Ethanol extract and fractions obtained from leaves of Solanum lycocarpum were examined in order to determine their phenolic composition, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic potential. High performance liquid chromatography coupled with DAD analysis indicated that the flavonoids apigenin and kaempferol were the main phenolic compounds present in dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions, respectively. The antioxidant activity was significantly more pronounced for dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and hydroethanol fractions than that of the commercial antioxidant 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol. The hexane and dichloromethane fractions were more active against the tested bacteria. The hydroethanol fraction exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity at the dose of 75 and 150 mg/kg in the later phase of inflammation. However, the antiedematogenic effect of the higher dose of the ethyl acetate fraction (150 mg/kg) was more pronounced. The ethyl acetate fraction also presented a less cytotoxic effect than the ethanol extract and other fractions. These activities found in S. lycocarpum leaves can be attributed, at least in part, to the presence of phenolic constituents such as flavonoids. This work provided the knowledge of phenolic composition in the extract and fractions and the antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities of leaves of S. lycocarpum.

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Solanum lycocarpum St.-Hil popularly known as 'fruta-de-lobo' or 'lobeira' is native to the Brazilian Cerrado, and used in folk medicine due to its phytotherapic properties. The action of S. lycocarpum on the cell cycle and chromosomes in order to demonstrate whether there are aneugenic and/or clastogenic effects is unknown. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of methanol and hexane extracts of S. lycocarpum on growth and cell cycle of Lactuca sativa and Allium cepa. Roots from both species were exposed for 72 hours to methanol and hexane extracts with 50, 100, and 200 μg mL-1 of S. lycocarpum. Slides were prepared by the squash technique and then analyzed to determine the mitotic index and the total of chromosomal and nuclear abnormalities. The frequencies of chromosomal and nuclear abnormalities were high and significant with a dose-dependent effect, indicating that S. lycocarpum has a cytotoxic and genotoxic action depending on the dose used on meristem cells of A. cepa and L. sativa.

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The large variety of plant specimens found in Brazil with still unexplored medicinal potential, combined with the increase in bacterial resistance to antimicrobials traditionally employed, opens an important field of research aimed at prospecting new drugs. In this context the objective of this work was to evaluate the antibacterial potential of Eugenia dysenterica and to characterize its phytochemical profile. Ethanolic extracts were obtained by drying, grinding, turbo-extraction and lyophilization of the leaves of the plant. The CIM and CBM tests were performed to evaluate the antimicrobial potential on the following strains: Proteus mirabilis ATCC 15290, Echerichia coli ATCC25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC29213 and Staphylococcus epidermides ATCC 12228. E. dysenterica presented bactericidal action at 2mg.ml-1 against S. aureus and bacteriostatic at 1mg.ml-1 against P. mirabilis. Several phenolic compounds were detected in the phytochemical screening, and the presence of these compounds may justify the biological potential of this plant.

The species Solanum lycocarpum is popularly known as “fruit of the wolf”, and is widely used in traditional medicine. In the present study, the hexane and methanol extracts obtained from the unripe fruits of S. lycocarpum, using a Soxhlet extractor, were evaluated for allelopathic and antioxidant activities. In addition, the content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids was determined. The extracts showed antioxidant activity at the seven concentrations tested. The EC50 values obtained for the extracts could be correlated directly with the content of the phenolic compounds and flavonoids present in the samples. For the allelopathic activity, the samples showed heterogeneous effects on the growth of the hypocotyl and radicle of onion seeds, as well as inhibitory effects against lettuce seeds. These results encourage further studies of this species in order to isolate and identify the compounds responsible for these activities that, in the future, could be used as antioxidants or allelochemicals of a natural origin.

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