Mutagenic activity and chemical composition of phenolic-rich extracts of leaves from two species of Ficus medicinal plants.

Plant species from the Ficus genus are widely used as food, and in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer agents, although some of these species are known to produce adverse effects. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the chemical composition as well as in vitro antioxidant and mutagenic activity of the aqueous extracts of leaves from F. adhatodifolia and F. obtusiuscula. Phytochemical screening using thin-layer chromatography identified 6 classes of secondary metabolites in the extracts. Total phenolic content was estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteau method and the phenolic profile was determined by UPLC-DAD-ESI/MS/MS. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by the DPPH radical assay and by the ß-carotene/linoleic acid system. Mutagenic activity was measured by the Salmonella typhimurium reverse mutation test with 4 strains, in both the presence and absence of metabolic activation. Flavonoids, coumarins, and tannins were detected in both extracts, and 6 major derivatives were identified as flavone compounds. Antioxidant activities were demonstrated for both extracts, while F. obtusiuscula contained higher concentrations of phenolic compounds. Mutagenic activity of the TA97 strain without metabolic activation was observed for both tested extracts, as well as the TA102 strain with metabolic activation. In addition, the extract of F. adhatodifolia was shown to be mutagenic to the TA102 strain without metabolic activation. Evidence indicates that the use of teas obtained from these two plant extracts in folk medicine may raise concerns and needs further investigation as a result of potential pro-oxidant mutagenic effects in the absence or presence of metabolic activation.

Timing of pollen release and stigma receptivity period of Piper vicosanum: New insights into sexual reproduction of the genus.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Dichogamy is a common characteristic among angiosperms, including Piper species. In this genus, the tiny flowers are morphologically similar and have an asynchronous stamen development. However, there is no information on the duration of stigma receptivity and whether it overlaps with pollen release. To better understand mechanisms of floral function in Piper vicosanum, we provide a detailed characterization of the timing of pollen release from the four stamens and the period of stigma receptivity and exposure mode of the receptive areas. METHODS: We investigated plants of a natural population in a semideciduous seasonal forest (Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil), based on chemical tests, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. KEY RESULTS: Incomplete protogyny-a mechanism that favors outcrossing-was recorded. The period of stigma receptivity was long (14 d), and the sequential exposure and senescence of stigmatic papillae occurred gradually and in a basipetal direction. Pollen release began 2-6 d after the beginning of the pistillate phase, with an average pollen viability of 87.7%, during the bisexual flower phase. Pollen was released for up to 6 d and occurred in one stamen at a time. The fruit set observed in tests of self-pollination indicated self-compatibility. CONCLUSIONS: The gradual and sequential exposure of stigmatic papillae in P. vicosanum flowers is described here as the mechanism for the long duration of receptivity. Anther development and pollen release were also sequential. These findings are yet unreported reproductive characteristics of the genus and offer new perspectives for future studies on the floral biology of other Piper species.

Estudo farmacobotânico comparativo de folhas de Solanum crinitum Lam., Solanum gomphodes Dunal e Solanum lycocarpum A. St.-Hil., Solanaceae / The pharmacobotanical comparative study of leaves of Solanum crinitum Lam., Solanum gomphodes Dunal and Solanum lycocarpum A. St-Hil, (Solanaceae)

Neste trabalho realizou-se um estudo farmacobotânico de Solanum crinitum Lam., Solanum gomphodes Dunal e Solanum lycocarpum A. St-Hil, espécies pertencentes à Solanum sect. Crinitum Child, com o objetivo de efetuar morfodiagnoses macroscópicas e microscópicas que possibilitem suas caracterizações. As três espécies são conhecidas popularmente como "jurubeba", fruta-de-lobo" e "lobeira" e usadas na medicina popular contra o diabetes e também para outros fins. Essas espécies compartilham vários caracteres morfológicos, dentre os quais se destacam o hábito arbustivo a arbóreo, o indumento velutino às vezes cerdoso, a corola é pentagonal-estrelada, roxa a púrpura, e o fruto globoso acima de 5 cm de diâmetro. Entretanto, apesar da grande semelhança morfológica entre as espécies estudadas, destacaram-se como parâmetros distintivos: a morfologia do pecíolo, a base do limbo, o indumento da face adaxial, a anatomia do mesofilo, os tipos de estômatos e a morfologia do bordo foliar.

