ABSTRACT
Abstract Bauhinia L. and Schnella (Raddi.) Wund. are popularly known in Brazil as "mororó". The leaves and stem bark are used in folk medicine for various purposes, especially against diabetes. Morphoanatomical studies of the leaves of Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud., B. pentandra (Bong.) Steud., B. ungulata L. and Schnella outimouta (Aublet) Wund., tribe Cercidae, subtribe Bauhiniinae (Benth.) Walp., were carried out as subsidies to the quality control of their etnodrugs and their derivatives, as well as an additional support to their taxonomy. The morphological and anatomical studies employed traditional techniques of stereo- and light microscopy. All species showed bifoliate leaves, a dorsiventral mesophyll, epidermis with a papillose abaxial surface, anomocytic stomata at the level of the epidermis, and tector trichomes. Schnella outimouta showed leaf characters distinctive from the three species of Bauhinia: indument puberulous on the abaxial surface, leaves hypostomatic, midrib with two collateral bundles, and a cylindrical petiole. The species of Bauhinia have a sericeous-pubescent indument, amphistomatic leaves with boat-shaped glands, midrib with a single bundle, and a canaliculate petiole with lateral projections. Our results provide leaf morphological and anatomical parameters, useful to distinguish the four species studied, which support the quality control of its ethnodrugs.
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Pilosocereus pachycladus F. Ritter, Cactaceae, popularly known as "facheiro", is used as food and traditional medicine in Brazilian caatinga ecoregion. The plant is used to treat prostate inflammation and urinary infection. The present work reports the first secondary metabolites isolated from P. pachycladus. Therefore, the isolated compound 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy benzaldehyde (syringaldehyde) was evaluated as modulator of Staphylococcus aureus pump efflux-mediated antibiotic resistance. The isolation of compounds was performed using chromatographic techniques and the structural elucidation was carried out by spectroscopic methods. In order to evaluate syringaldehyde ability to modulate S. aureus antibiotic resistance, its minimum inhibitory concentrations (µg/ml) was first determinate, then, the tested antibiotics minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined in the presence of the syringaldehyde in a sub-inhibitory concentration. The chromatographic procedures led to isolation of twelve compounds from P. pachycladus including fatty acids, steroids, chlorophyll derivatives, phenolics and a lignan. The syringaldehyde did not show any antibacterial activity at 256 µg/ml against S. aureus. On the other hand the compound was able to reduce the antibiotic concentration (tetracycline, norfloxacin, ethidium bromide) required to inhibit the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, showing the ability of syringaldehyde of inhibiting the efflux pump on these bacteria.
ABSTRACT
The Cactaceae family is composed by 124 genera and about 1438 species. Pilosocereus gounellei, popularly known in Brazil as xique-xique, is used in folk medicine to treat prostate inflammation, gastrointestinal and urinary diseases. The pioneering phytochemical study of P. gounellei was performed using column chromatography and HPLC, resulting in the isolation of 10 substances: pinostrobin (1), ß-sitosterol (2), a mixture of sitosterol 3-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside/stigmasterol 3-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (3a/3b), 13²-hydroxyphaeophytin a (4), phaeophytin a (5), a mixture of ß-sitosterol and stigmasterol (6a/6b), kaempferol (7), quercetin (8), 7'-ethoxy-trans-feruloyltyramine (mariannein, 9) and trans-feruloyl tyramine (10). Compound 9 is reported for the first time in the literature. The structural characterization of the compounds was performed by analyses of 1-D and 2-D NMR data. In addition, a phenolic and flavonol total content assay was carried out, and the anti-oxidant potential of P. gounellei was demonstrated.