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Research Interests: Pharmacology, Folk Medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Plant Biology, and 13 moreEthnopharmacology, Medicine, Mice, Animals, Male, Plant extracts, Anti Inflammatory, Edema, Carrageenan, Verbenaceae, pleural cavity, Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, and mononuclear cell
Considerando a necessidade de um método rápido, barato e poderoso para a rotina de controle de qualidade, a Densitometria / Cromatografia de Camada Delgada foi um método escolhido para atender a essas solicitações. No entanto, essa... more
Considerando a necessidade de um método rápido, barato e poderoso para a rotina de controle de qualidade, a Densitometria / Cromatografia de Camada Delgada foi um método escolhido para atender a essas solicitações. No entanto, essa técnica tem suas limitações quando usada para ensaios de determinação de substâncias em matrizes complexas, como extratos vegetais. Considerando a restrição da técnica cromatográfica durante o desenvolvimento de metodologias analíticas para medicamentos, foi desenvolvido um novo procedimento para superar a dificuldade em obter os parâmetros de validação dentro dos critérios internacionais de aceitação, principalmente os parâmetros de seletividade e repetibilidade. O método desenvolvido foi aplicado na quantificação de ácido betulínico (BA) a partir de extratos de produtos naturais. Todas as separações foram obtidas nas cromatoplacas Si60 F254 com n-hexano: acetato de etila: ácido acético (7: 3: 0,3) a 560 nm, após derivatização com reagente vanilina-sulfú...
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Eugenia florida DC belongs to the Myrtaceae family. Previous phytochemical studies with leaves extracts of E. florida revealed the occurrence of triterpenes, such as betulinic acid (BA) which presents a vast literature with different... more
Eugenia florida DC belongs to the Myrtaceae family. Previous phytochemical studies with leaves extracts of E. florida revealed the occurrence of triterpenes, such as betulinic acid (BA) which presents a vast literature with different biological activities: anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of different extraction methods (static maceration, dynamic maceration, percolation, soxhlet and ultrasonic waves) to extract BA from the leaves of Eugenia florida. The solvents and particle sizes were also evaluated. The results showed that the better solvents to extract BA were ethyl acetate and chloroform. The highest percentages of BA were obtained by percolation and maceration, probably due to the swelling of the plant material and the renewal of the solvent process. In the assays using different particle sizes of leaves of E. florida, relating to BA recovery and extraction yield, differe...
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Odontocarya vitis (Menispermaceae) is endemic to the Atlantic Forest from Brazil, and its family is known in folk medicine to treat inflammation and kidney problems. To the best of our knowledge, there is no description in the literature... more
Odontocarya vitis (Menispermaceae) is endemic to the Atlantic Forest from Brazil, and its family is known in folk medicine to treat inflammation and kidney problems. To the best of our knowledge, there is no description in the literature of chemical, biological activity, and leaf anatomy aspects of this species. The aim of this study was to contribute with data from O. vitis evaluating the chemical composition, the antioxidant activity and flavonoids content of the stems and leaves, and the leaf anatomy. The chemical composition was determined by gas-phase chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy, and long-chain hydrocarbons, steroids, and terpenoids were identified. The antioxidant activity of the methanolic crude extracts was determined by scavenger of the free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and showed better results for the stems extracts (7.50±0.81 g extract/g DPPH). The flavonoids content was determined by the colorimetric method and evidenced the presence of...
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EnglishThe plants are wildly used by humanity and its use has become elaborated as the knowledge on this subject is being developed, mainly by human being capacity of assimilate knowledge. In that way, the Botany has an important cultural... more
EnglishThe plants are wildly used by humanity and its use has become elaborated as the knowledge on this subject is being developed, mainly by human being capacity of assimilate knowledge. In that way, the Botany has an important cultural and educational component. The present work has as objective the production and utilization of the Sensorial Garden, a non formal learning space, as a didactic tool, through which was possible to approach formal subjects related to Botany, sensorial perception and environmental education. An exposition of the Sensorial Garden has been produced, with the participation of the public that has got in touch with the plants through sensations. It was possible for part of the visitors to recognize some displayed plants and relate some of their previous experiences with the referred species. Besides, the expositions represented a chance to know a bit more about the vegetal diversity. The affective bond created from visitor-plant interaction contributed for...