In this work, a pharmacobotanical study of Solanum crinitum Lam., S. gomphodes Dunal and S. lycocarpum A. St-Hil., all belonging to the Solanum sect. Crinitum Child. has been realized with the objective of providing a macroscopical and microscopical morphodiagnosis for their characterizations. The three species are commonly named "jurubeba", "fruta-de-lobo" and "lobeira", and they are used in the folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes and others diseases. The three species studied share various morphological characters, like shrub and tree forms, the velutinous abaxial indument, the presence of bristles, the flower with stellate-pentagonal corollas ranging from violet to purple, and the fruit reaching up to 5 cm in diameter. The principal parameters to distinct the three species studied were the morphology of petiole and base of the blade leaf, the indument of adaxial surface, the anatomy of mesophyll, the types of stomata and the leaf margin.

Estudo farmacobotânico das folhas de Tocoyena formosa (Cham. & Schltdl.) K.Schum. (Rubiaceae) / Pharmacobotanical study of the leaves of Tocoyena formosa (Cham. & Schltdl.) K.Schum. (Rubiaceae)

Este trabalho teve como objetivo um estudo farmacobotânico das folhas de Tocoyena formosa (Cham. & Schltdl.) K. Schum., espécie usada na medicina popular do Nordeste do Brasil no tratamento das dores reumáticas. Realizaram-se estudos morfológicos para a identificação da espécie e para a morfodiagnose macroscópica. Cortes paradérmicos e transversais do pecíolo e da lâmina foliar, à mão livre, foram corados com safranina ou com uma mistura de safranina e azul de astra para a morfodiagnose microscópica. A lâmina foliar é subcoriácea, oblongo-lanceolada a elíptica, densamente tomentosa na face abaxial. T. formosa possui folhas hipoestomáticas, com estômatos do tipo paracítico; epiderme unisseriada com células de paredes poligonais; mesofilo dorsiventral com idioblastos cristalíferos, esparsos, isolados ou aos pares, no estrato superior do parênquima paliçádico; tricomas simples são evidentes na epiderme, em ambas faces. A vascularização é formada por dois feixes assessórios na posição adaxial e um feixe central em arco com as terminações invaginadas, na porção proximal do pecíolo, ou em forma de "V-fechado" na porção distal e na nervura principal. A morfologia das estruturas vegetativas e reprodutivas associada à anatomia do mesofilo e do sistema vascular, em conjunto, são caracteres distintivos para esta espécie.

This work constitutes a pharmacobotanical study of Tocoyena formosa (Cham. & Schltdl.) K. Schum., a species used in folk medicine for rheumatic pains in Northeastern Brazil. The botanical identification and macroscopical morphodiagnosis were carried out by morphological studies. The microscopical morphodiagnosis were realized byparadermic and transversal cuts of the leaves (blades and petiole) and stained with safranin or mixture of safranin and astrablue. The blade leaf is subcoriaceous and oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, densely tomentose in the abaxial surface. T. formosa has hypostomatic leaves with stomata of the paracitic type; unisseriate epidermis with polygonal cells; the mesophyll is dorsiventral and the parenchyma palisade has sparse idioblasts crystallifer, isolated or paired; trichomes simple were evident in the epidermis of both faces. The vascular system was formed by two accessories bundles in the adaxial surface and by one central vascular bundle in arc with invaginate extremities on the proximal portion of petiole, and in shape of "V-closed" on distal portion of the petiole and main vein. The vegetative and reproductive morphologies associate to the anatomy of mesophyll and vascular system constitute a set of characters distinctive for this species.