Food Composition Data: Edible Plants in Cerrado

Abstract

181negative correlation between the in vitro potential of many molecules and their ADME/T (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion/toxicity) profile is generally noted (Gleeson et al. 2011). Synthetic compounds present a significantly lower number of chiral centers and are both smaller and present greater flexibility, which results in weaker, less specific activity (Feher and Schmidt 2003). In contrast, plantderived natural products present a diversity of bioactive compounds with differing chemical scaffolds (Atanasov et al. 2015). Plant-derived products possess properties, such as binding affinities for specific proteins, that are evolutionary optimized (Appendino et al. 2010;Hunter 2008). Such characteristics make plant-derived products more advantageous for conducting ADME/T tests (Atanasov et al. 2015). Another advantage in drug discovery using medicinal plants is the known good correlation between ethnopharmacological information (well documented) and the medical use of the plant. Around 80% of identified compounds present some ethnomedicinal use, whether identical or related to current usage of the active plant elements (Fabricant and Farnsworth 2001). Further, technological advances in systems biology, bioinformatics, plant specialized metabolism, and synthetic biology present opportunities through which the medicinal properties of plants are discovered, utilized, and expanded toward developing new herb-inspired medicines (Li and Weng 2017). Accordingly, plant-derived natural products still represent a valuable source for drug discovery, this, motivated by global public health challenges, such as COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, malaria, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer (Thomford et al. 2018). About a quarter of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-and/or European Medical Agency (EMA)-approved drugs are plant-derived (Patridge et al. 2016;Thomford et al. 2018).In this context, Brazil possesses various biomes with a great portion of the world's biodiversity and approximately 20% of the plants and microorganisms on the planet (Calixto 2000). Among these biomes, the Cerrado is a neotropical savanna with rich flora (Klink and Machado 2005). Over 13,127 highly endemic plant species have been recorded within this biome (Myers et al. 2000;Overbeck et al. 2015;Silva and Bates 2002;Silveira et al. 2016). Yet, in regard to environmental conservation, only 41% of the original Cerrado still remains as native vegetation (Soares-Filho et al. 2014). This reduction is due to anthropogenic activities, such as monoculture, pasture expansions, mineral extraction, and the growth of urban areas (Faleiro et al. 2013). Considering only agricultural activity between 2002 and 2009, an estimated loss of 92,712 km 2 of natural Cerrado area has occurred (Overbeck et al. 2015). Preservation policies in Brazil need improvement, yet only 7% of the Cerrado is under legal protection (Soares-Filho et al. 2014).Both the bio-prospecting potential of the Cerrado for medicinal species and knowledge concerning traditional medicines are disappear...

Toxic Potential of Cerrado Plants on Different Organisms

“…E. dysenterica (Myrtaceae) has the widest array of different bioactivities among plants included in the literature search, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, cytotoxic, antiparasitic, molluscicide, and mutagenic activities ( Figure 2 and Figure 3 ). E. dysenterica is native to the Cerrado and is highly regarded by local populations for its medicinal uses [ 15 ]. Different parts of this plant are used in traditional medicine to treat various disorders ( Table 1 ).…”

“…Quality control and standardization of all processing stages are fundamental to the successful characterization of plant-derived bioactive compounds. These steps ensure the reproducibility and safety of plant-derived products [ 15 ]. Therefore, the collected material must be dried with air circulation and stored in low humidity and temperature.…”

“…Once the concentrated extract is obtained, several quality parameters are essential for standardization, such as pH, solid content, density, chemical marker content, and viscosity. After considering the chemical and physical stability of the chemical extract, drying is the most commonly used preservation method to obtain a stable plant product [ 15 ]. At this point, the investigation into the chemical constituents and/or toxic activities of the plant material can begin ( Figure 5 ).…”

“…The Cerrado flora is used by traditional populations (quilombolas, riverside dwellers, healers, and indigenous people). Various Cerrado plants, such as Caryocar brasiliense , Mauritia flexuosa , Hancornia speciosa , Dypteryx alata , and Eugenia dysenterica , are used ancestrally by local people as food and for therapeutic purposes in the treatment of various diseases [ 14 , 15 ]. It is important to highlight that the knowledge of these traditional populations associated with the use and application of natural products from the Cerrado contributes to the institution of this biome as a national heritage of great importance.…”

Bioeconomy and sociobiodiversity in the agroecological perspective for the wellbeing

“…Na Mata Atlântica foram identificadas mais de 350 espécies úteis para alimento (OLIVEIRA Jr e CABREIRA, 2012). Em outros biomas, como na Amazônia (CLEMENT et al, 2001;LEVIS et al, 2017, 2018), Caatinga (CRUZ et al, 2014), Pampa (TREVISAN et al, 2021 e Cerrado (BAILÃO et al, 2021), os estudos também têm documentado a riqueza de espécies, o valor nutricional e a estreita relação entre os conhecimentos tradicionais e as espécies usadas pelas populações humanas que domesticaram, cultivaram e enriqueceram a biodiversidade a partir de práticas culturais milenares, garantindo a conservação e a segurança alimentar e nutricional.…”