These results provide first-time evidence for the gastroprotective effect of (-)-myrtenol that could be related to GABAA -receptor activation and antioxidant activity.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate antileishmanial activity of Astronium fraxinifolium and Plectranthus amboinicus. For the in vitro tests, essential oil of P. amboinicus (OEPA) and ethanolic extracts from A. fraxinifolium (EEAF) were incubated with 106  promastigotes of L. (Viannia) braziliensis. The OEPA was able to reduce the parasite growth after 48 h; nonetheless, all the EEAFs could totally abolish the parasite growth. For the in vivo studies, BALB/c mice were infected subcutaneously (s.c.) with 107   L. braziliensis promastigotes. Treatment was done by administering OEPA intralesionally (i.l.) for 14 days. No difference was found in lesion thickness when those animals were compared with the untreated animals. Further, golden hamsters were infected s.c. with 106   L. braziliensis promastigotes. The first protocol of treatment consisted of ethanolic leaf extract from A. fraxinifolium (ELEAF) administered i.l. for 4 days and a booster dose at the 7th day. The animals showed a significant reduction of lesion thickness in the 6th week, but it was not comparable to the animals treated with Glucantime. The second protocol consisted of 15 daily intralesional injections. The profiles of lesion thickness were similar to the standard treatment. In conclusion, in vivo studies showed a high efficacy when the infected animals were intralesionally treated with leaf ethanolic extract from A. fraxinifolium.

We evaluated the antimicrobial activity and some mechanisms used by subinhibitory and inhibitory concentrations of the essential oil, obtained from leaves of Plectranthus amboinicus, against a standard strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 5 multiresistant clinical isolates of the bacteria. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), the rate of kill and the pH sensitivity of the essential oil were determined by microdilution tests performed in 96-well plates. Subinhibitory and inhibitory concentrations of the essential oil were tested in order to check its action on K. pneumoniae membrane permeability, capsule expression, urease activity and cell morphology. The MIC and MBC of the essential oil were 0.09 ± 0.01%. A complete inhibition of the bacterial growth was observed after 2 h of incubation with twice the MIC of the essential oil. A better MIC was found when neutral or alkaline pH broth was used. Alteration in membrane permeability was found by the increase of crystal violet uptake when the bacteria were incubated with twice the MIC levels of the essential oil. The urease activity could be prevented when all the subinhibitory concentrations were tested in comparison to the untreated group (p < 0.001). Alteration of the bacterial morphology besides inhibition of the capsule expression was verified by atomic force microscopy, and Anthony's stain method, respectively. Our data allow us to conclude that the essential oil of P. amboinicus can be a good candidate for future research.

Indigofera suffruticosa Mill. (Fabaceae), popularly known as "anil," is an endemic shrub, which is distributed in tropical America [1]. This plant species is used as a source of indigo dye, and its leaves and roots are popularly used against urinary tract disease, disorders of the nervous system, joint pain and neuralgic, epilepsy, spasm, fever, nose bleeding, acute inflammation of the skin, hepatitis, scabies, and gonococcal urethritis [2]. The literature points to studies on its several biological activities [3][4][5][6][7][8], and chemical investigations have been made previously [9-11] on this species; nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, only one report has appeared concerning the volatile chemistry of this genus [12].Restrictions on the use of synthetic antioxidants are being imposed because of their potential carcinogenicity [13]. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the antioxidant activity (Table 1) and the chemical composition of its pods. The presence of gallic acid, which is known to be a powerful antioxidant [14], seems to be responsible for its radical scavenging activity (1.55·10 -2 r 3.0·10 -4 mg/mL), as shown by the ethanol extract of pods of I. suffruticosa.Successive chromatographic treatments of the ethanol extract of the air-dried pods of I. suffruticosa afforded sitosterol and gallic acid. The structures of these compounds were established based on the comparison of 1 H and 13 C NMR data with the literature [15,16].The essential oil from the leaves of I. suffruticosa was analyzed by CG/MS to determine their constituents. Thirteen constituents were identified in the oil of I. suffruticosa leaves representing 96.8% of the total oil fraction, and the major constituents were phytol (75.8%) and methyl linoleate (9.1%) ( Table 2).The results indicated that I. suffruticosa essential oil was characterized mainly by a large amount of a linear diterpene (78.5%), the esters of fatty acids (12.8%) and aliphatic compounds (8.2%), and by the lack of mono-and sesquiterpenes.To the best of our knowledge, the only study on the essential oil of Indigofera genus in the literature is on I. microcarpa [12] and shows no similarities between the oils. The oil of I. microcarpa has the sesquiterpenes E-caryophyllene and D-humulene as the main constituents but no diterpenes and fatty acids. This fact suggests the chemical variability among the oils of the genus Indigofera.

The genus Bauhinia (family Fabaceae) is widely distributed worldwide and is frequently used in folk medicine-related practices. For instance, leaves, stems and roots are employed for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, inflammatory processes, infections and pain. 1 In vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that the therapeutic properties of the plant are mostly due to the presence of flavonoids. 2 Bauhinia ungulata L, a Brazilian native species, is popularly known as "pata-de-vaca", 3 and can be found in various regions of the country. The popular use of this plant in Brazil originates mainly from its hypoglycemic properties. 4 Phytochemical analysis of leaves of B. ungulata L. revealed the presence of quercetin, quercetin arabinofuranoside, quercitrin and the alkaloids, harmane Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Bauhinia ungulata L. (Fabaceae) on LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells ABSTRACT Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant, immunomodulatory and antimicrobial activities of Bauhinia ungulata L. Method: A flavonoid-rich fraction was obtained from the Bauhinia ungulata L stem, called the ethyl acetate fraction of Bauhinia ungulata (FABU). The total antioxidant capacity of the FABU was determined through the phosphomolibdenium reduction method. For the evaluation of its antioxidant activity on a cell culture model, LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were treated with different concentrations of FABU and the reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) production levels were measured. For the analysis of its immunomodulatory capacity, TNF-α, TGF-β and IL-10 levels were determined in the culture supernatant. In order to determinate the antimicrobial activity of FABU, antifungal and antibacterial susceptibility testing was performed against Candida albicans, methicillinsensitive Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Result: The FABU demonstrated neither significant antimicrobial activity nor immunodulatory capacity; on the other hand, its potential antioxidant activity was demonstrated by the phosphomolibdenium reduction assay. Also, FABU treatment inhibited the ROS, NO, H 2 O 2 and TBARS levels in the supernatant of LPS-stimulated cells. Conclusion: A significant reduction in the amount of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) was observed, in addition to lipid peroxidation inhibition. Our data suggest that the FABU is a natural antioxidant complex that may interfere in the cascade of cell damage caused by free radicals and a promising potential drug in chronic disease models in which immunopathogenicity involves high levels of RONS.

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