Chemical composition and antioxidant and antimycobacterial activities of Bromelia balansae (Bromeliaceae).

Bromelia balansae (Family Bromeliaceae) is a medicinal plant commonly used in the central region of Brazil as a cough syrup and also eaten roasted. The methanolic extract of ripe fruits was analyzed by chromatographic methods and spectrometrically. Four glycoside flavonols were isolated: kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (1), kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->6)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->6)-ß-d-glucopyranoside (3), and kaempferol 3,7-di-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (4). The resazurin microtiter assay was used to measure the biological activity in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The results showed a moderate activity of the methanolic extract with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 128 µg/mL. Antioxidant activity was evaluated as free radical scavenging capacity and inhibition of peroxidation. Free radical scavenging capacity was assessed by measuring the scavenging activity of methanolic extract and methanolic fraction on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical. The methanolic extract showed low values of antioxidant activities, whereas the methanolic fraction exhibited free radical scavenging activity ranging from 20.2% to 91.1%, and the inhibition of peroxidation values ranging from 5.6% to 27.5%. This is the first chemical study reported in the literature about this species.

Quantitative determination of jatrophone in "cachaça" prepared with Jatropha elliptica.

A method for sample preparation and analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV) was developed for analysis of jatrophone in "cachaça" prepared with Jatropha elliptica, administered orally, employed in Brazil for the treatment of venomous snake bites. The linearity, accuracy, precision of the procedure was evaluated. Analytical curve for jatrophone was linear in the range of 16.24-81.20 microg ml(-1). The recovery of the jatrophone in the samples analyzed was 98.99-99.89%. The percent coefficient of variation for the quantitative analysis of the "cachaça" in the analyses was under 2%.