Search

Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth (Euphorbiaceae), whose occurrence has already been registered in the most varied Brazilian biomes, is commonly found in the Chapada do Araripe, Ceará. The species is traditionally used to treat fungal, parasitic, and degenerative diseases. This study investigated the chemical composition and pharmacological potential (antioxidant, antifungal, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic) of an aqueous extract obtained from the roots of C. heliotropiifolius. Following a qualitative phytochemical screening, the chemical constituents were identified by ultra-efficiency liquid chromatography coupled witha quadrupole/time-of-flight system (UPLC-QTOF). The antioxidant potential was verified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The direct and combined antifungal activity of the extract against opportunistic Candida strains was investigated using the microdilution method. The minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) was determined by subculture, while the modulation of the morphological transition (fungal virulence) was evaluated by light microscopy. The in vitro antiparasitic activity was analyzed using epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi and promastigotes of Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum, while cytotoxicity was determined in cultures of mouse fibroblasts. The phytochemical analysis identified the presence of acids, terpenes, flavonoids, lignans, and alkaloids. Among these constituents, the presence of polar and non-polar phenolic compounds with known antioxidant action was highlighted. While the extract showed clinically ineffective antifungal effects, it could enhance the effectiveness of fluconazole, in addition to inhibiting the morphological transition associated with increased virulence in Candida strains. Although the extract showed low cytotoxicity against fibroblasts, it also had weak antiparasitic effects. In conclusion, Croton heliotropiifolius is a source of natural products with antifungal and antioxidant potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astringency has limited the acceptability of cashew apples and its products, despite their high nutritive value and antioxidant activity. The identification of phenolic compounds that correlate with astringency was measured directly using a sensory panel and multivariate correlation analysis of sensory descriptors for astringency and its sub-qualities with the phenolic profiling from 9 different clones of cashew apple. A trained sensory panel rated sweet taste, acid taste, astringency, harshness in mouth and throat irritation, and the phenolic compounds were identified using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry system. The exploratory and regression multivariate analyses highlighted a positive correlation of anacardic acids, mainly 15:1, with the sensation of astringency and its sub-qualities (harshness in mouth and irritation in the throat), which associate them as probable chemical markers of astringency in cashew apples. The results may be useful for breeders to concomitantly obtain cashew apples with high concentrations of bioactive compounds and pleasant taste. • Phenolics were correlated with the astringency sensations in cashew apples. • There is sensory and chemical variability among cashew clones. • Anacardic acids and cinnamoyl glucoside correlated significantly with astringency and its subqualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Passiflora tenuifila Killip, known as garlic passion fruit is rich in phenolic compounds. • Passiflora tenuifila Killip did not present toxicity symptoms associated to its consumption. • P. tenuifila showed tendency to reduce parkinsonism symptoms in rotenone-induced rats. Passiflora tenuifila Killip is a wild species, with no studies regarding to functional properties. The objective of this work was to evaluate the chemical composition, including NMR and UPLC, toxicity and functional effect in a Parkinsonism model. The fruits (peel, pulp, and seed) were crushed, lyophilized and characterized. The subchronic toxicity was evaluated in Wistar rats during 90 days, and the Parkinsonism symptoms were induced by rotenone and after treated with P. tenuifila daily doses during 21 days. Composition results indicated a high total dietary fiber content, total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity. The subchronic toxicity results showed that garlic passion fruit did not present signs of toxicity. In the Parkinsonism model, the tests allow to indicate that the consumption of garlic passion fruit causes an improvement and possible effect of recovery of the damages induced by the rotenone, being these effects of improvement proportional to the consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psidium guajava L. is a plant widely used for food and in folk medicine all over the world. Studies have shown that guava leaves have antifungal properties. In this study, Flavonoid and Tannic fractions were tested to investigate their chemical composition and antifungal potential in vitro .21 compounds in the two fractions, presenting a higher content of phenolic compounds. The antifungal assays were performed against Candida albicans , Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei by microdilution to determine the IC 50 and the cell viability curve. Minimal Fungicidal Concentration(MFC) and the inhibitory effects of the association of the fractions with Fluconazole, as well as the assays used to verify any morphological changes were performed in microculture chambers based on the concentrations from the microdilution. The IC 50 of the isolated fractions and the fractions associated with each other were calculated, varying from 69.29 to 3444.62 μg/mL and the fractions associated with fluconazole varied from 925.56 to 1.57 μg/mL, it was clear that the association of the natural product with the antifungal presented a synergism. The fractions affected pleomorphism capacity and have a potential antifungal activity as they caused fungal inhibition in isolated use, potentiated the action of Fluconazole, reducing its concentration and impeding morphological transition, one of the virulence factors of the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Subcritical water extraction (SWE) of agroindustrial acerola by-product. • The temperature increase affected the results obtained by the SWE process. • UPLC untargeted analysis detected 16 metabolites in fresh and dry acerola by-product extracts. • SWE was able to extract ascorbic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin. • Strategy of studying different moisture contents in SWE showed promising results. The untargeted metabolomics approach was used to compare the chemical profiles of acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) pomace extracts. The effect of drying the raw material before subcritical water extraction (SWE) at different temperatures on the yield, phenolic content, and in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated. The results were compared with those obtained via Soxhlet and the findings suggest that SWE saves time (15 min) and solvent for extracting valuable components as compared to Soxhlet (6 h). An increase in temperature significantly improved the extraction yield (23.9 to 33.4 %), phenolic content (119.1 to 362 mgGAEg−1), and antioxidant activity, and higher values were obtained with SWE as compared to Soxhlet. The most abundant compounds detected by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS were ascorbic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin. The investigation of different moisture contents in the SWE showed promising results for eliminating the drying operation, saving time and energy, and obtaining highly concentrated phenolic-rich by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]