Josemar S. Batista

Plantas medicinais usadas nos distúrbios do trato gastrintestinal no povoado Colônia Treze, Lagarto, SE, Brasil

Models of socioeconomic development adopted by human societies reflect different ways of relating to Nature, which, given the present paradigm, have evolved towards great natural-resource loss. Within the sphere of this relationship, both the conservation and preservation of medicinal-plant biodiversity are fundamental because of the importance of medicinal plants as genetic potential for the development of new drugs, and as the primary access to health care for many communities. Using an ethnopharmacological approach in the study of medicinal plants, this work aimed to study the medicinal plants popularly used for gastro-intestinal tract ailments, at Colonia Treze village, in Lagarto/Sergipe, since this community is culturally attuned to the use of medicinal plants. Methodology consisted of field work within the community, adopting the ethnographic Rapid Assessment Procedure. The sample was composed of community leaders, plant users and practitioners of folk medicine. Based on their indications of medicinal-plant use, eight plants were selected and subject to pharmacological experimental tests. Plants tested by the Intestinal Transit Model did not provoke alterations in motility. However, those that underwent the Acute Gastric Lesion Induction Model proved to be effective in anti-ulcerogenic activity. Based on these results, strategies for local development at the community level are proposed, which will tie the conservation of medicinal flora to improvements in life quality.

Structure and Spasmolytic Activity Relationships of Monoterpene Analogues Found in Many Aromatic Plants

Abstract Rotundifolone, a monoterpene isolated from the essential oil of the leaves of Mentha x villosa, is a constituent of several essential oils and known to have spasmolytic activity. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between structure and spasmolytic activity of rotundifolone and its analogues in ileum isolated from guinea-pig. Five of the seven tested analogues were found to have a spasmolytic effect more potent than rotundifolone itself, except for pulegone and (+)-limonene. The comparison between rotundifolone and limonene oxide showed that the absence of the keto group did not decrease the relaxant effect. Comparison of the spasmolytic activity between rotundifolone and (+)-pulegone showed that the absence of the epoxy group did not decrease the relaxation of the ileum. Carvone epoxide was found to be significantly more potent than rotundifolone. The monoterpene (-)-carvone produced ileum relaxation and was more potent than its enantiomer (+)-carvone. (+)-Limonene and pulegone oxide showed a similar effect. The study showed that the functional groups and their position at the ring of rotundifolone contributed to the relaxation activity of the ileum. The absence of the oxygenated molecular structure is not a critical requirement for the molecule to be bioactive.

Antiulcer effect of epoxy-carvone

Epoxy-carvone is a monoterpene present in essential oils of various plants. It is a derivative of carvone, which has an epoxy group instead of the α- and β-unsaturated ketone group present in carvone. As recent studies have shown that several alcohol terpenes and compounds containing α, β-unsaturated ketone groups present antiulcer effect, the main of the present study was to evaluate the antiulcer effect of epoxy-carvone. The models of ulcers induced by ethanol and indomethacin were used in this study. Epoxy-carvone at the dose of 1 mg/kg did not present antiulcer effect against ulcer induced by ethanol, but at the doses of 10, 30 and 50 mg/kg it presented gastroprotective effect in both ulcer models. Epoxy-carvone also did not affect the gastric secretion in the pylorus ligation test. Moreover, pretreatment with indomethacin or L-nitroarginine methyl ester did not reverse the gastroprotection produced by this monoterpene. This study showed that epoxy-carvone presents antiulcer effect and suggests that this effect does not involve either antisecretory activity or increase of the nitric oxide and prostaglandin synthesis.

Spasmolytic activity of p-menthane esters

The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between the chemical structure and spasmolytic activity of 10 p-menthane monoterpene esters found in aromatic plants. All of the monoterpenes studied had spasmolytic actions in isolated guinea pig ileum. The neo-isopulegyl acetate and the 4-terpinyl acetate were the most potent, while the perillyl acetate was the least potent pmenthane ester. This difference in potency may be due to the position of the acetate group linked to C-7 in perillyl acetate, a structural feature different from that of the other esters. Our results revealed that stereochemistry and electronic density highly influenced spasmolytic activity in smooth muscle. Moreover, the presence of an aromatic ring or changes in the position of the ethyl acetate group in the p-menthane skeleton had little effect on the spasmolytic activity of monoterpene esters. Therefore, our data suggest that appropriate modifications of monoterpene structure can be associated with improved potency and may lead to the development of new antispasmodic drugs.

Toxicidade aguda e atividade antiedematogênica e antinociceptiva do extrato aquoso da entrecasca de Tabebuia avellanedae Lor. ex Griseb

Os efeitos antinociceptivo e antiedematogenico do extrato aquoso da entrecasca de Tabebuia avellanedae foram verificados atraves dos modelos experimentais de nocicepcao em camundongos e edema de pata induzido por carragenina (1%) em ratos. O extrato aquoso (100, 200 e 400 mg/kg) reduziu a nocicepcao produzida pelo acido acetico (0,6%) em 44,9%, 63,7% e 43,8%. No teste da formalina (1%) o extrato aquoso (200 e 400 mg/kg) reduziu o efeito da formalina apenas na 2a fase do teste; o percentual de inibicao foi de 49,3% e 53,7%. A naloxona (5 mg/kg) nao reverteu a acao do extrato; a cafeina (10 mg/kg) reverteu seu efeito em 19,8% na 2a fase do teste da formalina. No modelo de edema de pata, o extrato aquoso (200 mg/kg) inibiu o edema em 12,9%. A toxicidade aguda foi baixa em camundongos. O extrato aquoso da entrecasca de T. avellanedae apresentou atividades antiedematogenica e antinociceptiva nos modelos testados, com o efeito antinociceptivo associado ao sistema adenosina.