Many natural substances with proven anti-inflammatory activity have been isolated throughout the years. The aim of this review is to review naturally sourced alkaloids with anti-inflammatory effects reported from 2000 to 2010. The assays were conducted mostly in vivo, and carrageenan-induced pedal edema was the most used experimental model. Of the 49 alkaloids evaluated, 40 demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity. Of these the most studied type were the isoquinolines. This review was based on NAPRALERT data bank, Web of Science and Chemical Abstracts. In this review, 95 references are cited.

Pests and diseases are responsible for most of the losses related to agricultural crops, either in the field or in storage. Moreover, due to indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides over the years, several issues have come along, such as pest resistance and contamination of important planet sources, such as water, air and soil. Therefore, in order to improve efficiency of crop production and reduce food crisis in a sustainable manner, while preserving consumer’s health, plant-derived pesticides may be a green alternative to synthetic ones. They are cheap, biodegradable, ecofriendly and act by several mechanisms of action in a more specific way, suggesting that they are less of a hazard to humans and the environment. Natural plant products with bioactivity toward insects include several classes of molecules, for example: terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, cyanogenic glucosides, quinones, amides, aldehydes, thiophenes, amino acids, saccharides and polyketides (which is not an exhaustive list of insecticidal substances). In general, those compounds have important ecological activities in nature, such as: antifeedant, attractant, nematicide, fungicide, repellent, insecticide, insect growth regulator and allelopathic agents, acting as a promising source for novel pest control agents or biopesticides. However, several factors appear to limit their commercialization. In this critical review, a compilation of plant-derived metabolites, along with their corresponding toxicology and mechanisms of action, will be approached, as well as the different strategies developed in order to meet the required commercial standards through more efficient methods.

The Combretaceae is a large family of herbs, shrubs and trees, comprising about 20 genera and 600 species with tropical distribution around the globe and centers of diversity in Africa and Asia. Some Combretum species are extensively used in traditional medicine against inflammation, infections, diabetes, malaria, bleeding, diarrhea and digestive disorders and others as a diuretic. The present work is a literature survey of Combretum species that have been evaluated for their ability to exert biological activities. A total number of 36 Combretum species are discussed with regard to plant parts used, component tested and bioassay models. This review is of fundamental importance to promoting studies on Combretum species, thereby contributing to the development of new therapeutic alternatives that may improve the health of people suffering from various health problems.

This study investigates the gastroprotective effects of hecogenin, a steroid saponin isolated from Agave sisalana, on experimental models of gastric ulcer. Male Swiss mice were used in the models of ethanol- and indometacin-induced gastric ulcer. To clarify the hecogenin mechanism of action, the roles of nitric oxide (NO), sulfhydryls (GSH), K⁺(ATP) channels and prostaglandins were also investigated, and measurements of lipid peroxidation (TBARS assay) and nitrite levels in the stomach of hecogenin-treated and untreated animals were performed. Furthermore, the effects of hecogenin on myeloperoxidase (MPO) release from human neutrophils were assessed in vitro. Our results showed that hecogenin (3.1, 7.5, 15, 30, 60 and 90 mg/kg, p.o.) acutely administered, before ethanol or indomethacin, exhibited a potent gastroprotective effect. Although the pretreatments with L-NAME, an iNOS inhibitor, and capsazepine, a TRPV1 receptor agonist, were not able to reverse the hecogenin effect, this was reversed by glibenclamide, a K⁺(ATP) blocker, and indomethacin in the model of ethanol-induced gastric lesions. The hecogenin pretreatment normalized GSH levels and significantly reduced lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels in the stomach, as evaluated by the ethanol-induced gastric lesion model. The drug alone increased COX-2 expression and this effect was further enhanced in the presence of ethanol. It also decreased MPO release and significantly protected the gastric mucosa. In conclusion, we showed that hecogenin presents a significant gastroprotective effect that seems to be mediated by K⁺(ATP) channels opening and the COX-2/PG pathway. In addition, its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may play a role in the gastroprotective drug effect.

No abstract

The first occurrences and dissemination of resistant microorganisms led to the inefficacy of many antibiotics, available in the market nowadays, therefore, the search for new substances with antimicrobial activity from natural sources has gained a great importance. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the antibacterial activity and modulation of drug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus by coumarins such as bergapten, xantotoxin, isopimpinellin and imperatorin obtained from two Rutaceae species (Metrodorea mollis and Pilocarpus spicatus). The antimicrobial activity was assessed based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), using the microdilution method. The MIC was >256 g/mL for all coumarins tested. Regarding the modulation of drug resistance assay, the isopimpinellin reducted the MIC of erytromicin by 4 times, whereas imperatorin exhibited the best result, reducing the MIC of tetracycline (2 times), erytomicin (4 times) and norfloxacin (4 times). By reducing the MIC of ethidium bromide, the imperatorin is consider in fact, as a putative efflux pump inhibitor of bacteria.

A new arylnaphthalene type lignan named rufescidride, the first containing an unusual anhydride moiety, has been isolated from the stem and branches of Cordia rufescens. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of spectral data (IR, MS and NMR), mainly 1D and 2D NMR.

Introduction: Given the diversity of secondary metabolites produced by species of the genus Erythroxylum, in addition to the many methods that have already been described in the literature, modern screening and identification methodologies, such as dereplication, represent an efficient and quick strategy compared to the classic techniques linked to natural product research. Objective: The objective of the present study was to determine the phenolic profiles obtained from three species of Erythroxylum (Erythroxylum pauferrense Plowman, Erythroxylum pulchrum A.St.-Hil. and Erythroxylum simonis Plowman) by dereplication using liquid chromatography coupled with ESI-MS n and HRESIMS. Material and Methods: Ethyl acetate and n-butanolic fractions from crude ethanolic extract of Erythroxylum species were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS n and HPLC-HRESIMS, in order to identify its corresponding compounds. Experiments were performed in negative ionization mode, and the metabolites were provisionally identified based on deprotonated molecules, molecular formulas, fragmentation patterns and literature data. The corresponding isolated compounds were characterized by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy.Results: According to the dereplication method, it was possible to establish and compare the phenolic profile of the corresponding species by the assignment of 55 compounds, most of which were first described in these species and among which some were also new to the Erytroxylum genus. Additionally, nine compounds were isolated, including biphenyl-3,3 0 ,4,4 0 -tetraol, where the mass spectral data were not sufficient for their identification, and reported for the first time in the Erythroxylaceae family. Conclusion: This research contributes to the phytochemical knowledge of theErythroxylum genus and demonstrates the importance of the dereplication method regarding the investigation of natural products, enabling accurate identification of the metabolites while avoiding the efforts and material expenses involved in the isolation of known compounds.