, have antioxidant, photoprotective, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and even antitumor properties. The main mechanism of action of phenolic compounds is due to the transfer of electrons to free radicals, which leads to the interruption of oxidative reactions. The flora of the Brazilian caatinga is full of species with high concentrations of these compounds, which are possibilities for researching new pharmaceutical products and functional foods, and may even generate technological and economic impact, contributing directly or indirectly to the development of communities that are inserted in this context. This is extremely important, considering the large amount of ecotoxic residues resulting from the industrial chain, where it is necessary to use methods to reduce this impact on the environment, such as adsorption, oxidation, biotransformation, liquid–liquid partition and hybrid techniques. This shows the need to reuse this waste and even improve production processes in order to make the most of the content of these compounds with varied applications that sometimes end up being underused. This chapter brings some of the main species involved in this context, their contributions to health and possible applications at a technological, industrial and even sustainable level

Intracultural Variation in the Knowledge of Medicinal Plants in an Urban-Rural Community in the Atlantic Forest from Northeastern Brazil

This study assessed the intracultural knowledge of the use of medicinal plants in an urban-rural community in an Atlantic forest fragment in northeastern Brazil. We examined the importance of native and exotic species and the effects of gender and age on that knowledge. We also compared data obtained from different groups of informants (local experts and general community). We conducted 194 interviews between June 2007 and January 2008, using the freelist technique and semistructured forms to collect ethnobotanical data. Information obtained from the community was compared with that from six local experts who participated in a survey in 2003. From a total of 209 ethnospecies, exotic and herbaceous plants presented higher richness. With respect to the number of citations, women and older informants were shown to know a higher number of medicinal plants. Comparing knowledge of local experts with that of the general community, we noted that experts know a similar wealth of plant families and therapeutic indications, but the community knows a greater species richness. These results indicate that local experts may provide useful information for studies that search for a quick diagnosis of the knowledge of a given community

Anti-inflammatory and healing action of oral gel containing borneol monoterpene in chemotherapy-induced mucositis in rats ( Rattus norvegicus )

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of gels containing the monoterpene borneol in induced oral mucositis using an animal model. Gels were prepared with borneol at 1.2% and 2.4% (w/w). Oral mucositis was induced by administration of three doses of 5-fluorouracil (30 mg/kg, i.p.) and injury with acetic acid (50%, v/v) soaked in filter paper applied to right cheek mucosa for 60s. Four subgroups comprising 12 animals each were formed. Six animals from each group were sacrificed at days seven and fourteen after oral mucositis induction. Mucous samples were processed and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Masson’s Trichrome. The semiquantitative evaluation involved observation of inflammatory parameters. ImageJ® software was used in the quantitative evaluation. For statistical analyses, Two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post-test (