Edemilson Cardoso da Conceição

Development of a Larvicidal Nanoemulsion with Pterodon emarginatus Vogel Oil.

Pterodon emarginatus Vogel is a Brazilian species that belongs to the family Fabaceae, popularly known as sucupira. Its oil has several biological activities, including potent larvicidal property against Aedes aegypti. This insect is the vector of dengue, a tropical disease that has been considered a critical health problem in developing countries, such as Brazil. Most of dengue control methods involve larvicidal agents suspended or diluted in water and making active lipophilic natural products available is therefore considered a technological challenge. In this context, nanoemulsions appear as viable alternatives to solve this major problem. The present study describes the development of a novel nanoemulsion with larvicidal activity against A. aegypti along with the required Hydrophile Lipophile Balance determination of this oil. It was suggested that the mechanism of action might involve reversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and our results also suggest that the P. emarginatus nanoemulsion is not toxic for mammals. Thus, it contributes significantly to alternative integrative practices of dengue control, as well as to develop sucupira based nanoproducts for application in aqueous media.

Bioactive Compounds Found in Brazilian Cerrado Fruits

Functional foods include any natural product that presents health-promoting effects, thereby reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Cerrado fruits are considered a source of bioactive substances, mainly phenolic compounds, making them important functional foods. Despite this, the losses of natural vegetation in the Cerrado are progressive. Hence, the knowledge propagation about the importance of the species found in Cerrado could contribute to the preservation of this biome. This review provides information about Cerrado fruits and highlights the structures and pharmacologic potential of functional compounds found in these fruits. Compounds detected in Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (pequi), Dipteryx alata Vog. (baru), Eugenia dysenterica DC. (cagaita), Eugenia uniflora L. (pitanga), Genipa americana L. (jenipapo), Hancornia speciosa Gomes (mangaba), Mauritia flexuosa L.f. (buriti), Myrciaria cauliflora (DC) Berg (jabuticaba), Psidium guajava L. (goiaba), Psidium spp. (araçá), Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill (lobeira), Spondias mombin L. (cajá), Annona crassiflora Mart. (araticum), among others are reported here.

Oxidative Stability of Baru (Dipteryx alata Vogel) Oil Monitored by Fluorescence and Absorption Spectroscopy

Baru (Dipteryx alata Vogel) is a native fruit of the Brazilian savanna that provides a nutritive oil, which also has medicinal properties. Baru fruits were collected in central-western Brazil, and the oil was obtained by pressing the seeds. The Baru oil was heated at 110°C for 24u2009h, and its oxidative stability was investigated by using fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. The data showed that both absorption and fluorescence were able to precisely monitor the oil degradation induced by the thermooxidative process. The results revealed a rapid growth of the primary compounds generation in the first 16 hours of degradation. Significant amounts of secondary compounds began to be generated after 14 hours.

Iron supplementation prevents the development of iron deficiency in rats with omeprazole-induced hypochlorhydria

Abstract Gastric acidity is an important luminal factor for non-heme iron absorption. The effect of iron supplementation (1 mg Fe/kg body weight) was studied in rats submitted to hypochlorhydria by daily oral administration of omeprazole (40 μmol/kg). Forty (40) rats received omeprazole (experimental group) and 20 rats received vehicle (control group) for 4 weeks. At the end of this period, 10 animals from each group were sacrificed. The remaining rats in the control group continued receiving vehicle alone for 2 additional weeks. The experimental group was divided into three subgroups of 10 rats each. One subgroup received omeprazole alone, and the other subgroups received omeprazole plus iron supplementation with iron sulphate (Fe +2 ) or iron-peptide complex (Fe +3 ) for 2 additional weeks. After 4 weeks of treatment, the group that received omeprazole presented an increase of serum transferrin and a decrease of hepatic iron levels. However, only after 6 weeks did a decrease of haemoglobin occur in this subgroup. Supplementation started during the 5th week prevented the decrease of haemoglobin, improved the transferrin levels but did not cause hepatic iron to return to control levels. These results suggest that iron deficiency due to hypochlorhydria could be prevented by iron supplementation and that the two iron sources were equally efficient in this respect.

