Ionaldo José Lima Diniz Basílio

Survey of medicinal plants used in the region Northeast of Brazil

This work has the objective a survey of the species of plants and their uses as medicinal, which are utilized for therapeutic purposes in Northeast region of Brazil. The area of study is recognized by a rich diversity of species of plants and habitats that ranges from Rainforest, Atlantic Forest, coastal dunes systems and mangroves, to dry forests and savannas. As results, a total of 650 species belonging to 407 genera and 111 families were recorded and also their ethnomedicinal information. The floristic diversity is dominated by higher plants and only five species belonging to the families Aspleniaceae, Cyatheaceae, Equisetaceae, Polypodiaceae and Selaginellaceae were reported belonging to the Ferns group, which correspond to less than 1 % of the total of the registered species. This study aims at emphasizing the greatest importance of investigation of those species that have not been subject of pharmacological study, although their popular uses have already been reported.

Thermal stability of metronidazole drug and tablets

TG and DSC data were used to determine the thermal parameters of metronidazole drug and tablets. Three tablets A, B and C were analysed. The TG curves of metronidazole drug and tablets A and B displayed five and C four thermal decomposition processes, respectively. Analysis of the DSC data pointed to chemical interactions between metronidazole drug and the excipients of tablets, suggested by alterations in the melting point of metronidazole. The rate constants obtained from the isothermal TG data presents following sequence of the thermal stability: tablet A>tablet C>metronidazole drug>tablet B.

Estudo farmacobotânico de folhas de Cissampelos sympodialis Eichl. (Menispermaceae)

Cissampelos sympodialis Eichl. is a plant species used in popular medicine in Northeast of Brazil, whose pharmacological studies are very promising in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory tract. In this work, a pharmacobotanical study of the leaves was performed with the objective to elaborate a macroscopical and microscopical morphodiagnosis to support its characterization. The microscopical morphodiagnosis was done with paradermic sections on the blades and cross sections on the blades and petioles followed by clarification and coloring with safranin and safrablue, respectively, and examined by optical microscopy. Cissampelos sympodialis has peltate leaves with deltoid blades with actinodromous -brochidodromous nervation, and the petioles are swollen at the extremities. The epidermis is hipostomatic with anticlinal walls of epidermal cells waved in the upper surface and irregularly sinuate to wavy on the lower surface. The mesophyll is dorsiventral and the vascular system of the petiole is formed by a ring of 6-7 free collateral bundles. Sparce idioblasts of prismatic crystals in parenchyma of petiole were observed. The morphology of the leaves and the anatomy of epidermis are distinguishing characters of Cissampelos sympodialis.

Application of UV/VIS Spectrophotometry and Multivariate Analysis to Characterization of the Species of Solanum sect. Erythrotrichum Child

The UV/VIS spectral characteristics of the standardized extracts of the leaves of 22 Solanum species of the Leptostemonum clade were investigated in the presence of shift reagents with the aid of multivariate analysis, to obtain data in support of the interspecific and subsectional delimitation proposed for Solanum sect. Erythrotrichum. Of these species, 20 belong to the section Erythrotrichum, S. paniculatum is assigned to the section Torva, and S. robustum is not attributed to a defined section. The results indicated characteristic λmax (absorbance maxima) for each species as well as the presence of phenolic compounds like flavonoids such as 5‐hydroxy flavonols. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of the data obtained by UV/VIS analysis of the extracts or the extracts with the added shift reagents AlCl3 and HCl showed a cophenetic correlation coefficient above 0.92 and the classification of the data into three groups. The principal‐component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first three principal components accounted for over 98% of the total variance and showed results similar to those obtained by HCA. The present results supported the current proposal for interspecific delimitation of the studied species and partially supported the division of the section into two subsections. The UV/VIS spectral characteristics along with multivariate analysis appear to be a useful approach for distinguishing among species of the genus Solanum.

SYNOPSIS OF THE MEDICINAL FLORA OF “CARIRI PARAIBANO”.

SYNOPSIS OF THE MEDICINAL FLORA OF “CARIRI PARAIBANO”. A survey on the diversity of medicinal plants in the flora of the “Cariri Paraibano”, Brazil, has been made. 70 plant species belonging to 59 genera and 32 families were recorded by their use in the popular medicine in the study area. Of these, seventeen families are represented by only one species, which correspond to about 53% of the total. The families with highest number of species are Fabaceae s. l. (12 species), Solanaceae (six species), Euphorbiaceae (five species), Asteraceae (four species), and Bromeliaceae and Convolvulaceae, both with three species each. The floristic diversity found in this survey is dominated by Angiosperms and only one species, Selaginella convoluta Spreng, belongs to the Pteridophytes group. About 60 species, corresponding to 86%, were indicated for more than one disease and ten species for only one. Amburana cearensis (Allemão) A.C.Sm. was indicated for more than five ethnomedicinal uses. The majority of commercialized plants used as medicinal is represented by native species. The “raizeiros” and vendors of medicinal plants have considerable knowledge about them as well as their uses for a wide diversity of diseases, which were obtained mainly from previous generations.