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Himatanthus lancifolius, popularly known as "agoniada" in Brazil, is largely used in folk medicine against asthma, dysmenorrhea and as an emenagogue and abortive. This study reveals the effects of an alkaloid rich fraction (AlkF) obtained from the bark of Himatanthus lancifolius in vascular and non-vascular smooth muscle responsiveness. Incubation of AlkF (3-30 microg/ml) during 15 min generates a concentration-related and fully reversible reduction in maximal contractile responses evoked by acetylcholine and phenylephrine in rat jejune and aorta preparations, respectively. Exposition of endothelium-denuded pre-contracted rat aorta rings to AlkF results in a complete relaxation, with EC(50) of 22.2 (16.2-28.2 microg/ml). AlkF is also able to induce a concentration-related rightward shift of cumulative concentration curves for calcium in uterus and aorta rings maintained in depolarizing nutritive solution. Moreover, addition of AlkF in calcium-free solution also reduces, in a concentration-dependent manner, the ability of caffeine and phenylephrine to contract aorta rings. This study reveals that the bark of Himatanthus lancifolius possesses one or more indole alkaloids able to alter non-vascular and vascular smooth muscle responsiveness, an event that may involve the blocking of calcium entry or changes on intracellular calcium utilization or mobilization.

Diversas espécies de plantas medicinais secas e estabilizadas, comercializadas para o preparo de chás nos estabelecimentos farmacêuticos de Itajaí - SC foram analisadas quanto à procura, à embalagem e à qualidade que apresentam. As análises farmacognosticas utilizadas foram simplificadas de forma que possam ser executadas rotineiramente em pequenos laboratórios. Pelas análises realizadas, verificou-se que nenhuma das amostras em estudo apresentou bula e informações sobre precauções de uso; 18,36% não apresentaram registro no Ministerio da Sadde, 26,53% não informaram o nome científico da planta e 79,16% das espécies analisadas farmacognosticamente não apresentaram qualidade satisfatória tanto para a comercialização quanto para a utilizacao das mesmas. The quality of several species of medicinal plants commercialized as "herbal medicinal teas" were analised, using simplified farmacognostic tecniques that could be performace by small laboratories and pharmacies. Results obtained pinted out that no sample analised, presented instructions or informations or cited precautions; 18, 36% of the samples were not registered at the Health Mistery; 25,53% did not inform the scientific name of the plant. 79,16% of the species analised were not appropriate for use.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Vernonia scorpioides (Asteraceae) is a native Brazilian medicinal plant that is commonly used to treat skin disorders. Considering the traditional use of Vernonia scorpioides and the lack of information about its pharmacological properties, we investigated the topical anti-inflammatory effect of the ethanolic extract of Vernonia scorpioides (EEVS) on acute and chronic cutaneous inflammation models in mouse. Materials and methods The topical anti-inflammatory effect of EEVS was evaluated against acute models (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)- and arachidonic acid (AA)-induced mouse ear oedema) and chronic models (multiple applications of croton oil). Results The EEVS caused a dose-related inhibition of oedema in both the TPA- and AA-induced acute models (DI 50 = 0.24 and 0.68 mg/ear with an inhibition of 80 ± 5% and 65 ± 5%, respectively, for 1 mg/ear). In addition, the TPA-induced increase in myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) in the ear was reduced (77 ± 8%) by the topical application of EEVS. In the chronic model, the EEVS reduced all parameters evaluated: oedema formation (31 ± 2%), epidermal hyperproliferation (histology) and MPO (25 ± 10%). However, the topical treatment of EEVS had no effect on N-acetyl-β- d -glucosaminidase activity. The EEVS effectively interfered in the ear oedema on the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction induced by oxazolone. The topical treatment with EEVS performed on both phases or only on the elicitation phase caused the inhibition of the ear oedema-induced by oxazolone in 42.9% and 63.4%, respectively, when compared to control animals (sensitized and challenged). Conclusions The results suggest that EEVS is effective as a topical anti-inflammatory agent in acute and chronic inflammatory processes and that its action is markedly influenced by the inhibition of neutrophil migration into inflamed tissue as well as by epidermal hyperproliferation.

Hedyosmum brasiliense Miq., Chloranthaceae, has been used in Southern Brazil as a sedative, anti-inflammatory, and aphrodisiac. In this study, endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded rat aortic rings and strips of corpus cavernosum were used to investigate the relaxant effects of an hexane fraction of leaves of H. brasiliense and its sesquiterpene lactones 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide, podoandin, and elemanolide 15-acetoxy-isogermafurenolide. The incubation of hexane fraction of leaves of H. brasiliense resulted in significant relaxation of endothelium-intact aortic rings previously contracted by phenylephrine. In addition, 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide and podoandin displayed a clear concentration-dependent ability to relax endothelium-intact (∼85 to 90%) and endothelium-denuded (∼45 to 55%) rat aortic rings. A less pronounced vascular relaxation was recorded when 15-hydroxy-isogermafurenolide was tested. Interestingly, in tissues previously incubated with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor l-NAME (100 μM), both 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide and podoandin had their effects in endothelium-intact vessels reduced to the same degree of relaxation observed in endothelium-denuded aortic rings. Podoandin, 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide, and 15-acetoxy-isogermafurenolide (100 μM) were also able to relax precontracted corpus cavernosum strips by 49.5 ± 3.9%, 65.9 ± 7.3% and 57.9 ± 5.5%, respectively. Our results demonstrated that 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide, podoandin and 15-acetoxy-isogermafurenolide, isolated from H. brasiliense, generate both endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxation of rat aortic rings, as well as being able to induce in vitro relaxation of rat corpus cavernosum. Importantly, the endothelium-dependent effect is fully dependent on nitric oxide production. Considering that penile erection depends on both relaxation of cavernosal smooth muscle and inflow of blood for the cavernous bodies, this is the first study reporting experimental evidence supporting the aphrodisiac properties of H. brasiliense. Keywords: Vasodilation, Nitric oxide, Erectile function, Aphrodisiac, Vascular function, Smooth muscle

