Antioxidant flavonol glycosides from Nectandra grandiflora (Lauraceae)

O fracionamento cromatográfico do extrato etanólico das folhas de Nectandra grandiflora resultou no isolamento de dois flavonóides glicosilados que apresentaram atividade antioxidante inibindo a oxidação do beta -caroteno em CCDC. As substâncias isoladas tiveram suas estruturas elucidadas através de técnicas espectrométricas de RMN uni- e bidimensional e foram identificadas como 3-O-beta -ramnosy kaempferol and 3-O-beta -ramnosylquercetina.

A new neolignan and antioxidant phenols from Nectandra grandiflora

The EtOH crude extract from the leaves of Nectandra grandiflora collected in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil, showed antioxidant activity towards β-carotene in a TLC assay. The bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of protocatechuic acid and two flavonol glycosides: afzelin and quercetrin, which showed free radical scavenging activity towards DPPH (ΔA 32, 16 and 73% at 50 μmol L-1) and were compared to commercial antioxidants rutin (81% at 50 μmol L-1) and BHT (9% at 50 μmol L-1), used as standard compounds. Additionally, three inactive neolignans, including the new bicycle[3.2.1]octane neolignan 2′-oxo-piperol B were obtained and characterized by spectrometric methods. ©2005 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Composição química e atividade biológica de espécies de nectandra e stevia rebaudiana

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Horticultura) - FCA

Grandiflora : Recent Paintings by Daniel Mafe

Grandiflora: Recent Paintings by Daniel Mafe The paintings of Grandiflora are improvised around a range of different flower motifs culled from medieval textiles and botanical illustrations. Each of the paintings is constructed upon a ground of flat, palely luminous yellow occasionally supplemented by additional areas of high-keyed pastel. Pink, blue, green and mauve together with the yellow, generate a shimmering and even incandescent glow. The graphic images of the flowers with the flat colour areas are then contrasted and worked over with richly sensual, abstract gestures of paint. Within the work there is a pronounced almost rococo-esque opticality as it operates between these different visual codes of flat colour, recognizable floral forms, and gesture. These codes combine to produce a definite visceral impact on the viewer, a pronounced and tactile sense of the experience and ambiguity inherent in perceiving. This ambiguity is interestingly at odds with the apparently clean and crisp quality each painting demonstrates as an integrated whole. Indeed each piece goes on to reveal, despite the use of overt figurative quotations, a sense of the purely abstract which in its turn concretely establishes the ornamental.

Effect of microwave radiation on seed mortality of rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora R.Br.), parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorous L.) and bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia L.)

A trial was undertaken to evaluate the effect of microwaves on seed mortality of three weed species. Seeds of rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora R.Br.), parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorous L.) and bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia L.) were buried at six depths (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 cm) in coarse sand maintained at one of two moisture levels, oven dry or wet (field capacity), and then subjected to one of five microwave radiation durations of (0, 2, 4, 8 and 16 min). Significant interactions between soil moisture level, microwave radiation duration, seed burial depth and species were detected for mortality of seeds of all three species. Maximum seed mortality of rubber vine (88%), parthenium (67%) and bellyache bush (94%) occurred in wet soil irradiated for 16 min. Maximum seed mortality of rubber vine and bellyache bush seeds occurred in seeds buried at 2.5 cm depth whereas that of parthenium occurred in seeds buried at 10 cm depth. Maximum soil temperatures of 114.1 and 87.5°C in dry and wet soil respectively occurred at 2.5 cm depth following 16 min irradiation. Irrespective of the greater soil temperatures recorded in dry soil, irradiating seeds in wet soil generally increased seed mortality 2.9-fold compared with dry soil. Moisture content of wet soil averaged 5.7% compared with 0.1% for dry soil. Results suggest that microwave radiation has the potential to kill seeds located in the soil seed bank. However, many factors, including weed species susceptibility, determine the effectiveness of microwave radiation on buried seeds. Microwave radiation may be an alternative to conventional methods at rapidly depleting soil seed banks in the field, particularly in relatively wet soils that contain long lived weed seeds.

Interactions between butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) and rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora)

The arutors studied the impact of a forage legume, butterfly pea, on rubber vine at the early establishment phase under seven planting combinations at three nitrogen fertiliser levels. In pure stands, both species increased their shoot and root dry weight yield in response to nitrogen but rubber vine exhibited the greater response. In mixed stands, rubber vine and butterfly pea did not compete with each other at any nitrogen level. An over-yielding response resulted in all mixture combinations in terms of shoot and root yields. Total shoot and root mass of mixed stands significantly out-yielded their highest yielding pure stands by 8% and 27% respectively, suggesting that butterfly pea not only failed to reduce shoot and root growth of rubber vine, but actually improved its growth performance. Consequently, the introduction of butterfly pea to suppress rubber vine is not warranted.

Bioactive Nortriterpenoids from Schisandra grandiflora

Three new nortriterpenoids, schigrandilactones A-C (1-3), along with eight known compounds, were isolated from an organic solvent extract of Schisandra grandiflora. Compounds I and 2 feature a spirocyclic moiety in their structures, and compound 3 was cha

Relaciones suelo planta de crisantemos (Dendranthema grandiflora) en maceta

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Nectandra Rol. ex Rottb. (Lauraceae) in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

(Nectandra Rol. ex Rottb. (Lauraceae) in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil). This paper presents the taxonomic study of the species of Nectandra from Mato Grosso do Sul. Eight species of Nectandra were identified through the morphological analyses of specimens collected in different regions from the State: N. amazonum Nees, N. cissiflora Nees, N. cuspidata Nees, N. falcifolia (Nees) J.A. Castigl. ex Mart. Crov. & Piccinini, N. gardneri Meisn., N. hihua (Ruiz & Pav.) Rohwer, N. megapotamica (Spreng.) Mez and N. psammophila Nees. Identification key, morphological descriptions, geographic distribution, habitat, fenologic aspect, taxonomic comments, and illustrations are presented.

