Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an indispensable micronutrient for human health found principally on citrus species such as lemon and orange fruits, and vegetables. It was involved in the production of proteins such as collagen. Its biochemical mechanism is related to its antioxidant capacity, however its function at the cellular level is still unclear. Several theoretical studies about antioxidant and redox mechanisms for ascorbic acid were suggested, however no derivative was proposed. Thereby, an electronic study of antioxidant capacity for ascorbic acid derivatives was performed using theoretical chemistry at the DFT/ B3LYP/6-311++(2d,2p) level of theory. Simplified derivatives show that enol hydroxyls are more important than any other functional group. The vicinal enolic hydroxyl on β-position are more important for antioxidant capacity of ascorbic than hydroxyl on -position. According to our molecular modifications, the keto-alkene compound showed the best values when compared to ascorbic acid in some molecular characteristics. New promising structural derivatives related to ascorbic acid can be developed in the future.
A descoberta e o manejo de recursos naturais são essenciais no processo de desenvolvimento social. Por milhares de anos, a humanidade tem se utilizado de plantas com os mais diversos intuitos, como, por exemplo, para o alívio e a cura de enfermidades. A diversidade florística brasileira também possibilitou que as comunidades nativas adquirissem e desenvolvessem conhecimentos associados ao uso de inúmeros vegetais. Esta breve revisão da literatura tem por objetivo fazer um levantamento das propriedades de quatro espécies vegetais – guaraná (Paullinia cupana Kunth), marapuama (Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth.), genciana (Gentiana lutea L.), quassia (Quassia amara L.) – amplamente utilizadas pelos nativos da região amazônica, especialmente devido as suas propriedades terapêuticas. Destaca-se, por fim, a existência de grande potencial para o aprofundamento de pesquisas nas espécies vegetais revisadas, principalmente no que se refere ao uso fitoterápico – uma vez que essas tem mostrado, de acordo com fontes consultadas, auxiliar nos mais diversos quadros de saúde.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.