Antiviral activities of plants occurring in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil: Part 2. Screening Bignoniaceae species

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Preparative separation of flavonoids from the medicinal plant Davilla elliptica St. Hill. by high-speed counter-current chromatography

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

Análise de crescimento e anatomia foliar da planta medicinal Ageratum conyzoides L. (Asteraceae) cultivada em diferentes substratos

Ageratum conyzoides L. (Asteraceae) é uma espécie herbácea que ocorre em áreas de cerrado e, por se tratar de planta medicinal, é cultivada em escala familiar. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar possíveis alterações no desenvolvimento das plantas quando cultivadas em solos com texturas diferentes (solo de cerrado, franco arenoso ou solo de terra roxa, muito argiloso). Foram analisados aos 40, 70 e 90 dias, o comprimento do caule e da raiz, massa seca da parte aérea (caule e folhas) e das raízes, número de folhas e área foliar; além de parâmetros anatômicos foliares, como a densidade de tricomas. Os resultados mostraram que os comprimentos do caule e da raiz aumentaram no decorrer do experimento, independentemente do substrato (com exceção do comprimento da raiz de plantas cultivadas em solo de terra roxa). Porém, o comprimento do caule foi sempre maior nas plantas cultivadas em solo de cerrado, enquanto o comprimento da raiz foi significativamente maior somente aos 90 dias de cultivo neste solo. As biomassas secas da raiz e do caule também foram maiores nas plantas cultivadas em solo de cerrado por 70 e 90 dias, respectivamente. A massa seca foliar foi maior nas plantas cultivadas em solo de cerrado a partir dos 70 dias de experimento. Esse aumento foi devido ao maior número de folhas produzidas e a maior área foliar dessas plantas. No geral, a anatomia foliar não diferiu, porém o número de tricomas glandulares foi maior nas plantas cultivadas em solo de cerrado. Os resultados indicaram que esta espécie tem melhor desenvolvimento quando cultivada em solo mais arenoso.

Irradiance stress responses of gas exchange and antioxidant enzyme contents in pariparoba [Pothomorphe umbellata (L.) Miq.] plants

We evaluated the growth and development of the medicinal species Pothomorphe umbellata ( L.) Miq. under different shade levels ( full sun and 30, 50, and 70 % shade, marked as I(100), I(70), I(50), and I(30), respectively) and their effects on gas exchange and activities of antioxidant enzymes. Photosynthetically active radiation varied from 1 254 mu mol m(-2) s(-1) at I(100) to 285 mu mol m(-2) s(-1) at I(30). Stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic rate, and relative chlorophyll (Chl) content were maximal in I(70) plants. Plants grown under I(100) produced leaves with lower Chl content and signs of chlorosis and necrosis. These symptoms indicated Chl degradation induced by the generation of reactive oxygen species. Stress related antioxidant enzyme activities ( Mn-SOD, Fe-SOD, and Cu/Zn-SOD) were highest in I(100) plants, whereas catalase activity was the lowest. Hence P. umbellata is a shade species ( sciophyte), a feature that should be considered in reforestation programs or in field plantings for production of medicinal constituents.

A review of antifertility folkloric plants tested in laboratory animals

The use of natural active principals is widespread among a great proportion of the rural population, or by people who do not have easy access to medical assistance. These active principles are used as food or medicines, and even for purposes of contraception. It becomes necessary to establish a relationship between the folklore habits and current information on the nature of anti-fertility substances, and knowledge of their mechanisms. Anti-fertility agents may exert their actions in a number of areas, (hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, oviduct, uterus, and vagina), inhibiting synthesis and/or liberation of hormones (follicle-stimulating, luteinizing, and steroid hormones), ovulation, ovum transportation, and implantation process. Therefore, a review of literature was carried out, including of several plants used by women as abortifacient and anti-fertility agents to compare their effects with those obtained among laboratory animals.