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The worldwide distribution of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) allied to the emergence of resistant strains makes necessary and urgent the search and development of new substances capable of preventing and treating HSV-1 infections.... more
The worldwide distribution of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) allied to the emergence of resistant strains makes necessary and urgent the search and development of new substances capable of preventing and treating HSV-1 infections. Studies demonstrate synergy between genital herpes and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), which represents a major concern for global public health. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the activity of crude extracts and isolated substances from C. fluminensis in the in vitro replication of the HSV-1 virus and HIV-1-RT activity. Methods: This study evaluated the activity of extracts and isolated compounds from Clusia fluminensis Planch. & Triana against HSV-1 using Vero cells in culture and against HIV-1 using a recombinant reverse transcriptase enzyme (HIV -1 RT). The percentage of inhibition against HSV-1 was determined from viral lysis plaque reduction assay, and the anti-HIV-1-RT test was performed by a fluorimetric ass...
Research Interests: Biology and Clusiaceae
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Benzophenone derivatives are special metabolites that arouse great scientific interest. The Clusiaceae family is known for producing large amounts of benzophenone derivatives with several isoprene residues on their structures, which are... more
Benzophenone derivatives are special metabolites that arouse great scientific interest. The Clusiaceae family is known for producing large amounts of benzophenone derivatives with several isoprene residues on their structures, which are responsible for the observed complexity and structural variety in this class of substances, and also contribute to their biological activities. Clusia is an important genus belonging to Clusiaceae, with 55 different polyisoprenylated benzophenones identified so far. These substances were analyzed from biosynthetic and chemosystematic points of view, allowing the determination of characteristics regarding their production, accumulation and distribution within this genus. Polyisoprenylated benzophenones found in Clusiashowed a high prenylation degree, with 2 to 5 isoprene units and a greater occurrence in flowers and fruits. Section Cordylandra showed a very similar occurrence of 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone derivatives and bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,4,9-t...
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Clusia fluminensis Planch. & Triana (Clusiaceae Lindl.) is a native species found in regions of high luminosity and water restriction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Clusia fluminensis crude extracts... more
Clusia fluminensis Planch. & Triana (Clusiaceae Lindl.) is a native species found in regions of high luminosity and water restriction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Clusia fluminensis crude extracts through the scavenging of the stable free radical DPPH, and the determination of flavones and flavonols content in these extracts. The fruit acetonic extract showed the lowest EC50 value (2.71 ± 0.34 g extract / g DPPH), the lowest percentage of remaining DPPH at the concentrations of 125 and 250 µg/mL (about 4% in both), and also the greatest percentage of flavones and flavonols (13.93 ± 0.21 %). Statistical analysis suggests a positive correlation between the presence of flavonoids and the antioxidant activity of this extract. From the obtained results it can be inferred that the acetonic extract of C. fluminensis fruits is an interesting target for the search of substances with antioxidant activity, especially flavonoids.
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The computer skills present an economic role for all countries both individually and politically in the current globalized world. The development of these skills requests the modernization of scholar and academic educational spaces. This... more
The computer skills present an economic role for all countries both individually and politically in the current globalized world. The development of these skills requests the modernization of scholar and academic educational spaces. This modernization is necessary as it may allow better opportunities for the new generations as well as instruments to face the current social and economic challenges. However, the technology alone does not guarantee improvements in education and will depend on the pedagogical strategies of teaching and learning including the use of it as supporting and teaching tools. On that purpose, the offering of new alternatives for the elaboration and development of new methodological strategies for teaching biotechnology, a strategic worldwide area, is very important. The analysis of online tools in science education showed that they are very concentrated in the areas of basic technological science (eg. physics, chemistry and biology). Despite the closeness, ther...
