Inflammatory diseases result from the body's response to tissue damage, and if the resolution is not adequate or the stimulus persists, there will be progression from acute inflammation to chronic inflammation, leading to the development of cancer and neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. Due to the complexity of events that occur in inflammation associated with the adverse effects of drugs used in clinical practice, it is necessary to search for new biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory activity. Among natural products, essential oils (EOs) present promising results in preclinical studies, with action in the main mechanisms involved in the pathology of inflammation. The present systematic review summarizes the pharmacological effects of EOs and their compounds in in vitro and in vivo models for inflammation. The research was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, BIREME, Scielo, Open Grey, and Science Direct. Based on the inclusion criteria, 30 articles were selected and discussed in this review. The studies listed revealed a potential activity of EOs and their compounds for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, especially in chronic inflammatory conditions, with the main mechanism involving reduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species associated with an elevation of antioxidant enzymes as well as the reduction of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), reducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Thus, this review suggests that EOs and their major compounds are promising tools for the treatment of chronic inflammation.

Ethanol extracts of different parts of P. cincinnata were obtained by maceration. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were evaluated. The antioxidant activities were determined by β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching test, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), and 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging. The crude ethanol stem extract showed the highest amount of total polyphenols (45.53 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) while the highest total flavonoid contents (1.42 mg of quercetin equivalent/g) were observed in the leaf extract. The lowest IC 50 (25.65 μg/ml) by the DPPH method was observed for the stem extract. The ABTS method showed a significant antioxidant activity for all investigated extracts.The secondary metabolite composition of ethanol extracts was assessed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis, leading to the identification of fourteen secondary metabolites in P. cincinnata extracts. These results showed the potentiality of this species as a source of phenolic compounds and antioxidants.

Background:The development of alternatives for insulin secretion control in vivo or in vitro represents an important aspect to be investigated. In this direction, natural products have been progressively explored with this aim. In particular, flavonoids are potential candidates to act as insulin secretagogue.Objective:To study the influence of flavonoid on overall modulation mechanisms of insulin secretion.Methods:The research was conducted in the following databases and platforms: PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge, SciELO, LILACS, and ScienceDirect, and the MeSH terms used for the search were flavonoids, flavones, islets of Langerhans, and insulin-secreting cells.Results:Twelve articles were included and represent the basis of discussion on mechanisms of insulin secretion of flavonoids. Papers in ISI Web of Knowledge were in number of 1, Scopus 44, PubMed 264, ScienceDirect 511, and no papers from LILACS and SciELO databases.Conclusion:According to the literature, the majority of flavonoid subclasses can modulate insulin secretion through several pathways, in an indication that corresponding molecule is a potential candidate for active materials to be applied in the treatment of diabetes.SUMMARY The action of natural products on insulin secretion represents an important investigation topic due to their importance in the diabetes controlIn addition to their typical antioxidant properties, flavonoids contribute to the insulin secretionThe modulation of insulin secretion is induced by flavonoids according to different mechanisms. Abbreviations used: KATP channels: ATP-sensitive K+ channels, GLUT4: Glucose transporter 4, ERK1/2: Extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2, L-VDCCs: L-type voltage-dependent Ca+2 channels, GLUT1: Glucose transporter 1, AMPK: Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, PTP1B: Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B, GLUT2: Glucose transporter 2, cAMP: Cyclic adenosine monophosphate, PKA: Protein kinase A, PTK: Protein tyrosine kinase, CaMK II: Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, GSIS: Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, Insig-1: Insulin-induced gene 1, IRS-2: Insulin receptor substrate 2, PDX-1: Pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1, SREBP-1c: Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c, DMC: Dihydroxy-6’-methoxy-3’,5’-dimethylchalcone, GLP-1: Glucagon-like peptide-1, GLP-1R: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor.

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Background: Passiflora L. is a genus belonging to the Passifloraceae family, with many species widely used in folk medicine and several pharmacological activities described in the scientific literature, being a major target for the development of new therapeutic products. Studies have identified several bioactive compounds in their composition as responsible for these activities, mainly C-glycoside flavonoids. Objective: The aim of this study was carry out a review of patents related to the genus and its application in several pharmacological activities, important for the development of new drugs and formulations. Method: The search was carried out in 5 specialized databases, INPI, EPO, WIPO, Latipat and Derwent, using the term ‘Passiflora’ combined with ‘A61K and A61P', subclasses of the section A, of the International Patent Classification (IPC), which are destined to medical, dental or hygienic purposes, and therapeutic activity of chemical compounds or medicinal preparation, respectively. Results: 1,198 patents, citing the genus in the title or abstract, have been found, 508 being duplicates. After exclusion and inclusion criteria, 23 patents written in English, Portuguese and Spanish were selected, which demonstrated biological assays in vivo with species of Passiflora as the only active constituent or incorporated in formulations with other compounds. Conclusion: The findings of this search showed growing interest in research and industrial areas, in the pharmaceutical development with species of Passiflora, suggesting that the different bioactive compounds present in the genus can be considered as an important tool for the development of new effective and safe products with pharmacological potential.

RESUMOOs transtornos de ansiedade, atualmente, são altamente prevalentes na população. Estas perturbações do sistema nervoso central tendem a seguir um curso crônico e interferem significativamente no desempenho diário do indivíduo. Folhas de diversas espécies de Passiflora são amplamente empregadas na medicina popular brasileira como ansiolítico e sedativo. Diante disso, o objetivo desse trabalho foi realizar uma prospecção científica e tecnológica sobre o uso de espécies de Passiflora com essas propriedades terapêuticas, através do mapeamento da produção científica, bem como registro de patentes. Para a realização da pesquisa científica e registro de patentes, foram utilizadas diversas bases de dados, onde o Brasil foi o maior detentor de pesquisas científicas na área, enquanto que o Japão demonstrou ser o país que mais investiu em termos de inovação e desenvolvimento tecnológico, agregado a essas propriedades terapêuticas, mesmo não sendo observada nenhuma publicação científica do país com os termos pesquisados.Palavras-chave: Ansiedade. Passiflora. Patentes. ABSTRACTAnxiety disorders are today highly prevalent in the population. These disorders of the central nervous system tend to follow a chronic course and significantly interfere in the daily performance of individual. Leaves of several Passiflora species are broadly used in Brazilian folk medicine as anxiolytic and sedative. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform a scientific and technological prospection about the use of species of Passiflora with these therapeutic properties, through of the mapping of scientific production as well as patent registration. For the achievement of scientific research and patent registry, were used databases, where Brazil it was the largest holder of scientific research in the area, while the Japan proved to be the country that invested most in innovation and technological development, added to these therapeutic properties, although It has not been observe any scientific publication of the country with the search term.

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