Essential oil composition, antimicrobial and pharmacological activities of Lippia sidoides cham. (verbenaceae) from São Gonçalo do Abaeté, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Background: Lippia sidoides (Verbenaceae) is used in Brazilian folk medicine as an antiseptic, and it is usually applied topically on skin, mucous membranes, mouth, and throat, or used for vaginal washings. Objectives: To analyze the chemical composition of the essential oil from L. sidoides collected in São Gonçalo do Abaeté, Minas Gerais and grown in Hidrolândia, Goiás; to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil, crude ethanol extract, and hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl-acetate, and aqueous fractions (AFs); to study the antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and central nervous system activities of the crude ethanol extract. Materials and methods: The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by GC/MS. The antimicrobial activity in vitro was performed by broth microdilution method. The pharmacological tests were performed using female Swiss albino mice. Results: The major components of the essential oil were isoborneol (14.66%), bornyl acetate (11.86%), α -humulene (11.23%), α -fenchene (9.32%), and 1.8-cineole (7.05%), supporting the existence of two chemotypes of this species. The hexane fraction (HF) had good antifungal activity against Cryptococcus sp. ATCC D (MIC = 31.25 μg/mL) and Cryptococcus gatti L48 (MIC = 62.5 μg/mL). In the pharmacological tests, the crude ethanol extract presented antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. Conclusion: Given that the ethanol extract of L. sidoides is included in the Formulary of Phytotherapeutic Agents of the Brazilian Pharmacopeia as an anti-inflammatory for oral cavities, the present work provides scientific evidence to back this use and highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate chemotype on the basis of the expected biological response. Abbreviations used: UFG: Universidade Federal de Goiás; HF: hexane fraction; DF: dichloromethane fraction; EAF: ethyl acetate fraction; AF: aqueous fraction; MeOH: methanol; MIC: minimum inhibitory concentration; ATCC: American Type Culture Collection; MH: Müller Hinton; DMSO: dimethyl sulfoxide; RPMI: Roswell Park Memorial Institute; NaCl: sodium chloride; μL: microliters; mL: milliliters; μg: microgram; kg: kilogram; h: hour; min: minute; cm: centimeter; COBEA: Brazilian College of Animal Experiments; p.o.:, oral; i.p.: intraperitoneal; s.c.: subcutaneous; SEM: standard error of the mean; RI: retention indices.

Evaluation of extraction method on the chemical composition in Apeiba tibourbou Aubl's extracts.

Background: The extraction method of bioactive compounds is an important step in the manufacturing of herbal medicines, because secondary metabolites with therapeutic potential are usually found in small quantities in plant materials. Objective: Due the potential of Apeiba tibourbou Aubl, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of the extraction method on the quality of herbal extract and optimize the extraction of fatty acid, rosmarinic (Ra) and caffeic (Ca) acid from A. tibourbou. Materials and Methods: Determinations of residual moisture (Rm), proteins (Pt), lipids (Lp), total fiber (Tf), and carbohydrate (Cy) were performed in triplicate samples according assessment of antioxidant capacity. Extraction of fatty acids was carried out by two different methods: (i) By shoxlet and (ii) bligh and dyer. The optimized conditions were determined by surface response methodology (RSM), and the criterion of desirability was the maximum extraction of Ra and Ca. Results: The method of bligh and dyer was able to extraction more total Lp than the shoxlet. However, the extraction of fatty acid was different for the two methods. The optimized conditions to extract RA and Ca was calculated by RSM, 42°C, 30% (alcohol degree) and 24 min, this conditions maximize simultaneously the extraction of Ca (0, 04%) and Ry (1.89), Conclusion: It was observed that the extraction method alters the chemical composition of extract, and it is possible to extract Ca and Ra from A. tibourbous leaves using ultrasound-assisted extraction.

