Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Ethanolic Extract and Phenolic Fraction of Jatropha aethiopica (Euphorbiaceae) Leaves and Their Hypoglycemic Potential.

Although Jatropha aethiopica, popularly known in Cuba as "mata diabetes", is used in salads and as a dietary supplement, its chemical composition and antidiabetic properties yet remains unclear. In this work, we evaluate the qualitative and quantitative composition of ethanolic extract (EE) and phenolic fraction (PF) of Jatropha aethiopica leaves and their hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity. Chemical fractionation of the ethanolic extract yielded nine compounds, which included protocatechuic acid (1), chlorogenic acid (2), caffeic acid (3), quercetin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[α-l-rhamnopyranolsyl-(1 → 6)]-ß-d-galactopyranoside (4), a new kaempferol 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-[α-l-rhamnopyranolsyl-(1 → 6)]-ß-d-galactopyranoside (5), kaempferol 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[α-l-rhamnopyranolsyl-(1 → 6)]-ß-d-glucopyranoside (6), rutin (7), kaempferol 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-d-glucopyranoside (8), and quercetin (9). The compounds (1, 4-7) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) in both the ethanolic extract (62.65 ± 0.15 mg/g) and phenolic fraction (61.72 ± 0.23 mg/g). The results obtained show that both ethanolic extract and phenolic fraction contributed toward the improvement of glucose tolerance, which in turn led to a decline in the glucose levels. Remarkably, the ethanolic extract presented a relatively higher promising effect compared to metformin.

The Beneficial Effect of Equisetum giganteum L. against Candida Biofilm Formation: New Approaches to Denture Stomatitis.

Equisetum giganteum L. (E. giganteum), Equisetaceae, commonly called "giant horsetail," is an endemic plant of Central and South America and is used in traditional medicine as diuretic and hemostatic in urinary disorders and in inflammatory conditions among other applications. The chemical composition of the extract EtOH 70% of E. giganteum has shown a clear presence of phenolic compounds derived from caffeic and ferulic acids and flavonoid heterosides derived from quercitin and kaempferol, in addition to styrylpyrones. E. giganteum, mainly at the highest concentrations, showed antimicrobial activity against the relevant microorganisms tested: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. It also demonstrated antiadherent activity on C. albicans biofilms in an experimental model that is similar to dentures. Moreover, all concentrations tested showed anti-inflammatory activity. The extract did not show cytotoxicity in contact with human cells. These properties might qualify E. giganteum extract to be a promising alternative for the topic treatment and prevention of oral candidiasis and denture stomatitis.

Characterization of flavonoids and phenolic acids in Myrcia bella Cambess. using FIA-ESI-IT-MS(n) and HPLC-PAD-ESI-IT-MS combined with NMR.

The leaves of Myrcia DC. ex Guill species are used in traditional medicine and are also exploited commercially as herbal drugs for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The present work aimed to assess the qualitative and quantitative profiles of M. bella hydroalcoholic extract, due to these uses, since the existing legislation in Brazil determines that a standard method must be developed in order to be used for quality control of raw plant materials. The current study identified eleven known flavonoid-O-glycosides and six acylated flavonoid derivatives of myricetin and quercetin, together with two kaempferol glycosides and phenolic acids such as caffeic acid, ethil galate, gallic acid and quinic acid. In total, 24 constituents were characterized, by means of extensive preparative chromatographic analyses, along with MS and NMR techniques. An HPLC-PAD-ESI-IT-MS and FIA-ESI-IT-MS(n) method were developed for rapid identification of acylated flavonoids, flavonoid-O-glycosides derivatives of myricetin and quercetin and phenolic acids in the hydroalcoholic M. bella leaves extract. The FIA-ESI-IT-MS techinique is a powerful tool for direct and rapid identification of the constituents after isolation and NMR characterization. Thus, it could be used as an initial method for identification of authentic samples concerning quality control of Myrcia spp extracts.

In vivo assessment of DNA damage and protective effects of extracts from Miconia species using the comet assay and micronucleus test.

The genus Miconia comprises approximately 1000 species belonging to the Melastomataceae family. Several crude plant extracts from Miconia and their isolated compounds have shown biological activities, such as analgesic and anti-neoplastic action; however, no studies concerning their effects on DNA are available. The present study aimed to evaluate, in vivo, the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of four species of plants from Miconia genus using the comet assay and micronucleus test. Their possible protective effects were also evaluated in experiments associating the plant extracts with cyclophosphamide (CPA). The methanolic extracts of Miconia albicans, Miconia cabucu, Miconia rubiginosa, Miconia stenostachya and the chloroformic extract of M. albicans were investigated. For genotoxic and mutagenic evaluations, three concentrations were tested, 200, 400 and 540 mg/kg body weight (bw), based on the solubility limit of the extract in distilled water. For the protective effects, only the highest dose was evaluated against 40 mg/kg bw of CPA. Blood was removed from mice tails pre- (T0) and post-treatment (T1-30 h) for the micronucleus test and 24 h post-treatment for the comet assay. The Student's t-test was used to compare data obtained at T0 and T1, the analysis of variance-Tukey test was used to compare between groups in the micronucleus test and the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's test were used to compare different groups in the comet assay. All the extracts induced alterations in DNA migration (comet assay); however, no mutagenic effect was observed in the micronucleus assay. All extracts showed a protective effect against CPA in both assays. Our study showed that the use of crude extracts could be more advantageous than the use of isolated compounds. The interaction between phytochemicals in the extracts showed efficacy in reducing mutagenicity and improving the protective effects.