Composition and antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei and Cryptococcus neoformans of essential oils from leaves of Piper and Peperomia species

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

VCD to determine absolute configuration of natural product molecules: secolignans from Peperomia blanda

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

Ácaros plantícolas (Acari) da Estação Ecológica do Noroeste Paulista, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

O presente estudo foi realizado na Estação Ecológica do Noroeste Paulista, localizada na região de São José do Rio Preto, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, visando determinar espécies acarinas plantícolas associadas a fragmentos de mata nativa. Foram determinadas 83 espécies, pertencentes a 48 gêneros de 20 famílias, associadas a mais de 60 espécies vegetais. Trinta e oito espécies acarinas foram identificadas nominalmente. As mais freqüentes foram Tetranychus ludeni (Zacher, 1913) (Tetranychidae) e Iphiseiodes zuluagai (Denmark & Muma, 1972) (Phytoseiidae), coletadas sobre 15 e 14 espécies de plantas, respectivamente. A maior diversidade foi observada em Piper sp. (Piperaceae) (21 espécies acarinas), seguida de Luehea speciosa Willd. (Tiliaceae) (17), Alchornea glandulosa Poepp. & Endl. (Euphorbiaceae) (16), Bauhinia rufa (Bong.) Steud (Caesalpinaceae) (14) e Olyra sp. (Poaceae) (12).

Frugivoria em morcegos (Mammalia, Chiroptera) no Parque Estadual Intervales, sudeste do Brasil

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

Fruits as unusual food items of the carnivorous bat Chrotopterus auritus (Mammalia, Phyllostomidae) from southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Shade level effects on yield and chemical composition of the leaf essential oil of Pothomorphe umbellata (L.) Miquel

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A chromene and prenylated benzoic acid from Piper aduncum

In addition to nerolidol, 2',6'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxydihydrochalcone, methyl 2,2-dimethyl-8-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate, methyl 2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate and methyl 8-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate, two new natural products were isolated from the leaves of Piper aduncum, 2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylic acid and 3-(3',7'-dimethyl-2',6 '-octadienyl)-4-methoxybenzoic acid. The structures of the isolates were established based on analysis of spectroscopic data, including ES-MS. The DNA-damaging activity of the isolated compounds was also investigated against mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Essential oil of the Pothomorphe peltata (L.) Miq.

The essential oils of leaves of the Pothomorphe peltata (L.) Miq., collected in vegetative and reproductive periods, showed yields of 0.10-0.20%. Analysis of the oil by GC/MS revealed that the predominant components were those of the sesquiterpene class. The major constituents were beta-caryophyllene (39.5-68.0%), germacrene D (6.2-13.3%), (E)-nerolidol (4.8-11.1%) and alpha-humulene (2.1-6.5%).

Circadian rhythm of anti-fungal prenylated chromene in leaves of Piper aduncum

Leaves of Piper aduncum accumulate the anti-fungal chromenes methyl 2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate (1) and methyl 2,2-dimethyl-8-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate (2). The enzymatic formation of 2 from dimethylallyl diphosphate and I was investigated using cell-free extracts of the title plant. An HPLC assay for the prenylation reaction was developed and the enzyme activity measured in the protein extracts. The prenyltransferase that catalyses the transfer of the dimethylallyl group to C-2' of 1 was soluble and required dimethylallyl diphosphate as the prenyl donor. In the leaves, the biosynthesis of the prenylated chromene 2 was time-regulated and prenyltransferase activity depended upon circadian variation. Preliminary characterisation and purification experiments on the prenyltransferase from P. aduncum have been performed. Copyright (C) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Antifungal amides from Piper hispidum and Piper tuberculatum

Piper hispidum and Piper tuberculatum accumulate amides bearing isobutyl, pyrrolidine, dihydropyridone and piperidine moieties. The isolation and characterization of several representatives including two hitherto unreported amides were performed by chromatographic techniques and by analysis of spectroscopic data. The antifungal activity of each amide was determined by direct bioautography against Cladosporium sphaerospermum. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toxicity of extracts and isobutyl amides from Piper tuberculatum: potent compounds with potential for the control of the velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis

The isobutyl amides pellitorine (compound 1) and 4,5-dihydropiperlonguminine (compound 2) were extracted from the seeds of Piper tuberculatum Jacq. (Piperaceae) in yields of 6.10 and 4.45% respectively. The acute toxicities to the velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), of extracts of seeds, leaves and stems of P. tuberculatum, and of compounds 1 and 2, were evaluated by means of contact bioassays. The extracts caused 80% mortality when doses higher than 800.00 mu g insect(-1) of extract of seeds, leaves and stems were administered to the velvetbean caterpillars. Compounds I and 2 showed 100% mortality at doses of 200 and 700 mu g insect(-1) respectively. The LD50 and LD90 values were respectively 31.3 and 104.5 mu g insect(-1) for compound 1, and 122.3 and 381.0 mu g insect(-1) for compound 2. The potential value of extracts and amides derived from P. tuberculatum as efficient insecticides against velvetbean caterpillars is discussed. (c) 2007 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antitumor activity of extracts from Peperomia elongata

The cytotoxic potential of ethanol extracts from Peperomia elongata H. B. & K. (Piperaceae) were evaluated against human cancer cell lines by the MTT method. The samples considered cytotoxic were tested for antimitotic activity with the sea urchin egg development test and for hemolytic activity using mice erythrocytes. The extracts from leaves (hexane), stems (ethanol, hexane, hexane: AcOEt, AcOEt, and MeOH: H2O insoluble), and roots (R4) presented potential cytotoxic action. The stems extracts showed the highest toxicity in all tumor cell lines tested, with an IC50 <= 9.0 mu g/mL for ethanol extract, IC50 <= 11.6 mu g/mL for MeOH:H2O insoluble, IC50 <= 7.3 mu g/mL for hexane extract, IC50 <= 11.4 mu g/mL for hexane: AcOEt, and IC50 <= 16.2 mu g/mL for AcOEt extract. All extracts considered cytotoxic for tumoral cell lines presented antimitotic activity. The samples from roots (R4) and stems (ethanol, MeOH: H2O insoluble, and hexane extract from leaves) were found to possess lytic activity in mice erythrocytes but in higher doses (> 125 mu g/mL). Further studies for the isolation and identification of the active principles of these extracts should be undertaken.

Antifungal amide from leaves of Piper hispidum

Bioactivity-guided fractionation of a CH2Cl2 extract from leaves of Piper hispidum (Piperaceae) yielded a new pyrrolidine amide, N-[7-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2(Z),4(Z)-heptadienoyl] pyrrolidine 1, in addition to two known amides N-[5-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2(E)-pentadienoyl]pyrrolidine and N-[2-(3',4'-methylenedioxy-6'-methoxyphenyl)-2(Z)-propenoyl]pyrrolidine. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by interpretation of spectral data, including ES-MS. Compound 1 showed antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum.

Antifungal amides from Piper arboreum and Piper tuberculatum

In continuation of our study of the Piperaceae we have isolated several amides, mainly those bearing isobutyl, pyrrolidine, dihydropyridone and piperidine moieties. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of extracts from leaves of Piper arboreum yielded two new amides, N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E),9(Z)-pentadienoyl]-pyrrolidine (1), arboreumine (2) together with the known compounds N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E)-pentaenoyl]-pyrrolidine (3) and N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(L, 9(E)-pentadienoyl]-pyrrolidine (4). Catalytic hydrogenation of 3 yielded the amide iV-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-pentanoyl]-pyrrolidine (5). We also have isolated six amides (6-11) and two antifungal cinnamoyl derivatives (12, 13) from seeds and leaves of Piper tuberculatum. Compounds 1-11 showed antifungal activity as determined by direct bioautography against Cladosporium sphaerospermum while compounds 3-4 and 6-13 also showed antifungal activity against C. cladosporioides. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier B.V. Ltd.

The effect of the dibenzylbutyrolactolic lignan (-)-cubebin on doxorubicin mutagenicity and recombinogenicity in wing somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)