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Maytenus s.l. is a genus of the Celastraceae family and many of its species are used in traditional medicine. Most of the substances responsible for the biological activities of plants come from their secondary metabolism, such as... more
Maytenus s.l. is a genus of the Celastraceae family and many of its species are used in traditional medicine. Most of the substances responsible for the biological activities of plants come from their secondary metabolism, such as terpenoids and flavonoids, which have multiple functions in the plant and can occur in a similar way in plant groups. Chemophenetics analyzes the occurrence of these substances in a taxon and can infer evolutionary trends and contribute to the rational search for new drugs. Chemosystematic parameters were used to analyze the data obtained through a bibliographic survey. The species of Maytenus s.l. were separated into three groups: species with accepted names, synonymous species with the genus Monteverdia and synonymous species with the genus Gymnosporia. Due to their great occurrence and structural variety in Maytenus s.l., triterpenes were chosen as chemosystematic markers, with friedelanes and quinone methide triterpenes being the most expressive types....
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As plantas medicinais tem representadouma fonte importante de tratamento eprevencao de doencas, principalmente,para as populacoes mais carentes. OBrasil possui grande diversidade vegetal euma forte tradicao no uso dessas... more
As plantas medicinais tem representadouma fonte importante de tratamento eprevencao de doencas, principalmente,para as populacoes mais carentes. OBrasil possui grande diversidade vegetal euma forte tradicao no uso dessas plantas,entretanto, sua utilizacao deve ser criteriosa,com o intuito de evitar possiveisefeitos adversos. Nesse sentido, estetrabalho tem o objetivo de promovera reflexao sobre a utilizacao de plantascom fins terapeuticos. Sao apresentadasas questoes paradoxais relativas ao usode plantas medicinais, que, por um lado,podem trazer inumeros beneficios, e, poroutro, seu uso indevido pode acarretarriscos a saude. Algumas das acoes doprojeto “Plantas medicinais e toxicas noRio de Janeiro: promovendo a educacaoe saude da comunidade” sao relatadas.Esta e uma area favoravel as acoes deextensao da Universidade, conduzindo aoestreitamento das relacoes com a sociedade,contribuindo para o esclarecimentoda populacao e a formacao de cidadaoscomprometidos com a realizacao demudanca...
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Leaves of Monteverdia ilicifolia (“espinheira-santa”) are considered a medicinal tea by the Brazilian Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), by their anti-dyspeptic, anti-acid and protective of the gastric mucosa properties. Their spiny... more
Leaves of Monteverdia ilicifolia (“espinheira-santa”) are considered a medicinal tea by the Brazilian Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), by their anti-dyspeptic, anti-acid and protective of the gastric mucosa properties. Their spiny margins are similar to those of other botanical species, which may lead to misidentifications. The aim of this work was to evaluate the authenticity of 32 samples of herbal drugs commercialized as “espinheira-santa” in the formal trade in Brazil, by macro and microscopic morphological studies of the leaves. The evaluation of the botanical authenticity was based on leaf venation patterns, shape and anatomy of the petiole and midrib region in cross section, vascular system arrangement and epidermal characters. Analysis of these characters compared to literature data suggests that 34% of the samples are M. ilicifolia and the remaining 66% are Sorocea bonplandii, a species with no clinical studies assuring its effective and safe use, representing thus a ...
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This work analyzed the labels of medicinal teas from formal trade, according to the specific legislation. Thirty samples of herbal drugs included in the Form of Phytotherapeutics of the Brazilian Pharmacopeia were photographed in... more
This work analyzed the labels of medicinal teas from formal trade, according to the specific legislation. Thirty samples of herbal drugs included in the Form of Phytotherapeutics of the Brazilian Pharmacopeia were photographed in commercial establishments in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, and analyzed according to the Resolution of Anvisa RDC 26/2014 and the Form. Information related to the botanical nomenclature, plant part, guidelines for preparation, warnings, claims, and orientations for use was inconsistent with the official standards in most samples, and 77% were marketed as food products, although the studied species are not regulated for the commercialization in the food area. The consumption of herbal products in disagreement with the official recommendations may cause toxic effects or lack of the expected benefits. The irregularities identified suggest the absence or failure in quality control and a lack of concern for the scientific botanical nomenclature, exposing the pub...
