Technological Maturity and Systematic Review of Medicinal Plants with Pharmacological Activity in the Central Nervous System.

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants present activities against neurodegenerative diseases with potential for the pharmaceutical industries. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the current panorama of patents and articles of Brazilian medicinal plants with pharmacological activities in the Central Nervous System (CNS), regarding such aspects as the number of patents by countries, areas of knowledge, and technological maturity. METHODS: We carry out a technological exploration on the Questel Orbit® platform with the descriptors: Agave sisalana P., Amburana cearenses A., Dimorphandra mollis B., Jatropha curcas L., Poincianella pyramidalis T. and Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. with pharmacological activity and scientific exploration in PubMed and Science Direct associated with the CNS in the title, abstract, and methodology. RESULTS: A total of 642 patents were identified between the years 1999-2019. India, China, and Brazil are highlighted, 6th place, out of a total of 48 countries. Of these, 30 patents were not in the National Institute of Industrial Property, and 10% are Brazilian in biotechnology and pharmaceutical products. Eleven articles were used in PubMed and Science Direct with scientific domains (anticancer, neuroprotection and anti-inflammatory). The Federal University of Bahia is highlighted, showing Technology Readiness Levels (TRL4), basic skills of pre-clinical research. CONCLUSION: Brazilian public universities have a significant role in the scientific, technological and innovative development of therapeutic assets for CNS.

Anti-inflammatory activity of Jatropha curcas L. in brain glial cells primary cultures.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae), a medicinal plant known in Brazil as "Pinhão Manso", is highly adaptable, being cultivated in different tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities have been attributed to different parts of the plant. In the central nervous sytem (CNS), neuroinflammation is mediated by glial cells, mainly by astrocytes and microglia, a process that plays an important role in neurodegenerative diseases and other CNS disorders. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of the methanolic extract obtained from the leaves of J. curcas L. (MEJc) in primary cultures of glial cells submited to inflammatory stimulus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary cultures of glial cells obtained from the cerebral cortex of neonate Wistar rats were treated with MEJc (0.1-50,000 µg mL-1) and its fractions (FnJc) (0.1 µg mL-1) with or without lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli (LPS) (1 µg mL-1). Cell viability was determined with MTT test. Modifications in glial cell morphology were investigated by means of phase contrast microscopy and May-Grünwald staining. The reactivity of astrocytes and microglia were investigated with immunocytochemistry for GFAP, Iba1 and transcription factor NF-kB, as well as with Greiss reaction to determine the nitric oxide (NO) production. RESULTS: MEJc at 0.1-1000 µg mL-1 was non-toxic to glial cells and the DE50 was 10.794 µg mL-1. The treatment with LPS induced the activation of astrocytes and microglia marked by morphological modifications and changes in the expression of GFAP and Iba1, as well as the increase in NF-kB expression and NO production. Treatment with MEJc inhibited the morphological modifications, changes in GFAP and Iba1 expression, and the increase in NF-kB and NO production induced by LPS. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the MEJc and its fractions modulate inflammatory response of astrocytes and microglia to LPS and may be considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for neuroinflammation-related diseases.

Phytoremediation potential of Ulva ohnoi (Chlorophyta): Influence of temperature and salinity on the uptake efficiency and toxicity of cadmium.

Ulva ohnoi is a green macroalga with fast growth and high rates of nitrogen and phosphorus absorption. Recently, this species has been recorded in several places with record green tide formation in some of them. Using molecular tools, we herein report the first occurrence of this species in Brazil and demonstrate its potential for phytoremediation in typical environmental concentrations of Cd (0.625-15 µg L-1). Similarly, the effects of physicochemical parameters (salinity and temperature) on the toxicity and uptake efficiency of this species were evaluated. Molecular analysis of two sequences (1141 bp) obtained corroborates another 34 sequences for U. ohnoi obtained from GenBank. The addition of Cd in the medium affected photosynthetic parameters and reduced growth rate. U. ohnoi showed resistance to Cd when cultivated at 18 °C, S15 and 18-25 °C, S35, at concentrations between 0.625 and 2.5 µg. L-1 of Cd; yet, positive growth rate was maintained. Dose-dependent accumulation was observed in all combinations of factors used with a maximum value of 4.20 µg Cd per gram of dry seaweed at 15 µg. L-1 of Cd at 18 °C and S35. Maximum value of the concentration factor was 81.3 ±â€¯1.1% of Cd added at the concentration of 0.625 µg. L-1 to S15 and 18 °C. Our results demonstrate the potential of using U. ohnoi in the phytoremediation of Cd in saltwater or brackish water.

Evaluation of impacts of climate change and local stressors on the biotechnological potential of marine macroalgae: a brief theoretical discussion of likely scenarios

Climate change can be associated with variations in the frequency and intensity of extreme temperatures and precipitation events on the local and regional scales. Along coastal areas, flooding associated with increased occupation has seriously impacted products and services generated by marine life, in particular the biotechnological potential that macroalgae hold. Therefore, this paper analyzes the available information on the taxonomy, ecology and physiology of macroalgae and discusses the impacts of climate change and local stress on the biotechnological potential of Brazilian macroalgae. Based on data compiled from a series of floristic and ecological works, we note the disappearance in some Brazilian regions of major groups of biotechnological interest. In some cases, the introduction of exotic species has been documented, as well as expansion of the distribution range of economically important species. We also verify an increase in the similarities between the Brazilian phycogeographic provinces, although they still remain different. It is possible that these changes have resulted from the warming of South Atlantic water, as observed for its surface in southeastern Brazilian, mainly during the winter. However, unplanned urbanization of coastal areas can also produce similar biodiversity losses, which requires efforts to generate long-term temporal data on the composition, community structure and physiology of macroalgae.