Daíse Lopes

Anthelmintic activity of the latex of Ficus species

The latex of some species of Ficus (Moraceae) has been traditionally used as vermifuge in Central and South America. It has been accepted that anthelmintic activity is due to a proteolytic fraction called ficin. In the present study, the anthelmintic activity of the latex of Ficus insipida Willd. and Ficus carica L. has been investigated in NIH mice naturally infected with Syphacia obvelata, Aspiculuris tetraptera and Vampirolepis nana. The latex of F. insipida, administered by intragastric route in doses of 4 ml/kg/day during three consecutive days, were effective in the removal of 38.6% of the total number of S. obvelata, being inexpressive in the removal of A. tetraptera (8.4%) and segments of V. nana (6.3%). The latex of F. carica, administered in doses of 3 ml/kg/day, during three consecutive days, was effective in the removal of S. obvelata (41.7%) and it did not produce significant elimination of A. tetraptera (2.6%) and V. nana (8.3%). The observed high acute toxicity with hemorrhagic enteritis, in addition to a weak anthelmintic efficacy, do not recommend the use of these lattices in traditional medicine.

Análise do óleo essencial de folhas de três quimiotipos de Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Br. (Verbenaceae) cultivados em condições semelhantes

A composicao do oleo essencial de Lippia alba apresenta variacao quantitativa e qualitativa, levando a separacao em quimiotipos. O trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o oleo essencial de folhas de tres quimiotipos de Lippia alba, provenientes de diferentes regioes do Brasil, cultivados em condicoes semelhantes, a fim de verificar se as diferencas na composicao do oleo devem-se a fatores ambientais ou a variacao genetica infraespecifica e se a floracao influencia o rendimento e a composicao do oleo. Os quimiotipos produtores de citral, carvona e linalol, foram denominados Lippia alba 1, 2 e 3, respectivamente. Os oleos essenciais foram extraidos por hidrodestilacao de folhas e analisados por cromatografia com fase gasosa e cromatografia com fase gasosa acoplada ao espectrometro de massas. O melhor rendimento foi obtido das plantas no estagio vegetativo. A composicao do oleo essencial manteve-se inalterada para os tres quimiotipos apos cultivo em condicoes semelhantes e tambem nao variou qualitativamente durante o crescimento vegetativo e floracao. Os dados obtidos reforcam a ideia que as diferencas na composicao do oleo essencial dos quimiotipos refletem variacoes genotipicas entre as plantas e que a extracao de oleo essencial de L. alba deve ser efetuada na fase de crescimento vegetativo, quando e maior o rendimento do oleo e a porcentagem dos componentes majoritarios.

Essential Oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract The essential oil from fresh leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis L. from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed through a combination of GC and GC/MS. Compounds representing 98.3% of the oil were identified. Forty-five constituents were identified according to their chromatographic retention indices and mass spectra. The major constituents of the oil were camphor (26.0%), 1,8-cineole (22.1%), myrcene (12.4%) and α-pinene (11.5%).

Linalool-Rich Essential Oil from Leaves of Croton cajucara Benth.

Abstract The essential oil from the leaves of Croton cajucara Benth., locally known as sacaca, was analyzed by GC/MS. The major constituents were linalool (41.2%), (E)-nerolidol (12.6%) and β-caryophyllene (6.9%). A total of 49 compounds were identified, representing 89.6% of the oil. This oil may become a sustainable alternative to Rosewood oil.

Gradient Elution for Triterpene Separation from Cecropia lyratiloba Miquel by HSCCC

Abstract The triterpenoid pool from the dichloromethane fraction obtained from the methanolic extract of roots of Cecropia lyratiloba Miquel was submitted to CCC using a gradient elution consisting of Hex/EtOAc/MeOH/H2O—1/2/X/1 (X=0.5 (A); 0.75 (B); 1.0 (C); 1.5 (D); 2.0 (E)) in five steps. The lower aqueous phase was used as mobile phase, 2 mL/min at 850 rpm. This procedure led to the isolation of tormentic acid and a mixture of tormentic and euscaphic acids. In order to improve the triterpene separation the fractions Fr 31–49 were submitted to a new CCC run using a fine adjustment of the methanol concentration in the gradient elution system. This separation procedure led to the isolation of euscaphic acid, 3‐acetyl tormentic acid and a mixture of tormentic and isoarjunolic acids.