Infections with protozoan parasites are a major cause of disease and mortality in many tropical countries of the world. Diseases caused by species of the genera Trypanosoma (Human African Trypanosomiasis and Chagas Disease) and Leishmania (various forms of Leishmaniasis) are among the seventeen "Neglected Tropical Diseases" (NTDs) defined by the WHO. Furthermore, malaria (caused by various Plasmodium species) can be considered a neglected disease in certain countries and with regard to availability and affordability of the antimalarials. Living organisms, especially plants, provide an innumerable number of molecules with potential for the treatment of many serious diseases. The current review attempts to give an overview on the potential of such plant-derived natural products as antiprotozoal leads and/or drugs in the fight against NTDs. In part I, a general description of the diseases, the current state of therapy and need for new therapeuticals, assay methods and strategies applied in the search for new plant derived natural products against these diseases and an overview on natural products of terpenoid origin with antiprotozoal potential were given. The present part II compiles the current knowledge on natural products with antiprotozoal activity that are derived from the shikimate pathway (lignans, coumarins, caffeic acid derivatives), quinones of various structural classes, compounds formed via the polyketide pathways (flavonoids and related compounds, chromenes and related benzopyrans and benzofurans, xanthones, acetogenins from Annonaceae and polyacetylenes) as well as the diverse classes of alkaloids. In total, both parts compile the literature on almost 900 different plant-derived natural products and their activity data, taken from over 800 references. These data, as the result of enormous efforts of numerous research groups world-wide, illustrate that plant secondary metabolites represent an immensely rich source of chemical diversity with an extremely high potential to yield a wealth of lead structures towards new therapies for NTDs. Only a small percentage, however, of the roughly 200,000 plant species on earth have been studied chemically and only a small percentage of these plants or their constituents has been investigated for antiprotozoal activity. The repository of plant-derived natural products hence deserves to be investigated even more intensely than it has been up to present.

This paper is the result of a visit by Brazilian researchers to Ghana, with the aim of improving understanding of the relationship between traditional healers and conventional health practices, specifically in relation to tuberculosis. Through this exploratory visit, this group of researchers promoted by the Edital Pro Africa (CNPq) had an opportunity to learn about, reflect on, and discuss the different social, economic and cultural realities and contexts that have led to the different health conditions and forms of healthcare in Ghana. Besides the direct relationship between the social and economic conditions of the country and the health of its population, it was also concluded that there is a clear distancing, in the Ghanaian reality, between the traditional healers and the conventional system, in terms of culture and modes of operation, each constituting isolated systems with little or no collaboration between them.The visit enabled us to see the difficulties involved in managing TB, including diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and co-infection with HIV. The majority of patients with TB only go to hospital after several attempts at self-medication, due to the non-specificity of the principal symptoms, and also to the trust in the traditional medicine. Initiatives to encourage research into medicinal plants in Ghana are seeking partnerships with developed countries, but not always with clear or secure national interests. For the traditional healers, there are high hopes that the information gathered by researchers from the local universities, on the plants and traditional methods they use, will result in affirmation and recognition of their practices, but they complain strongly that they receive no feedback on the research carried out. Keywords: Herbalists, Healers, Tuberculosis, Traditional medicine, Western medicine, Ghana