Farming technology, biochemistry characterization, and protective effects of culinary-medicinal mushrooms Agaricus brasiliensis S. Wasser et al. and Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer: Five years of research in Brazil

The biotechnology, biochemical characterization, and protective effects of the himematsutake and shiitake mushrooms were studied for the Thematic Project, from 1998 to 2003. A new species, Agaricus Brasiliens is Wasser et al. (= A. blazei Murrill ss. Heinem.), was proposed for the cultivated lineages in Brazil. Interactions among lineages, substrates, casing layers, and fructification inductions (temperature alternations) significantly increased the productivity of A. brasiliensis in Brazil (from 40 g to 200 g of fresh mushroom kg -1 moist compost). However, pests and diseases (mainly Sciaridae flies and false truffle), drastically reduced the productivity of A. brasiliensis (below 50 g kg -1). Biochemically for each mushroom species, the polar extracts, no polars, and medium polarity presented the same organic substances; however, their concentrations differed as a result of the lineages, maturation of the fruit bodies, and cultivation conditions. In this aspect, concentration of linoleic acid in A. brasiliensis (added to animal food) was related directly to the chemical protection against carcinogenic drugs in mice. Aqueous extracts of Lentinus edodes (= Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler) and A. brasiliensis may be preventive chemical protectors against mutagenic and carcinogenic drugs, depending on the lineage and extraction method (tea or juice). However, immunomodulator effects and tumor reduction were only observed with concentrated fractions (hexanic, methanolic, and ATF extracts). Aqueous extracts of A. brasiliensis and L. edodes have antibiotic-like substances and substances able to act as elicitors of resistance responses in some plants (local and systemic) and show a potential to be used in the alternative control of plant pathogens. © 2005 by Begell House, Inc.

Assessment of DNA damage by extracts and fractions of Strychnos pseudoquina, a Brazilian medicinal plant with antiulcerogenic activity

Strychnos pseudoquina St. Hil. is a native plant of the Brazilian Savannah, used in popular medicine to treat a number of conditions. Since it contains large quantities of alkaloids with proven antiulcer activity, we tested the genotoxic potential of crude extracts and fractions containing alkaloids and flavonoids from the leaves of this plant, on Salmonella typhimurium and performed the micronucleus test on peripheral blood cells of mice treated in vivo. The results showed that the methanol extract of the leaves of S. pseudoquina is mutagenic to the TA98 (-S9) and TA100 (+S9, -S9) strains of Salmonella. The dichloromethane extract was not mutagenic to any of the tested strains. Fractions enriched with alkaloids or flavonoids were not mutagenic. In vivo tests were done on the crude methanol extract in albino Swiss mice, which were treated, by gavage, with three different doses of the extract. The highest dose tested (1800 mg/kg b.w.) induced micronuclei after acute treatment, confirming the mutagenic potential of the methanol extract of the leaves of S. pseudoquina. In high doses, constituents of S. pseudoquina compounds act on DNA, causing breaks and giving rise to micronuclei in the blood cells of treated animals. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antimycobacterial activity of some Brazilian indigenous medicinal drinks

Tuberculosis (TB) is a very serious problem worldwide and the increasing number of multiple drugs resistant TB cases makes the search for new anti-TB drugs an urgent need. Indigenous knowledge about the use of native plants to treat illnesses has contributed to the discovery of new medicines. In this study, the antimycobacterial activity of seven medicinal drinks was assessed: Ananas sativus (hydroalcoholic fruit extract), Aristolochia triangularis (aqueous and hydroalcoholic leaf, root and stem extracts), Bromelia antiacantha (hydroalcoholic fruit extract), Stryphnodendron adstringens (hydroalcoholic bark extract), Tabebuia ovellanedae (hydroalcoholic bark extract), Vernonia polyanthes (hydroalcoholic root extract), all used by the Vanuíre indigenous community in the treatment of respiratory diseases. The activity was evaluated by using a time-to-kill assay, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv was cultured on Löwenstein-Jensen medium, after thirty minutes, one, three, six, twelve and twenty-four hours contact of the bacteria with each drink. Within half to one hour contact, the hydroalcoholic drinks of A. triangularis, S. adstringens, T. ovellanedae and V. polyanthes reduced the bacterial growth by 2 orders of magnitude in CFU/mL, and all bacterial growth was absent after three hours contact. In contrast, no mycobactericidal effect was detected in the aqueous extract of A. triangularis or in the hydroalcoholic beverages of A. sativus and B. antiacantha, even after twenty-four hours contact.

