This study provides a species list of the angiosperms from the Araripe National Forest (ANF) in the south part of Ceará state, northeastern Brazil. The floristic survey recorded 188 species from 55 Angiosperm families. The most species-rich families were Fabaceae (31), Rubiaceae (17), Asteraceae (14), Bignoniaceae (10), Myrtaceae (9), Euphorbiaceae (7), Apocynaceae and Malpighiaceae (7) and Annonaceae and Solanaceae (5). The flora of the ANF is composed of typical species from the vegetation physiognomies of Cerrado sensu lato such as cerradão and cerrado sensu stricto and it is influenced by the northeastern phytogeographic Cerrado province. Furthermore, there are influences of ecotones between these physiognomies, seasonal forests and carrascos within the Caatinga biome. In addition to four threatened species that were recorded, the ANF also harbors species that represent important incomes for local communities because of the non-timber forest products, such as Dimorphandra gardneriana Tul. and Caryocar coriaceum Wittm.

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Abstract:Background: Rhaphiodon echinus is a weed plant used in the Brazilian folk medicinal for the treatment of infectious diseases. In this study, the essential oil of R. echinus leaf was investigated for its antimicrobial properties. Methods: The chemical constituents of the essential oil were characterized by GC-MS. The antimicrobial properties were determined by studying by the microdilution method the effect of the oil alone, and in combination with antifungal or antibiotic drugs against the fungi Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis and the microbes Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas. In addition, the iron (II) chelation potential of the oil was determined. Results: The results showed the presence of β-caryophyllene and bicyclogermacrene in major compounds, and revealed a low antifungal and antibacterial activity of the essential oil, but a strong modulatory effect on antimicrobial drugs when associated with the oil. The essential oil showed iron (II) chelation activity. Conclusions: The GC-MS characterization revealed the presence of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in the essential oil and metal chelation potential, which may be responsible in part for the modulatory effect of the oil. These findings suggest that essential oil of R. echinus is a natural product capable of enhancing the antibacterial and antifungal activity of antimicrobial drugs.

Considering the need to produce effective bioherbicides to control weeds and thus reduce the contamination of environments through the use of agrochemicals in control of these plants, the scientific community has been studying the allelopathic activity of several species of Caatinga, once studies indicate that some species of this biome presentind to have activity allelopathic about other plants. On this, the present study aimed to evaluate the allelopathic potential and phenolic composition of extracts of Libidibia ferrea Mart. ex Tul. on seed germination and seedling development of Calotropis procera (Aiton) WT Aiton. and Cenchrus echinatus L. For the allelopathy test, leaf, bark and root extracts, both hot (100 °C) and cold (25 °C), were used, followed by a control group (distilled H2O). Phytochemical prospecting was performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the hot L. ferrea bark extract has allelopathic activity on C. procera and C. echinatus, which was observed in all parameters analyzed. The phytochemical results showed that L. ferrea extracts present several phenolic compounds which are possibly responsible for the results observed against the two weed species studied, with standing out Gallic acid, Catechin, Caffeic acid, Ellagic acid, and Quercetin. It is therefore necessary to isolate these compounds in view of a potential future use for L. ferrea extracts in the production of a bioherbicide.

Raphiodon echinus (R. echinus) is used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation, coughs, and infectious diseases. However, no information is available on the potential antioxidant, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of this plant. In this study, the polyphenolic constituents, antioxidant capacity and potential toxic effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of R. echinus on human erythrocytes and leukocytes were investigated for the first time. R. echinus extracts showed the presence of Gallic, chlorogenic, caffeic and ellagic acids, rutin, quercitrin and quercetin. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of R. echinus exhibited antioxidant activity in DPPH radical scavenging with IC 50 = 111.9 µg/mL (EtOH extract) and IC 50 = 227.9 µg/mL (aqueous extract). The extracts inhibited Fe 2+ (10 µM) induced thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation in rat brain and liver homogenates. The extracts (30-480 µg/mL) did not induce genotoxicity, cytotoxicity or osmotic fragility in human blood cells. The findings of this present study therefore suggest that the therapeutic effect of R. echinus may be, in part, related to its antioxidant potential. Nevertheless, further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to ascertain the safety margin of its use in folk medicine.

Although the conservation of tropical biodiversity depends on protected areas, there is still a very large 'gap' of knowledge on the flora of Brazilian reserves, especially in the Northeast region of Brazil. Field and herbarium surveys of the phanerogamic flora of the Ubajara National Park, located on the Brazilian Northeast, were made and analyses on phenology and dispersal syndromes were performed. 418 taxa (213 trees and shrubs, 100 terrestrial herbs, 68 climbing plants, 33 sub-shrubs, two epiphytes, one hemiparasite and one aquatic herb) were recorded. The most representative families were: Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Asteraceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae. The annual flowering / fruiting peak hypothesis was not fully confirmed, therefore, the forest may be an important food resource for the fauna all year long (especially in the moister region). Zoochory was the predominant dispersal syndrome in the moister area, whereas, autochory and anemochory together, predominated in the drier area.

Context:Croton sp. are plants with a well-reported antimicrobial activity. Croton limae A.P. Gomes, M.F. Sales P.E. Berry (Euphorbiaceae), known as ‘marmeleiro-prateado’, is commonly used to manage abdominal pain in Brazil.Objective: This work evaluates the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial and modulatory activities of the essential oil of C. limae leaves (EOCL).Materials and methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the modulation of the antibiotic activity were determined using a microdilution method. The concentration of EOCL ranged between 512 and 8 μg/mL. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Candida tropicalis, C. krusei and C. albicans strains were used in the MIC and modulation assays. The antibiotics, amikacin, gentamicin and neomycin, and the antifungals, amphotericin B, benzoylmetronidazole and nystatin, were used in concentrations ranging between 2500 and 2.5 μg/mL. The phytochemical analysis of the EOCL was performed through gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS).Results: Only Staphylococcus aureus was inhibited by a clinically relevant concentration of EOCL (MIC 512 μg/mL). Synergism between the EOCL and amikacin against S. aureus (9.76 μg/mL) and E. coli (39.062 μg/mL); neomycin against E. coli (2.44 μg/mL); and benzoylmetronidazole against C. krusei (256 μg/mL) were observed. The GC/MS analysis identified cedrol, eucalyptol and α-pinene as the main compounds of EOCL.Conclusion: EOCL inhibited the growth of S. aureus and potentiated the antibiotic and antifungal effects of drugs against all bacterial and Candida strains, respectively.