A number of natural compounds have been used as immunomodulatory agents, enabling the function of the immune system to be modified by stimulating or suppressing it. There has been increasing interest in the study of therapeutic action of plant extracts regarding their immunomodulatory activity. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the action of extracts of the medicinal plants Calophyllum brasiliense, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Matayba elaeagnoides, Maytenus robusta, Rubus imperialis and Vernonia scorpioides on the development of spleen cells from mice, using the in vitro cellular proliferation assay. The cells, obtained by mechanical rupture of mice spleen (5x10(4) cells/mL), were incubated with methanol extracts (10, 50, 100 and 200 µg/mL) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA, 5 µg/mL). The basal control for proliferation consisted of cells alone, while the positive control consisted of cells and PHA. The cell culture was kept at 37 ºC in 5% CO2 for 72 hours, and cell proliferation was revealed by the blue tetrazolium reduction assay (MTT). The results were expressed as percentage of growth and were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. The C. brasiliense, I. pes-caprae and M. elaeagnoides extracts showed dose-dependent induction of cell proliferation, with a significant increase in cell proliferation (pVárias substâncias de origem natural têm sido utilizadas como agentes imunomoduladores, permitindo modificar a função do sistema imune e propiciando o estudo de atividades terapêuticas de extratos de plantas. Este trabalho objetivou identificar a atividade imunomodulatória dos extratos de seis plantas medicinais da flora brasileira, Calophyllum brasiliense, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Matayba elaeagnoides, Maytenus robusta, Rubus imperialis e Vernonia scorpioides, sobre a proliferação de células esplênicas de camundongos. As células esplênicas murinas obtidas por ruptura mecânica do baço (5x14³ células/mL) foram incubadas com os extratos metanólicos das plantas (10, 50, 100, 200 µg/mL) e fito-hemaglutinina (PHA, 5 µg/mL). O controle basal de proliferação foi constituído de células apenas e o controle positivo formado por células e PHA. O cultivo celular foi mantido a 37 ºC, 5% de CO2, 72 horas, com quantificação da proliferação celular pelo ensaio de redução do azul de tetrazólio. Os resultados expressos em percentagem de crescimento foram analisados pelos testes de Kruskal-Wallis e Mann-Whitney. Os extratos de C. brasiliense, I. pes-caprae e M. elaeagnoides mostraram indução dose-dependente da proliferação celular (p

Background Osteoarthritis affects 1 % of the world’s population and is the most common cause of musculoskeletal impairment in the elderly. Herbal medications are commonly used in Brazil to manage symptoms associated with osteoarthritis, and some of them are financed by the Brazilian government; however, the effectiveness of most of these agents is uncertain. The aim was to systematically review the efficacy and safety of 13 oral herbal medications used in Brazil for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Methods Randomized clinical trials eligible for our systematic review will enroll adults with osteoarthritis treated by a Brazilian herbal medication or a control group (placebo or active control). Using terms to include all forms of osteoarthritis combined with herbal medications, we will search the following electronic databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Health Star; AMED, the database of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field, LILACS; CAB abstracts, Clinical trial.gov, WHO trials registry, and Bank of Brazil Thesis (CAPES), to 31 January 2016, without restrictions concerning language or status of publication. Outcomes of interest include the following: symptom relief (e.g., pain), adverse events (gastrointestinal bleeding, epigastric pain, nausea, and allergic reactions), discontinuation due to adverse events, quality of life, and the satisfaction with the treatment. Dichotomous data will be summarized as risk ratios; continuous data will be given as standard average differences with 95 % confidence intervals. A team of reviewers will assess each citation independently for eligibility and in duplicate it. For eligible studies, the same reviewers will perform data extraction, bias risk assessment, and determination of the overall quality of evidence for each of the outcomes using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) classification system. Discussion This is the first study that will evaluate the use of herbal medications used in Brazil for the treatment of pain caused by osteoarthritis. The results could guide prescribers in decision-making in clinical practice, to inform the patients with pain caused by osteoarthritis in relation to effective and safe treatment options and to inform the managers of the public health system which of the plants could actually be financed by the Brazilian government. Systematic review registration PROSPERO 42015019793 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0261-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hedyosmum brasiliense Miq., Chloranthaceae, is an endemic species of Brazil, locally known as "cidrão". Although H. brasiliense is popularly used as sedative, chemical constituents of this species remains uncharacterized. This work presents the essential oil composition, obtained by distillation of the fresh leaves and from a stored sample for three months, analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The inhibitory effects of essential oil were tested by the agar dilution method against six bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and S. saprophyticus). In addition, six fungal species (Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes) were included. Among the determined constituents, α-terpineol (10.2%), curzerene (8.9%), pinocarvone (8.4%) and β-thujene (7.1%) were found as the main components. The essential oil has only low activity against Gram-negative microorganisms. However, is remarkable active against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi with MIC values ranging from 0.125 to 2.5% (v/v)._________________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMO: Óleo essencial de Hedyosmum brasiliense Miq., Chloranthaceae: composição e atividade antimicrobiana. Hedyosmum brasiliense Miq. Chloranthaceae, é uma espécie endêmica no Brasil, conhecida como "cidrão". Embora H. brasiliense seja utilizada como calmante na medicina popular, não foi ainda caracterizada quanto aos constituintes químicos. Este trabalho apresenta a composição do óleo essencial, obtido pela destilação de folhas frescas e de amostra de óleo essencial armazenada por três meses, analisadas por GC-FID e CG-MS. Os efeitos inibitórios do óleo essencial foram testados pelo método da diluição em agar, contra seis espécies de bactérias (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus e S. saprophyticus). Adicionalmente, seis espécies de fungos (Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum e T. mentagrophytes) foram incluídas. Dentre os principais constituintes, α-terpineol (10,2%), curzereno (8,9%), pinocarvona (8,4%) e β-tujeno (7,1%) foram os encontrados em maior quantidade. O σleo essencial apresentou baixa atividade contra microorganismos Gram-negativos. Entretanto, a atividade é extraordinária contra bactérias Gram-positivas e fungos, com valores de MIC entre 0,125 a 2,5% (v/v).