Annona sp: Plants with multiple applications as alternative medicine - a review

Annona species have been used as a natural remedy for a variety of illnesses with antiparasitic, antispasmodic, antidiarrheal, antiulcer, sedative, analgesic, hypotensive, and vermifugal effects. These properties are due to the presence of a number of bioactive compounds on the leaves, fruit, seeds, and stem. The aim of this review is to show the main species of Annona, their medicinal properties and the chemical constituents that may be related to these effects. In the leaves it is possible to find acetogenins, annopentocins A, B, and C, cis- and trans-annomuricin-D-ones, goniothalamicin, arianacin, and javoricin, related to anticancer properties. Quercetin-3-O-glucoside, also found in the leaves mediates antidiabetic and antioxidative effects. In the fruit are found annonaine, nornuciferine and asimilobine, associated to antidepressive effects. In the seeds are found muricatetrocin A and muricatetrocin B, longifolicin, corossolin, corossolone, uvarigrandin A, bullatacin, squamotatin. These acetogenins are associated with anticancer effects. Cyclosquamosin B, quercetin, and cyclosquamosin from the seeds have respectively vasorelaxant, antithyroidal and, antiinflammatory activity. In the stem parts there are several components as N-trans-feruloyltyramine, N-p-coumaroyltyramine, and N-trans-caffeoyltyramine, lignans, syringaresinol, syringaldehyde, beta-sitosterol and beta-sitosterol-beta-D-glucoside which exhibit antiplatelet aggregation activity. Copaene, patchoulane, 1H-cycloprop (e) azulene and kaur-16-en-19-oic acid found in the barks exhibit significant central as well as peripheral analgesic and antiinflammatory activities. The properties of the biological compounds in Annona species support information that may provide validation for its medicinal uses, but further studies should be performed to establish ideal and safe doses of consumption to ensure the effectiveness of the benefits. © 2012 Bentham Science Publishers.

Genotoxicity of the medicinal plant Maytenus robusta in mammalian cells in vivo.

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

TILLING for Mutations in Model Plants and Crops

A growing world population, changing climate and limiting fossil fuels will provide new pressures on human production of food, medicine, fuels and feed stock in the twenty-first century. Enhanced crop production promises to ameliorate these pressures. Crops can be bred for increased yields of calories, starch, nutrients, natural medicinal compounds, and other important products. Enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses can be introduced, toxins removed, and industrial qualities such as fibre strength and biofuel per mass can be increased. Induced and natural mutations provide a powerful method for the generation of heritable enhanced traits. While mainly exploited in forward, phenotype driven, approaches, the rapid accumulation of plant genomic sequence information and hypotheses regarding gene function allows the use of mutations in reverse genetic approaches to identify lesions in specific target genes. Such gene-driven approaches promise to speed up the process of creating novel phenotypes, and can enable the generation of phenotypes unobtainable by traditional forward methods. TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genome) is a high-throughput and low cost reverse genetic method for the discovery of induced mutations. The method has been modified for the identification of natural nucleotide polymorphisms, a process called Ecotilling. The methods are general and have been applied to many species, including a variety of different crops. In this chapter the current status of the TILLING and Ecotilling methods and provide an overview of progress in applying these methods to different plant species, with a focus on work related to food production for developing nations.

