Diterpenos tetranorlabdanos e isocumarinas produzidos por Botryosphaeria parva, um fungo endofítico em Eugenia jambolana Lam. (Myrtaceae)

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

O gênero Eugenia: da química à farmacologia

Research on natural products is extremely important either for new compound discovery with possible pharmacology uses or for its impact on economy, which moves millions of dollars for year. Scientific studies related on utilization and characterization of bioactive substances are important due to the fact that many drugs currently used by the population were synthetized from isolated compounds of natural products. Among many medicinal species commonly used, there are that ones from the genus Eugenia, witch belongs to Myrtaceae family. Eugenia is one of the biggest genus from this family and has about 5000 species and Brazil has 400 of them, which are appreciated on gastronomy for its fruits, for example, pitanga (Eugenia uniflora), cherry (Eugenia involucrata), clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) and cagaita (Eugenia dysinterica). Phytochemical studies of plants from this genus report the presence of several secondary metabolites like flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, anthocyanins and more. Eugenia species have important pharmacology activity as antioxidant, hypothermic, antidiarrheal, antihypertensive, antimicrobial and fungicide. Thus, Eugenia is a genus which has species with potencial phytotherapic products

In vitro production of bovine embryos using Sigma antioxidant supplement®, α-tocopherol and L-ascorbic acid

This study tested the effect of Sigma antioxidant supplement®, α-tocopherol (vitamin E) and L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in the culture medium of bovine embryos. In experiment 1, in vitro produced bovine zygotes were cultured in Human Tubal Fluid (HTF): Eagle’s Basic Medium (BME) with: Group 1 – 50 µm vitamin C; Group 2 – 200 µm vitamin E; Group 3 – 25 µm vitamin C and 100 µm vitamin E; Group 4 – 1 µl/ml Sigma antioxidant supplement®; and the Control group – HTF:BME only. In experiment 2, embryos were cultured in high or low oxygen tension with HTF:BME + Sigma antioxidant supplement® or in HTF:BME alone (Control). The data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test. The results of experiment 1 showed a negative effect (P < 0.05) of vitamin E on blastocyst production in Group 2 (19.7 ± 0.1%). This effect was reduced in Group 3 by the addition of vitamin C (26.1 ± 0.2%). The use of vitamin C alone (34.9 ± 0.3%) or the Sigma antioxidant supplement® (33.3 ± 0.7%) did not increase (P > 0.05) the number of blastocysts produced compared with the control group (30.1 ± 0.5%). During experiment 2, there was no effect (P > 0.05) from the culture medium or the O2 concentrations used, indicating that the reduction of the O2 concentration did not improve blastocyst production.

Sanitizers effect in mango pulp and peel antioxidant compounds

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

Polyphenols in fruits and vegetables and its effect on human health

Polyphenols represent a group of chemical substances common in plants, structurally characterized by the presence of one or more phenol units. Polyphenols are the most abundant antioxidants in human diets and the largest and best studied class of polyphenols is flavonoids, which include several thousand compounds. Numerous studies confirm that they exert a protective action on human health and are key components of a healthy and balanced diet. Epidemiological studies correlate flavonoid intake with a reduced incidence of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the etiology of these degenerative conditions has suggested that phytochemicals showing antioxidant activity may contribute to the prevention of these pathologies. The present review deals with phenolic compounds in plants and reports on recent studies. Moreover, the present work includes information on the relationships between the consumption of these compounds, via feeding, and risk of disease occurrence, i.e. the effect on human health. Results obtained on herbs, essential oils, from plants grown in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, were also reported.

Potencial do uso do ácido cafeico em formulações cosméticas: atividade antioxidante, atividade despigmentante e citotoxicidade

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Potencial do uso do ácido cafeico em formulações cosméticas: atividade antioxidante, atividade despigmentante e citotoxicidade

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Antioxidant, anti-acetylcholinesterase and cytotoxic activities of ethanol extracts of peel, pulp and seeds of exotic Brazilian fruits Antioxidant, anti-acetylcholinesterase and cytotoxic activities in fruits

Ethanol extracts of powdered genipap (Genipa americana L), umbu (Spondia tuberosa A.) and siriguela (Spondia purpurea L) prepared from separate pulp, seeds and peel were investigated for their (i) antioxidant capacity, which was evaluated by various known methods; (ii) acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity; and (iii) cytotoxic effect on corneal epithelial cells of sheep. The highest values of total phenolic content were obtained with peel and seed extracts. Siriguela and umbu (seeds and peel) extracts displayed the highest antioxidant activities. Lipid peroxidation assays using mimetic biomembranes and mouse liver homogenates indicated that genipap pulp is a promising antioxidant. The investigation of phenols and organic acid contents revealed the presence of quercetin, citric and quinic acids, chlorogenic acid derivatives, among others, in several extracts, with the highest amount found in siriguela seeds. Genipap pulp and siriguela seed ethanol extracts presented an AChE inhibition zone similar to that of the positive control, carbachol. AChE inhibition assay with chlorogenic acid, one of the main constituents of siriguela seeds, revealed that this acid showed activity similar to that of the control physostigmine. These data suggest that these extracts are potentially important antioxidant supplements for the everyday human diet, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vivo and in vitro antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective properties of polyphenols from Halimeda opuntia (Linnaeus) Lamouroux

Antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective properties of the aqueous extract and tetrahydrofuran-extracted phenolic fractions of Halimeda opuntia (Linnaeus) Lamouroux were investigated in rats with chemically induced liver injury. Total polyphenols were determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent. Liver damage was induced by CCl4 and assessed by a histological technique. Reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) analysis showed increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) gene expression and activities in the group treated with free phenolic acid (FPA) fractions of H. opuntia, suggesting inducing effects on both enzymes. In addition, rats treated with FPA fractions displayed lower liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels than those observed for rats in the CCl4-treated group. These data suggest that the phenolic fractions from H. opuntia may protect the liver against oxidative stress-inducing effects of chemicals by modulating its antioxidant enzymes and oxidative status.