Avaliação toxicológica pré-clínica do fitoterápico contendo Aristolochia cymbifera, Plantago major, Luehea grandiflora, Myrocarpus frondosus, Piptadenia colubrina (Cassaú composto) em ratos wistar.

Avaliou-se a segurança de um fitoterápico, constituído de extratos fluidos de Aristolochia cymbifera (“cassaú”), Plantago major L.(“transagem”), Luehea grandiflora Mart.(“açoita-cavalo”), Myrocarpus frondosus Allemão (“cabreúva”), Piptadenia colubrina Benth (“angico”) (Cassaú Composto® ), através de estudos de toxicidade aguda e subcrônica, tendo como base a resolução Nº 90, de 16 de março de 2004 da ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária). Para o teste de toxicidade aguda, ratos Wistar de ambos os sexos foram tratados por via oral com uma única dose de 26 ml/kg, correspondendo a 20 vezes a dose terapêutica indicada pelo fabricante para seres humanos adultos. Os resultados revelaram haver sinais de toxicidade sistêmica com o aparecimento de ataxia, porém de forma transitória e reversível, não causando interferência no desenvolvimento ponderal dos animais, nos consumos de água e ração, nas produções de urina e fezes, bem como alterações macroscópicas nos órgãos dos animais. Avaliou-se também a exposição a doses repetidas do fitoterápico (toxicidade subcrônica). Constituiram-se 4 grupos experimentais (10 animais/sexo/dose), onde administrou-se por via oral a ratos Wistar, durante 30 dias, doses diárias de 1,3 ml/kg, 6,5 ml/kg e 13 ml/kg, respectivamente a dose terapêutica indicada pelo fabricante para seres humanos adultos, 5 vezes, e 10 vezes a dose terapêutica, além de um grupo controle, onde administrou-se o veículo do fitoterápico. Os resultados revelaram ausência de toxicidade sistêmica, fundamentados na ausência de alterações hematológicas e bioquímicas sangüíneas, bem como peso e análises histopatológicas dos órgãos, nos diferentes grupos. As flutuações nos consumos de água e ração, bem como produções de urina e fezes, não influenciaram de maneira negativa o desenvolvimento ponderal dos animais. Concluiu-se portanto, que a utilização do fitoterápico nas doses e períodos referidos pode ser considerado segura.

Genotoxicity of polar and apolar extracts obtained from Qualea multiflora and Qualea grandiflora

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The species Qualea grandiflora and Qualea multiflora, which belong to the Vochysiaceae family, are common in the Brazilian savannah (Cerrado biome), and the local inhabitants use these species to treat external ulcers and gastric diseases and as an anti-inflammatory agent. Studies have demonstrated that these plants contain compounds that exhibit pharmacological activities; however, the risks associated with their consumption are not known.Material and methods: In the present study, the mutagenicity of polar and apolar extracts from Qualea grandiflora and Qualea multiflora were assessed by employing the Ames assay with and without metabolic activation. Additionally, phytochemical analyses (HPLC-ESI-IT-MS, HPLC-UV-PDA and GC-IT-MS) were performed to identify the chemical constituents present in these species, including the evaluation of physico-chemical properties, such as polarity or apolarity of the organic compounds, which are related to each fraction obtained. These studies provide important information regarding the biochemical behaviour of these compounds.Results: All extracts exhibited mutagenicity, inducing frameshift mutations and base substitutions in DNA. Phytochemical analysis identified terpenes, ellagic acid derivatives and phytosteroids.Conclusions: The mutagenicity observed might be due to the presence of pentacyclic triterpenes and polyphenols, which are able to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and result in the potential to cause DNA damage. The genetic risk identified in this present work shows that special attention should be considered for the use of compounds obtained from these plant species in medicinal treatments. Further studies must be conducted to identify safe therapeutic doses. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Qualea grandiflora, a Brazilian Cerrado medicinal plant presents an important antiulcer activity

Qualea grandiflora is one of the species widely used in folk medicine to treat gastric ulcers in Cerrado of the central region of Brazil. The hydroalcoholic extract of bark (HE) of Qualea grandiflora was investigated for their ability to prevent and heal lesions in the gastric mucosa. The oral administration of HE exhibited antiulcer activity decreasing the ulcerative index induced by HCl/ethanol solution, indomethacin/bethanechol and stress. In the Shay model, results showed that HE (p.o.) only reduced the severity of gastric lesions without effects on pH, gastric acidity or volume. When given by intraduodenal route, HE changed the pH, but did not modify the other parameters of the gastric juice. These data were in accordance with those obtained when HE was administered orally for 14 days after gastric ulcers were induced by acetic acid in rats. HE presented healing process in subacute gastric ulcer induced by acetic acid in rats. Moreover, histological examinations showed the simple columnar epithelium, lamina propria with simple branched tubular glandules with dilated lumen and large amounts of mucus secretion. Phytochemical investigation of HE led to the detection of terpenes, steroids, saponins, phenolic compounds and tannins in this extract, which may be involved in the observed activity. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Effect of gibberellic acid on the quality of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora L.) cv. Faroe

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the quality of chrysanthemum cultivar Faroe, subjected to different gibberellic acid (GA(3)) concentrations applied to the field. The treatments were composed of four doses of GA(3) (0, 15, 30 and 45 mg L-1) applied at the beginning of the formation of buttom floral (28 days after transplanting of seedlings). According to the results, a single low concentration of GA(3) application did not interfere with the phenotypic characteristics of the chrysanthemum cultivar Faroe.