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Background: In Brazil, the Bothrops genus accounts for 87% of registered snakebites, which are characterized by hemorrhage, tissue necrosis, hemostatic disturbances, and death. The treatment recommended by governments is the... more
Background: In Brazil, the Bothrops genus accounts for 87% of registered snakebites, which are characterized by hemorrhage, tissue necrosis, hemostatic disturbances, and death. The treatment recommended by governments is the administration of specific antivenoms. Although antivenom efficiently prevents venom-induced lethality, it has limited efficacy in terms of preventing local tissue damage. Thus, researchers are seeking alternative therapies able to inhibit the main toxic effects of venoms, without compromising safety. Objective: The study aimed to test the ability of aqueous extracts of leaves, stems, and fruits of the plant Clusia fluminensis to neutralize some toxic effects induced by the venoms of Bothrops jararaca and Bothrops jararacussu. Methods: The plant extracts were incubated with venoms for 30 min. at 25 °C, and then in vitro (coagulant and proteolytic) and in vivo (hemorrhagic, myotoxic, and edematogenic) activities were evaluated. In addition, the extracts were admi...
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Background: Phytochemical studies of Annona muricata showed the presence of bioactive components with anticancer activity. We compared the anticancer properties of crude acetonic and methanolic A. muricata leaf extracts. Methods: The... more
Background: Phytochemical studies of Annona muricata showed the presence of bioactive components with anticancer activity. We compared the anticancer properties of crude acetonic and methanolic A. muricata leaf extracts. Methods: The viabilities of different cell lines (A549, U87, U251, K562 and VERO) treated with A. muricata acetonic or methanolic leaf extracts were measured using the MTT assay. Apoptosis induction, cell cycle and cytoskeleton rearrangements were evaluated in K562 by flow cytometry or fluorescence microscopy. Results: Chemical analyses of the A. muricata extracts showed differences in their composition. The K562 cell line was the most sensitive to the treatment with the acetonic and methanolic extracts, and the IC50 values, respectively were 28.82 (24.41 - 34.69) and 32.49 (27.21 - 40.16) μg/mL. Both extracts induced apoptotic cell death and G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest. For the first time, cytoskeleton rearrangements were observed in the K562 cell line treated wi...
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CONDENSED TANNINS OF PLUMBAGINACEAE SPECIES Plumbaginaceae is composed by perennial herbs or subshrubs of cosmopolitan distribution. The present study aimed to evaluate the content of condensed tannins from leaves of two Plumbaginaceae... more
CONDENSED TANNINS OF PLUMBAGINACEAE SPECIES Plumbaginaceae is composed by perennial herbs or subshrubs of cosmopolitan distribution. The present study aimed to evaluate the content of condensed tannins from leaves of two Plumbaginaceae species Plumbago auriculata Lam. e Plumbago scandens L. The tannin extraction was carried out by acid hydrolysis and the quantification was obtained through colorimetric analysis using epicatechin as
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Centrifugal liquid-liquid partition chromatography presents significant advantages for the separation and purification of plant metabolites owing to the short operational time of the process and the elimination of possible irreversible... more
Centrifugal liquid-liquid partition chromatography presents significant advantages for the separation and purification of plant metabolites owing to the short operational time of the process and the elimination of possible irreversible adsorption of compounds. The crude chloroform extract from roots of Plumbago auriculata was analysed by countercurrent chromatography using hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol:water (40:10:10:2, v/v) as solvent system. The isolation of the naphthoquinones plumbagin and epi-isoshinanolone, the steroids sitosterol and 3-O-glucosylsitosterol, plumbagic and palmitic acids was easily achieved. Naphthoquinones are typical components of Plumbago species and they show interesting biological activities.
