Chemical Profile and Biological Potential of Non-Polar Fractions from Centroceras clavulatum (C. Agardh) Montagne (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Gastric anti-ulcer activity of leaf fractions obtained of polar extract from Wilbrandia ebracteata in mice

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of Mouriri pusa extracts on experimentally induced gastric lesions in rodents: Role of endogenous sulfhydryls compounds and nitric oxide in gastroprotection

Several plants are used in folk medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders. Mouriri pusa Gardn. (Melastomataceae) is a medicinal plant commonly used in the central region of Brazil against gastric ulcer. Two organic extracts methanolic (MeOH) and dichloromethane (DCM) obtained by sequential extraction from the leaves of Mouriri pusa were evaluated for their ability to protect the gastric mucosa against injuries caused by necrotizing agents (0.3 M HCl/60% EtOH, absolute ethanol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, stress and pylorus ligature) in mice and rats. The best results were obtained after pretreatment with MeOH extract whereas the DCM extract did not show the same significant antiulcerogenic activity. No acute toxicity was observed in animals treated with 5 g/kg, p.o. of MeOH extract. The mechanism involving the antiulcerogenic action of MeOH extract seemed to be related to NO generation and also suggested the effective participation of endogenous sulfhydryl group in the gastroprotective action. Phytochemical investigation of the MeOH extract of Mouriri pusa yielded tannins, flavonoids and (-)-epicatechin. The presence of these phenolic compounds probably would explain the antiulcerogenic effect of the polar extract of Mouriri pusa leaves. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Electrochemistry of organometallic compounds. Part II. Oxidations of alkyl and aryl derivatives of bis(salicylaldehyde)ethylenediimine cobalt(III) in dimethylformamide

The influence of the axial organic ligand R on the electrochemical oxidation of the compounds [RCoIII(salen)DMF)], where salen is bis(salicylaldehyde)ethylenediimine, and R CH3, C2H5, n-C3H7, n-C4H9, s-C4H9, i-C4H9, CH2Cl, CF3CH2, c-C6H11CH2, c-C6H11, C6H5, C6H5CH2, p-CH3C6H4CH2, and p-NO2C6H4CH2, was studied by means of cyclic voltametry in dimethylformamide (DMF), 0.2 M in tetraethylammonium perchlorate (TEAP), at 25 and -20°C, with a platinum disc working electrode. The above-mentioned compounds can be classified according to their electrochemical behavior. (a) The complexes with R CH3, C2H5, n-C3H7, n-C4H9, c-C6H11CH2, and C6H5 undergo a reversible one-electron oxidation in the 10-50 V s-1 potential scan range. At slower scan rates, the oxidized product decomposes chemically. At -20°C, this chemical step is slow, and a reversible one-electron electrochemical oxidation is observed. (b) The compounds with R CH2Cl, C6H5CH2, p-CH3C6H4CH2 and p-NO2C6H4CH2 undergo a quasi-reversible one-electron oxidation at room temperaure. At -20°C, the electrochemical process becomes more complex. A following chemical reactions is coupled to the quasi-reversible one-electron transfer. Two reduction peaks are observed. (c) The compounds with R i-C4H9, s-C4H9, and c-C6H11 undergo a reversible one-electron oxidation at -20°C. At room temperature, the irreversible chemical reaction following the electron transfer step is too fast to allow the isolation of the electrochemical step. (d) At -20°C, the derivatives with R C2H5, c-C6H11 CH2 and c-C6H11 are adsorbed at the electrode surface. Evidence indicates that the reagent in these reactions is the pentacoordinated species [RCoIII(salen)]. A linear free-energy relationship between E1/2 (for reversible processes) and the Taft polar parameters o* was obtained with a slope of ρ* = 0.25 ± 0.03. As expected, the benzyl derivatives which present mesomeric effects do not fit this polar correlation. The rated of the electrochemical oxidation is also affected by the nature of the ligand R. For the ligands which are strong electron-withdrawing groups and for the benzyl derivatives, the rate of the electrochemical oxidation of the metal ion decreases at room temperature. At lower temperatures, it is suggested that the oxidation to the CoIV-R species is followed by a chemical reaction in which this complex is partly transformed into a CoIII(R*) species, which is reduced at a much more cathodic potential than the Co(IV) species. © 1979.