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Natural Products from the Amazon Region as Potential Antimicrobials
Published in Mahendra Rai, Chistiane M. Feitosa, Eco-Friendly Biobased Products Used in Microbial Diseases, 2022
Josiane E. A. Silva, Iasmin L. D. Paranatinga, Elaine C. P. Oliveira, Silvia K. S. Escher, Ananda S. Antonio, Leandro S. Nascimento, Patricia P. Orlandi, Valdir F. Veiga-Júnior
Regarding the antimicrobial activity of the C. reticulata EO, copalic acid has an MIC ranging from 5 to 0.5 µg/mL for pathogens including Kocuria rhizophila, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtillis, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Meanwhile, the MIC of kaurenoic acid is approximately 5 µg/mL against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes (Mizuno et al. 2015; Arruda et al. 2019).
Plant Species from the Atlantic Forest Biome and Their Bioactive Constituents
Published in Luzia Valentina Modolo, Mary Ann Foglio, Brazilian Medicinal Plants, 2019
Rebeca Previate Medina, Carolina Rabal Biasetto, Lidiane Gaspareto Felippe, Lilian Cherubin Correia, Marília Valli, Afif Felix Monteiro, Alberto José Cavalheiro, Ângela Regina Araújo, Ian Castro-Gamboa, Maysa Furlan, Vanderlan da Silva Bolzani, Dulce Helena Siqueira Silva
Resins, balms and spices were also the object of great interest and value to the Portuguese and Spanish colonizers. Cinnamon was one of the most valuable spices and the discovery of cinnamon-smelling trees by G. Pizzaro during expeditions in the Amazon basin, led him to think he would finally break the spices monopoly by Eastern traders. The newly discovered species in fact was not Cinnamomum australe, the original source of cinnamon found in China and India, but Aniba canelilla (Lauraceae). Interesting comparative phytochemical studies on such species disclosed the marked differences in their chemical constitution. Cinnamic aldehyde has been shown as the major component of the true cinnamon bark extract, whereas the studies carried out by Gottlieb and Magalhaes (1959) disclosed the presence of nitrophenylethane (7) as the major constituent of A. canelilla along with eugenol (8) and methyl-eugenol (9) (Figure 9.2). Nitrophenylethane is responsible for the cinnamon smell of A. canelilla and the first odoriferous nitro-derivative so far described in the literature. The numerous usages of resins, essences and balms as pain relievers and in religious ceremonies contributed to the enormous interest in the discovery of novel sources, and Brazilian plant species played a major role in this effort. The importance of rosin in ancient civilizations as in Greece, Macedonia and Egypt continued through the years to the navy industry in England who were compelled to explore North America forests in the search for new sources. Rosin or crude turpentine has been obtained as a resinous gum rich in abietic acid (10) (Figure 9.2) among other terpenoids mainly from Pinus trees and other conifers. Copal from Brazil has been considered as a rosin equivalent, especially in the Amazon region, where this resin has been used as incense and in boat construction as a sealant or to improve soldering quality. Such resins were known as “jatobá” or “jutaí” and were obtained mainly from Hymenea courbaril, which presents copalic acid (11) (Figure 9.2) as amajor constituent. This compound has also been isolated from Copaifera langsdorffii, considered the main source of copaiba oil, a balm that has been extensively used to treat inflammation and as a wound-healing agent. The chemical studies on Brazilian Copaifera specieswere prompted by continuous and current use as folk medicine through the years which disclosed the presence of further diterpene acids such as cativic (12) and danelic acids (13) (Figure 9.2) in their resin and gave important contribution on the detection of adulterants in copaiba oils commercialized in Brazil. Dipterix odorata, a native tree to the Amazon basin that may reach 50 m in height, is known as cumaru and is widespread in adjacent regions to the Amazon. The fruits are known as fava tonka and were exported to Europe for their coumarin content (14) (Figure 9.2), and have been used as a tobacco odorant and is still widely used in the food industry as a flavoring agent (Duke and duCellier, 1993; Gottlieb and Magalhaes, 1959; Gottlieb and Mors, 1978; Nakano and Djerassi, 1961; Veiga et al., 1997).
Antibacterial activity and physicochemical properties of a sealer containing copaiba oil
Published in Biofouling, 2023
Lara Rodrigues Schneider, Andressa da Silva Barboza, Juliana Silva Ribeiro de Andrade, Daniela Coelho dos Santos, Carlos Enrique Cuevas-Suárez, Evandro Piva, Angela Diniz Campos, Rafael Guerra Lund
Brazilian researchers have been studying dental compositions containing copaiba oil for over a decade. Some authors claim that copaiba oils have advantages over chlorhexidine because they are composed of several substances that may have different interactions with the bacterial cell, reducing S. mutans resistance (Simões et al. 2016). The diterpene (-) copalic acid found in copaiba resin oil is an important metabolite against this strain, according to Souza et al. (2011). Urzúa et al. (2008) state that this important class of plant metabolites promotes bacterial lysis and disrupts the cell membrane. Simões et al. (2016) evaluated the antimicrobial activity of a copaiba oil gel against S. mutans, S. sanguinis, S. oralis, S. mitis, S. constellatus, and S. salivarius presented in dental biofilm. According to their study, copaiba oil has antibacterial activity against the strains and may be used to control dental biofilm.
Brazilian medicinal plants with corroborated anti-inflammatory activities: a review
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2018
Victor Pena Ribeiro, Caroline Arruda, Mohamed Abd El-Salam, Jairo Kenupp Bastos
Other compounds with anti-inflammatory properties that are found in a large variety of medicinal plants are terpenoids. There are several examples in the literature of terpenoids having anti-inflammatory activity. Anti-inflammatory activity is attributed to triterpenes of the lupine type, as they are able to inhibit the synthesis of PGE2 and nitric oxide. Lupeol (5), a pentacyclic triterpene isolated from the stem bark of Pterodon emarginatus Vogel (Fabaceae) inhibited IL-2, IFN-g and TNF-α, important pro-inflammatory cytokines (Moraes et al. 2012). Diterpenes with anti-inflammatory activity were also isolated from Copaífera species. Among them, copalic acid (6) is the most abundant and has already been described to display anti-inflammatory activity (Santiago et al. 2015).