Research Interests: Chemistry, Chromatography, Brazil, Medicine, Biological Sciences, and 14 morePhytochemical, Naphthoquinones, Plant Roots, Secondary Metabolites, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Ethyl Acetate, Plant extracts, Phytochemical Analysis, Gas Chromatography/mass Spectrometry, Palmitic Acid, Plumbaginaceae, Countercurrent chromatography, Chloroform, and Medical and Health Sciences
Research Interests: Traditional Medicine, Medical Microbiology, Biology, Medicine, Escherichia coli, and 11 moreSalmonella Typhimurium, Antimicrobial activity, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Naphthoquinones, Antimicrobial, Plant extracts, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Naphthoquinone, Plumbaginaceae, and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
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Plumbago scandens L. is a Brazilian tropical/subtropical species that occurs along the coast. Chemically it is mainly represented by naphthoquinones, flavonoids, terpenoids and steroids. The aim of the present work is to study... more
Plumbago scandens L. is a Brazilian tropical/subtropical species that occurs along the coast. Chemically it is mainly represented by naphthoquinones, flavonoids, terpenoids and steroids. The aim of the present work is to study quantitative changes in the root metabolic production of Plumbago scandens during different physiologic developmental stages relative to floration. The results indicated the presence of four substances in the extracts: plumbagin, epi-isoshinanolone, palmitic acid and sitosterol, independent on developmental stage. The naphthoquinone plumbagin has always showed to be the major component of all extracts. Naphthoquinones exhibited their highest content during floration, while the content of the two others components decreased during this stage, revealing an inverse profile. The chemical composition changed depending on the plant requirements.
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The Plumbago genus belongs to the Plumbaginaceae family and it is known due to its variety of biological uses, most of them attributed to the presence of naphthoquinones. Plumbagin is a naturally occurring naphthoquinone that can be... more
The Plumbago genus belongs to the Plumbaginaceae family and it is known due to its variety of biological uses, most of them attributed to the presence of naphthoquinones. Plumbagin is a naturally occurring naphthoquinone that can be obtained from roots of Plumbago scandens L. In order to find out the better technique for plumbagin extraction, were applied: static maceration, dynamic maceration, with assistance of ultrasonic waves and in Soxhlet apparatus. Four compounds were qualitatively detected in all extracts: the naphthoquinones plumbagin and epi-isoshinanolone, palmitic acid and sitosterol. Plumbagin was always the major component in all analyzed extracts and it was quantitatively determined by gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer. Soxhlet was the most efficient extraction technique however, prolonged heating time promoted plumbagin degradation.
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The ability of extracts of the plant Clusia fluminensis Planch & Triana (Clusiaceae Lindl.) to neutralize proteolysis, clotting, hemolysis, hemorrhagic and lethality activities of Bothrops jararaca snake venom was studied. Clusianone and... more
The ability of extracts of the plant Clusia fluminensis Planch & Triana (Clusiaceae Lindl.) to neutralize proteolysis, clotting, hemolysis, hemorrhagic and lethality activities of Bothrops jararaca snake venom was studied. Clusianone and lanosterol from the flower and fruit extracts, respectively, were also tested. The extracts of different organs of C. fluminensis inhibited proteolysis and hemolysis induced by B. jararaca venom, but with different potencies. Only the stems prevented blood clotting. Only the acetone extract of the fruit protected mice from hemorrhage while the acetone or methanol extracts prevented mice from death. Clusianone and lanosterol did not inhibit clotting or hemorrhage, but the former inhibited proteolysis and the latter hemolysis.
Research Interests: Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Plant Biology, Medicine, Humans, and 9 moreMice, Animals, Male, Venom, Plant extracts, Bothrops, Hemolysis, proteolysis, and Antivenins
The floral resins of the genus Clusia L. (Clusiaceae Lindl.) mainly consist of poliisoprenylated benzophenones, a class of substances which is noteworthy due to its broad spectrum of biological activities. This paper describes the... more
The floral resins of the genus Clusia L. (Clusiaceae Lindl.) mainly consist of poliisoprenylated benzophenones, a class of substances which is noteworthy due to its broad spectrum of biological activities. This paper describes the isolation of clusianone from the male flowers of Clusia fluminensis Planch. & Triana, a native species from Brazilian coast, using, for the first time, high-speed counter-current