The stereochemistry of ledol from Renealmia chrysotrycha: an NMR study.

From the leaves of Renealmia chrysotrycha (Zingiberaceae), we isolated a sesquiterpene alcohol for which spectral data suggested the structure of a 10-aromadendranol. A meticulous NMR investigation, based mainly on vicinal proton-proton coupling constants and NOE interactions, and confirmed by a molecular mechanics calculation, established its relative stereochemistry as that of ledol. This finding resolves several recent literature ambiguities. Three known compounds (aromadendrene, cis-calamenene and palustrol) were also isolated.

Kinetin Enhanced Linalool Production by in vitro Plantlets of Lippia alba

Abstract Lippia alba Mill. N. E. Br (Verbenaceae) is an aromatic shrub widely distributed in Brazil where the infusion of its leaves is used in folk medicine due to sedative and antispasmodic properties. This study presents data about quantitative variation of the major volatile constituents of the linalool producing L. alba chemotype. The volatiles were extracted by solid phase microextraction (SPME) from plants cultivated in soil (mother plants), from in vitro plantlets grown in Murashige & Skoog (MS) medium and from in vitro plantlets grown in MS medium with growth regulators. The content of α-pinene, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and α-gurjunene was greater in the mother plants than in plantlets, whereas the content of sabinene, myrcene, 1,8-cineole and p-mentha-1,5,8-triene was lower. The addition of 0.23 μM of IAA to the medium significantly enhanced sabinene and myrcene contents. The addition of 0.92 μM of kinetin significantly increased the 3(S)-(+)-linalool level.

Analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oils extracted from Lippia lacunosa Mart. & Schauer and Lippia rotundifolia Cham. (Verbenaceae) by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Lippia lacunosa and L. rotundifolia (Verbenaceae) are two Brazilian species of complex taxonomic delimitation. The composition of the essential oils from leaves and flowers of these plants was investigated by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The major components of the essential oils of flowers and leaves of L. lacunosa were: myrcene (14.7% and 11.9%), myrcenone (45.2% and 64.2%), Z-ocimenone (5.7% and 5.2%), and E-ocimenone (14.7% and 4.1%), respectively; whereas in L. rotundifolia (flowers and leaves) were a-pinene (8.7% and 1.8%), myrcene (5.1% and 3.6%), limonene (26.0% and 7.9 %), cis-pinocamphone (4.5% and 3.1%) and myrtenal (22.3% and 16.7%), respectively. The essential oils from L. lacunosa exhibited a strong and pleasant mango aroma, which was related to the presence of myrcene and myrcenone. The marked differences in the chemical composition of their essential oils may represent a powerful tool for the botanical classification.

Influence of Vacuum Distillation Parameters on the Chemical Composition of a Five-Fold Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis Osbeck)

Abstract The chemical composition of a five-fold sweet orange oil, Pera variety, prepared by vacuum distillation process has been investigated. The experimental conditions applied were: temperature of 80°C, from 10–30 mbar and with a reflux ratio in the range of 0.25–0.75. Forty-four components were identified by GC/MS, representing greater than 99% of total volatiles.

Óleos essenciais de cascas e folhas de canela (Cinnamomum verum Presl) cultivada no Paraná

The bark and leaf essential oils of cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum Presl, syn. C. zeylanicum Bl.) grown at IAPAR (Experimental Station of Morretes) were analysed by capillary GC and GC-MS. The barks and leaves were collected from a group of 12 trees submitted to single organic manuring (MO) or conjugated with chemical fertilization (C). Samples from the individual trees were compared by headspace analysis, gathered and subjected to steam distillation. The average yields of the essential oils were 0.2% (barks) and 2.0% (leaves). The cinnamaldehyde content of the bark essential oils was 54.7% (MO) and 58.4% (C). The eugenol content of the leaf essential oils was 94.1% (5 trees - MO) and 95.1% (5 trees - C). However the leaf essential oil compositions of a single tree from each treatment were different from the other trees showing eugenol contents of 58.7% (MO) and 55.1% (C), and a high safrol amount (29.6% and 39.5%, respectively). No difference was observed in the composition or contents of individual components as a consequence of fertilization.