José Alves de Siqueira Filho

Antinociceptive effect of ethanolic extract of Selaginella convoluta in mice.

BackgroundSelaginella convoluta (Arn.) Spring (Selaginellaceae), commonly known as “jericó”, is a medicinal plant found in northeastern Brazil. S. convoluta is used in folk medicine as an antidepressant, aphrodisiac, diuretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and it is used to combat amenorrhea, coughing and bleeding. This study was performed to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of ethanolic extract from S. convoluta in mice exposed to chemical and thermal models of nociception.MethodsPreliminary phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic extract was performed. The ethanolic extract from Selaginella convoluta (Sc-EtOH) was examined for its intraperitoneal (i.p.) antinociceptive activity at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight. Acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin injection and hot plate tests were used to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of Sc-EtOH extract. The rota-rod test was used to evaluate motor coordination.ResultsA preliminary analysis of Sc-EtOH revealed that it contained phenols, steroids, terpenoids and flavonoids. In the acetic acid-induced writhing test, mice treated with Sc-EtOH (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, i.p.) exhibited reduced writhing (58.46, 75.63 and 82.23%, respectively). Secondly, Sc-EtOH treatment (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased the paw licking time in mice during the first phase of the formalin test (by 44.90, 33.33 and 34.16%, respectively), as well as during the second phase of the test (by 86.44, 56.20 and 94.95%, respectively). Additionally, Sc-EtOH treatment at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg increased the latency time in the hot plate test after 60 and 90 minutes, respectively. In addition, Sc-EtOH did not impair motor coordination.ConclusionOverall, these results indicate that Sc-EtOH is effective as an analgesic agent in various pain models. The activity of Sc-EtOH is most likely mediated via the inhibition of peripheral mediators and central inhibitory mechanisms. This study supports previous claims of traditional uses for S. convoluta.

Chemical Composition of Essential Oil from the Leaves of Jatropha mutabilis (Pohl) Baill (Euphorbiaceae)

Abstract: Jatropha is an important genus belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. The essential oil from the leaves of Jatropha mutabilis, which were collected in the semiarid of Pernambuco (Northeast Brazil), was obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Twenty components comprising 100 % of the leaf essential oil were identified. The major individual constituents were phytol (41.38 %), (+)-spathulenol (12.81 %), epi-α-cadinol (9.27 %), (-)- caryophyllene oxide (4.79 %), germacrene D (4.46 %), α-cadinol (3.86 %) and elemol (3.64 %). This is the first report on the chemical composition of the essential oil of this species.

Biologia reprodutiva e guilda de visitantes florais de Pseudobombax marginatum (Malvaceae)

In Brazil, the genus Pseudobombax is represented by some 120 species occurring in different vegetation types. Bombacoideae species have nocturnal flowers and are bat and hawkmoth visited. The aim of the work was to investigate the reproductive biology of P. marginatum, and to describe the plant-floral visitors relationships. The study was carried out in a Caatinga area in Afrânio municipality, Pernambuco state. Phenology, floral biology, flower-visitor behavior and reproductive system were analyzed. P. marginatum has chiropterophilous flowers, although it is not visited by bats, a fact possibly related to the forest fragmentation process in the study area. The flowering period of the species was from May to July, - floral visitors were hawkmoths, bees, wasps and birds. Nectar production was high with low sugar concentration. Reproductive success was obtained only in cross pollination, due to the incompatibility mechanism. P. marginatum presents a critical situation for regeneration due to the lack of efficient pollination services, caused probably by forest fragmentation in the study area and the lack of chiropterans visitors.

A IMPORTÂNCIA DA PALMEIRA Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Beec. PARA A CONSERVAÇÃO DA RIQUEZA E DIVERSIDADE DE ESPÉCIES EPÍFITAS VASCULARES NA CAATINGA1

Neste estudo, o objetivo foi avaliar as diferencas entre a riqueza e a diversidade epifitica sobre os forofitos de licuri, Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Beec., e outras especies da Caatinga, bem como verificar a maior frequencia das epifitas sobre os estratos de S. coronata. O estudo foi realizado no Parque Nacional do Vale do Catimbau, em Pernambuco. Foram selecionados, aleatoriamente, 50 individuos adultos de S. coronata (L), assim como o individuo arboreo adulto mais proximo de cada S. coronata (O), excluindo-se os individuos de licuri, para contabilizar o numero de individuos epifiticos por especie e classifica-los quanto a forma de vida em hemepifitas primarias, hemepifitas secundarias, holoepifitas obrigatorias, holoepifitas facultativas e holoepifitas acidentais. Foram amostrados 760 individuos epifiticos distribuidos em 16 especies, dos quais 15 taxons sobre S. coronata, principalmente encontrados na regiao da estipe recoberta pelos restos das bainhas das folhas antigas, e cinco no outro grupo forofitico. A diversidade de Shannon-Weaver (L - 1,936; O - 0,155) foi significativamente maior sobreS. coronata quando comparada com aquela observada sobre as outras especies forofiticas. A analise de dissimilaridade floristica das especies epifitas em razao dos dois tipos de forofitos (L e O) apontou a formacao de agrupamentos mais consistentes entre os individuos de S. coronata em relacao as demais especies. Alem disso, considerando os tamanhos do diâmetro a altura do solo (DAS) e a altura, evidenciou-se que, quanto maiores esses parâmetros, maiores tambem a riqueza e abundância de individuos epifiticos. Assim, este estudo corrobora a importância desta especie como hospedeira da riqueza e diversidade epifitica na Caatinga e para a conservacao das populacoes de S. coronata.

Carolus: um novo sistema gratuito para manipulação eletrônica de coleções botânicas

This study describes a new system for handling and eletronic managing of botanical collections. The software described here was developed in order to give support to herbaria in the task of protecting records of plants species from various national ecosystems, by providing a safe tool, with a friendly interface, easy to use and equipped with features for registration, consultation, updates, statistics, reports, label management, geoprocessing and image database.