Phytochemical screening, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts prepared from different tissues of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi that occurs in the coast of Bahia, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Schinus terebinthifolius is widely used in traditional medicine by Brazilian quilombola and indigenous communities for treatment of several diseases. Extracts from different tissues are being used to produce creams to treat cervicitis and cervicovaginitis. However, most studies are limited to the assessment of the essential oils and extracts obtained from the leaves. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate antioxidant and antibacterial activities, to assess the phytochemical profile and to quantify total phenolic compounds of various extracts prepared from S. terebinthifolius grown in the coast of Bahia, Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Extracts were obtained by hot continuous extraction (soxhlet) and by maceration. Quantification of phenolic compounds was performed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant properties were assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. Phytochemical screening was performed as described by in the literature and antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212) was determined by the microdilution broth assay. RESULTS: Extraction method greatly affected the metabolite profile of the extracts. Antioxidant activity varied between 21.92% and 85.76%, while total phenols ranged between 5.44 and 309.03 mg EAG/g of extract. Leaf extract obtained with soxhlet showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 15.62 µg/mL, while stem extract obtained by maceration was able to inhibit the growth of E. faecalis at 62.5 µg/mL. Stem bark extracts showed a MIC of 500 µg/mL for both extraction methods, while no inhibition was observed for fruit extracts. CONCLUSION: In general, total phenolic content, antioxidant and antibacterial activities were higher in samples obtained by soxhlet. Our results provide important clues in order to identify alternative sources of bioactive compounds that can be used to develop new drugs.

Lipidomics in the study of lipid metabolism: Current perspectives in the omic sciences.

The advances in systems biology and in the development of new technological tools in analysis, as well as in the omic sciences, among which, metabolomics, and more specifically, lipidomics, have made it possible to investigate the structural and functional complexity of lipids in biological systems. Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry are the analytical approaches most used in lipid research. Biomedical research, with the development of specific markers for lipids, together with new software development, have both enabled the early diagnosis of several illnesses, besides the evaluation of drug activity and treatment efficacy.

Physiological and biochemical responses of Ricinus communis seedlings to different temperatures: a metabolomics approach.

BACKGROUND: Compared with major crops, growth and development of Ricinus communis is still poorly understood. A better understanding of the biochemical and physiological aspects of germination and seedling growth is crucial for the breeding of high yielding varieties adapted to various growing environments. In this context, we analysed the effect of temperature on growth of young R. communis seedlings and we measured primary and secondary metabolites in roots and cotyledons. Three genotypes, recommended to small family farms as cash crop, were used in this study. RESULTS: Seedling biomass was strongly affected by the temperature, with the lowest total biomass observed at 20°C. The response in terms of biomass production for the genotype MPA11 was clearly different from the other two genotypes: genotype MPA11 produced heavier seedlings at all temperatures but the root biomass of this genotype decreased with increasing temperature, reaching the lowest value at 35°C. In contrast, root biomass of genotypes MPB01 and IAC80 was not affected by temperature, suggesting that the roots of these genotypes are less sensitive to changes in temperature. In addition, an increasing temperature decreased the root to shoot ratio, which suggests that biomass allocation between below- and above ground parts of the plants was strongly affected by the temperature. Carbohydrate contents were reduced in response to increasing temperature in both roots and cotyledons, whereas amino acids accumulated to higher contents. Our results show that a specific balance between amino acids, carbohydrates and organic acids in the cotyledons and roots seems to be an important trait for faster and more efficient growth of genotype MPA11. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in temperature triggers the mobilization of carbohydrates to support the preferred growth of the aerial parts, at the expense of the roots. A shift in the carbon-nitrogen metabolism towards the accumulation of nitrogen-containing compounds seems to be the main biochemical response to support growth at higher temperatures. The biochemical changes observed in response to the increasing temperature provide leads into understanding plant adaptation to harsh environmental conditions, which will be very helpful in developing strategies for R. communis crop improvement research.

Avaliação da atividade antibacteriana dos extratos de Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae / Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of extracts of Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae

A flora tem sido uma fonte valiosa de constituintes bioativos para manutenção da saúde humana. Tal fato tem reforçado a crescente investigação do potencial terapêutico das plantas medicinais. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o potencial antibacteriano dos extratos hidro-alcoólicos da casca, folha, e raiz de Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae. As partes vegetais foram coletadas no povoado pesqueiro de Siribinha, Bahia e os extratos vegetais foram preparados pelo método de maceração. Todos os testes de sensibilidade dos extratos vegetais foram avaliados por meio de testes não-paramétricos. O extrato da raiz de A. schaueriana apresentou uma atividade inibitória do crescimento superior aos extratos da folha e casca, com halos de inibição que variaram entre 7 a 18 mm de acordo com as concentrações e as cepas bacterianas testadas. Já a concentração inibitória mínima dos extratos hidro-alcoólicos de A. schaueriana apresentaram uma média de valores entre 0,62 a 10,00 mg/mL para as bactérias analisadas. Os resultados estatísticos confirmaram a diferença de sensibilidade dos microrganismos estudados frente aos extratos de A. schaueriana.

Natural products have been a valuable bioactives constituent source for maintenance of the health human being. Such fact has strengthened the increasing inquiry of the therapeutical potential of medicinal plants. This work had as objective evaluate the antibacterial potential from leaf, root and bark hydro-alcoholics extracts of Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae. The plant parts had been collected in the fishing town of Siribinha, Bahia and the plant extracts had been prepared by the method of maceration. All the tests of sensitivity of plant extracts had been evaluated by means of notparametric tests. The results of the test of diffusion in disk showed that the extract of the root of the A. schaueriana had been higher to extracts of the leaf and bark, with inhibition rings from growth varying of 7 to 18 mm; in accordance with the tested concentrations. Already the minimum inhibitory concentration of hydro-alcoholic extracts of A. schaueriana had presented an average of values between 0,62 to 10,00 mg/mL for the analyzed bacteria. The statistical results had confirmed the difference of sensitivity of the studied microorganisms front to extracts of the A. schaueriana.