AELCe showed a moderate bacteriostatic activity and promoted an immunomodulatory status through higher production of Th1 cytokines, nitric oxide release and T CD8 lymphocytes stimulation.

Anadenanthera colubrina var cebil (Griseb.) Altschul is a medicinal plant found throughout the Brazilian semi-arid area. This work performed a bioguided purification of active substances present in ethyl acetate extract from A. colubrina leaves. The anti-Staphylococcus aureus and antioxidant actions were used as markers of bioactivity. The extract was subjected to flash chromatography resulting in five fractions (F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5). The fractions F2 and F4 presented the highest antimicrobial action, with a dose able to inhibit 50% of bacteria growth (IN50) of 19.53 μg/mL for S. aureus UFPEDA 02; whereas F4 showed higher inhibitory action towards DPPH radical (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) [dose able to inhibit 50% of the radical (IC50) = 133 ± 9 μg/mL]. F2 and F4 were then subjected to preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), resulting in the identification of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and hyperoside as the major compounds in F2 and F4, respectively. Hyperoside and p-hydroxybenzoic acid presented IN50 values of 250 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL against S. aureus UFPEDA 02, respectively. However, the hyperoside had an IN50 of 62.5 μg/mL against S. aureus UFPEDA 705, a clinical isolate with multidrug resistant phenotype. Among the purified compounds, the proanthocyanidins obtained from F2 exhibited the higher antioxidant potentials. Taken together, these results highlight the potential of A. colubrina leaves as an alternative source of biomolecules of interest for the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.

The large consumption of cashew nut from Anacardium occidentale L., Anacardiaceae, generates accumulation of shells, a solid by-product from agri-food industry. The cashew nut shell liquid is rich in phenolic lipids, recognized for its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties, and the shell of this fruit carry the great oil. For these reasons, this study aimed to investigate the potential of the residual shells as a source of phenolic lipids and bioactive extract for pharmaceutical applications. The ethyl acetate extract from the oil of the chestnut bark of A. occidentale (M3 extract) was optimized to obtain a phenolic lipid-rich extract and preparative chromatography was used to increase the yield of isolated phenolic lipid derivatives. In addition, the toxicity profile, anti-inflammatory, and acute and chronic anti-arthritis activities of the M3 extract were evaluated in in vivo models. The M3 extract (25-100 mg/kg) on zymosan-induced air pouch and arthritis models revealed a significant antiedematogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory potential. The post-treatment with M3 extract at dose of 100 mg/kg dependently improved a complete Freud's adjuvant-induced arthritis model, with prevention osteoarticular degradation. Therefore, these results report that bioactive M3 extract obtained from by-product is safe, eco-friendly, and promising for the rheumatoid arthritis therapy.

A família Cactaceae está distribuída principalmente nas Américas, apresentam uma grande importância econômica, fornecendo recursos energéticos para animais polinizadores e dispersores, podendo ser utilizadas na alimentação animal e humana, possui um grande potencial na medicina tradicional e no paisagismo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi selecionar indicadores e padronizar reações de PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) para analisar ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeats) em estudos de variabilidade genética de Cactaceae. Foram testados 14 indicadores de ISSR com temperatura variando de 48° a 52°C, em espécies de Tacinga, e destes, 8 foram selecionados por serem polimórficos: ISSR-808, ISSR-827, ISSR-842, ISSR-845, ISSR-853, ISSR-857 ISSR-880 e ISSR-888. O número médio de sequências amplificadas por indicador foi de 11,5 bandas, com destaque para o indicador ISSR-827, que produziu 15 bandas, enquanto os indicadores ISSR-845 e ISSR-853 produziram apenas 8 bandas. Os 8 indicadores selecionados no presente estudo possibilitaram a diferenciação genética, sendo eficientes e indicando um bom nível de polimorfismo entre as espécies analisadas, dessa forma, poderão ser utilizados em futuros trabalhos para estimar a divergência genética em nível molecular em espécies da família Cactaceae.

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Background: Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan var. cebil (Griseb) is a plant widely used for medicinal proposes in Brazilian Northeast. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the influence of rainfall indexes (RI) in antimicrobial activity and phytochemical constituents of extracts from leaves and fruits of A. colubrina. Material and Methods: Samples were collected in Catimbau National Park (Buíque, Pernambuco, Brazil) at September 2010 (RI: 75 mm) and January (RI: 65 mm), April (RI: 162 mm) and June 2011 (RI: 73 mm). The extracts were prepared by Soxhlet extraction using cyclohexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The antimicrobial activity was determined by MIC and MBC values. Results: All extracts showed antimicrobial activity, but ethyl acetate extracts (from all periods) were more active. Strong correlations were found between the RI and the average MIC of MLE (ρ: -0.99), EALE (ρ: -0.81), CHFE (ρ: -0.81), EAFE (ρ: -0.80); while moderate and weak correlations were found for other extracts. Through a HPLC analysis was possible to reveal that the samples collected from dry periods had more chemical diversity (as they presented more peaks). Gallic acid and quercetin (and derivative compounds) were identified. The levels of quercetin were enhanced in extracts from dry months. Conclusion: Our results showed that the rainfall has a positive effect on the antimicrobial activity of leaves and fruits of A. colubrina, however these extracts showed more chemical diversity during dry months.

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Several microorganisms are responsible for great economic losses in world agriculture. Preventive and treatment methods are applied to avoid contamination of crops by these microorganisms, however, the use of chemical antimicrobials damages health and the environment. Secondary plant metabolites are safe natural sources of antimicrobials for this application. Fabaceae family has its history described in the literature as a potential source for obtaining antimicrobial bioactive. The objective of this work was to isolate bioactive compounds guided by antimicrobial assays against bacteria and fungi in vitro. Organic extracts were prepared by eluotropic series of leaves of Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil and were tested against six bacteria and six fungi phytopathogenic. The antimicrobial assays of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC) were performed at each purification step that occurred through HPLC-DAD, Flash Chromatography and HPLC-preparative analysis, to confirm the isolation of the bioactive. Through bioguided isolation, the compound p-hydroxybenzoic acid was obtained, which showed activity against the phytobacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris and Acidovorax citrulli.