Prescriptions of Chinese medicinal herbs in Switzerland: the example of suan zao ren (Ziziphi Spinosae Semen)

Introduction According to the Swiss Health Survey 2007, 1.7% of the adult population use traditional Chinese medicine (including Chinese herbal medicine, but excluding acupuncture). In contrast to conventional drugs, that contain single chemically defined substances, prescriptions of Chinese herbs are mixtures of up to 40 ingredients (parts of plants, fungi, animal substances and minerals). Originally they were taken in the form of decoctions, but nowadays granules are more popular. Medium daily dosages of granules range between 8 to 12g. In a recent work we identified the most commonly used Chinese herbs (all ingredients are referred to as herbs for reasons of simplicity) and classical formulas (mixtures). Here we present a short overview and the example of suan zao ren (Ziziphi Spinosae Semen), which is used in the treatment of insomnia and anxiety and contains saponins that have been shown to increase sleep in animal studies. Material and Methods A random sample of 1,053 prescriptions was drawn from the database of Lian Chinaherb AG, Switzerland, and analysed according to the most frequently used individual herbs and classical formulas. Cluster analysis (Jaccard similarity coefficient, complete linkage method) was applied to identify common combinations of herbs. Results The most frequently used herbs were dang gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), fu ling (Poria), bai shao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), and gan cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma); the most frequently used classical formulas were gui pi tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) and xiao yao san (Rambling Powder). The average number of herbs per prescription was 12.0, and the average daily dosage of granules was 8.7g. 74.3% of the prescriptions were for female, 24.8% for male patients. Suan zao ren was present in 14.2% of all prescriptions. These prescriptions contained on average 13.7 herbs, and the daily dosage of granules was 8.9g. Suan zao ren was more frequently prescribed by practitioners of non-Asian than of Asian origin but equally often for female and male patients. Cluster analysis grouped suan zao ren with yuan zhi (Polygalae Radix), bai zi ren (Platycladi Semen), sheng di huang (Rehmanniae Radix) and dan shen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma). Discussion Prescriptions including suan zao ren contained on average slightly more herbs than other prescriptions. This might be due to the fact that two of the three most popular classical formulas with suan zao ren are composed of 13 and 12 herbs with the possibility of adding more ingredients when necessary. Cluster analysis resulted in the clustering of suan zao ren with other herbs of the classical formula tian wang bu xin dan (Emperor of Heaven’s Special Pill to Tonify the Heart), indicating the use of suan zao ren for the treatment of insomnia and irritability. Unfortunately, the diagnoses of the patients were unavailable and thus correlations between use of suan zao ren and diseases could not be analysed.

The relationship between plants used to sustain finches (Fringillidae) and uses for human medicine in southeast Spain

We analyzed plants that are traditionally used by wild bird hunters and breeders to capture and promote captive breeding of Fringillidae (finches or songbirds) in the province of Alicante, Spain. The majority of plants used in songbird breeding have medicinal properties in traditional human medicine (48 different uses); thus, another main goal was to show their relationships with human medical uses. We compiled a list of 97 plant species from 31 botanical families that are used to attract finches and identified 11 different use categories for these plants in finch keeping. The most common uses were for trapping birds and as a source of food for birds in captivity. Cannabis sativa has the greatest cultural importance index (CI = 1.158), and Phalaris canariensis (annual canary grass or alpist) was the most common species used to attract Fringillidae and was used by all informants (n = 158). Most of the 97 species are wild plants and mainly belong to the families Compositae, Gramineae, Cruciferae, and Rosaceae and also have medicinal properties for humans. In the study area, the intensification of agriculture and abandonment of traditional management practices have caused the population of many songbirds to decline, as well as the loss of popular ethnographic knowledge.

History of cultivated vegetables; comprising their botanical, medicinal, edible, and chemical qualities; natural history; and relation to art, science, and commerce.

Mode of access: Internet.

History of cultivated vegetables : comprising their botanical, medicinal, edible, and chemical qualities; natural history; &c., &c. /

Vol. I: p. i-vii, 1-383; v. II: p. 1-430.