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Dichloromethane (DCM) fraction and sub-fractions obtained from Smilax brasiliensis leaves were examined in order to determine their phytotoxic and antioxidant effects. The dichloromethane fraction was submitted to a preparative layer chromatography leading to seven sub-fractions (DCM1-DCM7). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed on the dichloromethane sub-fractions. The DCM sub-fractions presented phytotoxic potential; at a concentration of 125 µg per plate, DCM6 and DCM4 showed the strongest results on Lactuca sativa and Allium cepa, respectively. The DCM fraction and DCM4 sub-fraction were more effective than 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) at scavenging the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical.Analysis by GC-MS showed the presence of methyl palmitate (33.05%) in DCM4 and methyl palmitate (17.29%) and methyl oleate (50.96%) in DCM6, suggesting that the activities exhibited by the sub-fractions may be attributed, at least partially, to these major compounds. These results indicate that the DCM sub-fractions of S. brasiliensis could be used as natural herbicides and antioxidants.

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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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