Vasorelaxant and Hypotensive Effects of Jaboticaba Fruit (Myrciaria cauliflora) Extract in Rats

This studys aim was to determine the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of M. cauliflora (HEMC) on vascular tension and blood pressure in rats. In our in vitro studies using precontracted isolated aortas from rats, HEMC and acetylcholine (positive control) induced relaxation only in vessels with endothelium. Pretreatment with L-NAME (NO synthase inhibitor) or ODQ (soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor) abolished the HEMC-induced relaxation. The treatment with MDL-12,330A (adenylyl cyclase (AC) inhibitor) or diclofenac (COX inhibitor) reduced HEMC-induced vasorelaxation. The blockade of muscarinic and β-adrenergic receptors (by atropine and propranolol, resp.) did not promote changes in HEMC-induced vasorelaxation. In our in vivo studies, catheters were inserted into the right femoral vein and artery of anesthetized rats for HEMC infusion and the measurement of blood pressure, heart rate, and aortic blood flow. The intravenous infusion of HEMC produced hypotension and increased aortic blood flow with no changes in heart rate. These findings showed that HEMC induces endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation and hypotension with no alteration in heart rate. The NO/sGC/cGMP pathway seems to be the main cellular route involved in the vascular responsiveness.

Radical Scavenger Capacity of Jabuticaba Fruit (Myrciaria cauliflora) and Its Biological Effects in Hypertensive Rats

Jabuticaba is an exotic fruit native to Brazil that has been arousing medicinal interest. Using chemical (HPLC-PDA, resonance mass spectra, and NMR), electroanalytical (differential pulse voltammetry, radical scavenging assay), and pharmacological (in vivo and in vitro) approaches, we have identified its bioactive compounds and hypotensive effects on hypertensive rats. The hydroalcoholic extract of jabuticaba (HEJ) presents a great quantity of phenolic compounds, and several molecules with hydroxyl groups present high efficiency as an antioxidant. The treatment with HEJ (100 and 300u2009mg/kg/day, for four weeks) presented hypotensive effects on L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats, possibly improving the nitric oxide bioavailability because of its high antioxidant potential. Furthermore, renal and cardiac hypertrophies were also attenuated after the HEJ treatment. Moreover, the vascular responses to contractile and dilating agonists were improved with the HEJ treatment, which is also able to induce nitric oxide production in endothelial cells.

Development and Validation of a HPLC-UV Method for the Evaluation of Ellagic Acid in Liquid Extracts of Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) Leaves and Its Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Optimization

A simple HPLC-UV method has been developed and validated for the quantification of ellagic acid (EA) in ethanol extracts of Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) leaves. The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) optimization was performed using a Box Behnken design (33) combined with response surface methodology to study the effects of the ethanol concentration (%, w/w), extraction time (minutes), and temperature (°C) on the EA concentration. The optimized results showed that the highest extraction yield of EA by UAE was 26.0u2009μgu2009mL−1 when using 44% (w/w) ethanol as the solvent, 22 minutes as the extraction time, and 59°C as the extraction temperature. The concentration of EA in relation to the predicted value was 93.7%u2009u2009±u2009u20090.4. UAE showed a strong potential for EA extraction.

Technical aspects on production of fluid extract from Brosimum gaudichaudii Trécul roots

Instruction: Despite the increased use of Brosimum gaudichaudii roots as raw material on medicine to treatment of vitiligo, there are not studies that showing the impact of unit operations on the quality and standardized of the extract of B. gaudichaudii. The quality of the herbal extract is essential to ensure the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical product. Due the medical and commercial importance, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of the extraction method (ultrasound or percolation) on the quality of herbal extract and optimize the extraction of psoralen and 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) from B. gaudichaudii. Materials and Methods: The extraction recovery was evaluate by high-performance liquid chromatography (C8 reverse phase column and acetonitrile: Water 45:55 and flow rate 0.6 mL/min). The extraction was performed by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UEA) or percolation using a Box-Behnken design. Results: From both chemical markers (psoralen and bergapten), the optimal conditions for the UEA were an extraction time of 25 min, the mean particle size of 100 μm, and an ethanol: Water ratio of 55:45 (v/v). Conclusion: The extraction by percolation revealed that ethanol 55% was more efficient than ethanol 80% to extract psoralen and bergapten.