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Growth in the international popularity of Brazil nuts oil (Bertholletia excelsa, Bonpl.) has demanded a closer look at quality aspects of the nuts. In this context, time-domain 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (TD-NMR) can be a useful tool for assessing the lipid portion of such matrices. In this work, a TD-NMR method was developed and validated to assess the oil content directly from Brazil nuts following the ISO 10565:1998 and DOQ-CGCRE-008. Full validation was addressed covering the working range from 0.67 to 25.00 g (coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.9993). Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.20 and 0.67 g, respectively. The repeatability and intermediate precision assays met the guide requirements. Oil contents obtained in two laboratories (different equipment) were statistically similar (66.93 ± 4.69 and 70.13 ± 4.15%), highlighting the method’s robustness. The developed approach has the potential to be adopted as an industrial reference method for in situ monitoring of Brazil nuts oil contents.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC−CO2) extraction of dry leaves of Piper hispidum was employed to optimize the selective extraction of cinnamoyl pyrrolidine amides. Taguchi L-9 method and 32 factorial experiments were used in the methodology optimization. The extraction yield (1.92 %, 353 K/ and 20 MPa) was improved significantly to 3.62 % with organic solvents addition (5 % of methanol in the extraction). The chemical composition investigation of supercritical extracts led to the isolation of four compounds, not initially identified by GC–MS. The compound 2 (Z,E) and 3 (E,Z) were identified as the major cinnamoyl pyrrolidine amides (up to 74.11 %). Antioxidant activity assay of the extract obtained at 333 K/ 20 MPa presented an IC50 of 228 μg/mL and AAI of 0.087. The amide 2 and 5 % co-solvent extracts were also capable of inhibiting HL-60 cells grow up to 73 %. The newly developed methodology was suitable to obtain selectively metabolites with biological potential.

Vernonanthura tweedieana (Baker) H. Rob., Asteraceae, is used in the Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases. In this work the phytochemical investigation of its ethanol extracts as well as the development and validation of an UPLC-PDA method for the quantification of the eriodictyol from the leaves were performed. The phytochemical study for this species lead to the identification of ethyl caffeate, naringenin and chrysoeriol in mixture, eriodictyol from leaves, and the mixture of 3-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-propan-1-one and evofolin B, apigenin, the mixture of caffeic and protocatechuic acid and luteolin from stems with roots, being reported for the first time for V. tweedieana, except for eriodictyol. The structural elucidation of all isolated compounds was achieved by 1H and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and in comparison with published data. An UPLC-PDA method for quantification of the eriodictyol in leaves of V. tweedieana was developed and validated for specificity, linearity, precision (repeatability and intermediate precision), limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy and robustness. In this study, an excellent linearity was obtained (r2 = 0.9999), good precision (repeatability RSD = 2% and intermediate precision RSD = 8%) and accuracy (average recovery from 98.6% to 99.7%). The content of eriodictyol in the extract of leaves of V. tweedieana was 41.40 ± 0.13 mg/g. Thus, this study allowed the optimization of a simple, fast and validated UPLC-PDA method which can be used to support the quality assessment of this herbal material. Keywords: Asteraceae, Eriodictyol, UPLC-PDA, Vernonanthura tweedieana

From the aerial parts of Acmella ciliata (H.B.K.) Cassini (basionym Spilanthes ciliata Kunth; Asteraceae), three alkamides were isolated and identified by mass- and NMR spectroscopic methods as (2E,6E,8E)-N-isobutyl-2,6,8-decatrienamide (spilanthol, (1)), N-(2-phenethyl)-2E-en-6,8-nonadiynamide (2) and (2E,7Z)-6,9-endoperoxy-N-isobutyl-2,7-decadienamide (3). While 1 and 2 are known alkamides, compound 3 has not been described until now. It was found that the unusual cyclic peroxide 3 exists as a racemate of both enantiomers of each alkamide; the 6,9-cis- as well as the 6,9-trans-configured diastereomers, the former represents the major, the latter the minor constituent of the mixture. In vitro tests for activity against the human pathogenic parasites Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Plasmodium falciparum revealed that 1 and 3 possess activity against the NF54 strain of the latter (IC50 values of 4.5 and 5.1 µM, respectively) while 2 was almost inactive. Compound 3 was also tested against multiresistant P. falciparum K1 and was found to be even more active against this parasite strain (IC50 = 2.1 µM) with considerable selectivity (IC50 against L6 rat skeletal myoblasts = 168 µM).

Calea pinnatifida (R. Br.) Less., Asteraceae, is popularly known as “quebra-tudo”, “cipó-cruz” or “aruca”. This species is used in the folk medicine for the treatment of stomach pain, giardiasis and amoebiasis. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify chromenes from leaves of C. pinnatifida and evaluate their leishmanicidal activity. A fraction from leaves of C. pinnatifida was analyzed for their chemical constituents, resulting in the isolation and characterization of four known chromenes: 6-acetyl-7-hydroxy-2,2-dimethylchromene (1), 6-acetyl-7-methoxy-2,2-dimethylchromene (2), 6-(1-hydroxyethyl)-7-methoxy-2,2-dimethylchromene (3) and 6-(1-ethoxyethyl)-7-methoxy-2,2-dimethylchromene (4). Structure identification of isolated compounds involved analysis of spectral data of 1D and 2D-NMR. The isolated compounds are here reported for the first time in C. pinnatifida, and the chromenes 1 and 3 show a moderate leishmanicidal activity. Keywords: Asteraceae, Calea pinnatifida, Chromenes, Leishmanicidal activity

This study was conducted to explore the anti-inflammatory effect of Jungia sellowii (Asteraceae) using a murine model of pleurisy induced by carrageenan (Cg). This plant is used in southern Brazil to treat inflammatory diseases. J. sellowii leaves were extracted with ethanol/water to obtain the crude extract (CE), which was fractionated with different solvents, yielding n-hexane (Hex), dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and n-butanol (BuOH) fractions, and aqueous fraction (Aq). The major compounds succinic acid (SA) and lactic acid (LA) were isolated from Aq fraction, and their structures were determined by 1H and 13C NMR. Pleurisy was induced by Cg (Saleh et al. 1996). The leukocytes, exudation, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and adenosine–deaminase (ADA) activities, metabolites of nitric oxide (NO x ) levels, protein levels and mRNA expression for interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 17A (IL17A) and inducible of nitric oxide synthase (iNOs), and p65 protein phosphorylation (NF-κB) were analysed 4 h after pleurisy induction. Animals pre-treated with CE, BuOH, Aq, SA, or LA inhibited leukocytes, exudation, MPO and ADA activities, NO x , IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-17A levels, and the mRNA expression for IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17A, iNOS, and p65 protein phosphorylation (NF-κB) (p