Bredemeyera Willd.: an integrative review of its therapeutic potential and chemical aspects Rubens Santos Barreto, Naiane Oliveira Santos, Vilisaimon da Silva de Jesus, Wagner Rodrigues de Assis Soares, Danielle Figuerêdo da Silva, et al. Natural Product Research, 2025 Bredemeyera Willd. comprises thirteen species from Mexico to Tropical America, all found in Brazil, with seven being endemic. Three species are popularly used: B. brevifolia (for kidney inflammation, influenza, diarrhoea, rheumatic pain, back pain, gastritis), B. floribunda (for skin infections, dysentery, rheumatism, hypertension, exhaustion, snake bites, expectorant, diuretic), and B. laurifolia (for uterus and ovary infections). This integrative review aims to list and compare the pharmacological actions and chemical substances identified in the literature concerning species of the genus, in order to find records of compounds and their pharmacological application relationships. Only B. brevifolia and B. floribunda underwent phytochemical survey, where fatty acids, xanthones, saponins and a flavonoid were identified. In this review, it was possible to verify the existence of promising studies in ethnobotany and phytochemistry for three species of the genus, which makes this review a valuable resource for guiding future studies on the subject.
Analysing chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of geopropolis from Melipona scutellaris: HPLC-DAD and in vitro/in silico investigations Jéssica Lima de Souza, Adrianne Bastos Ferreira, Elinalva Maciel Paulo, Clayton Queiroz Alves, Carlos Alfredo Lopes de Carvalho, et al. Natural Product Research, 2025 This study evaluated the chemical profile, antimicrobial activity, and the presence of potentially toxic elements in geopropolis extracts produced by Melipona scutellaris in the Recôncavo region of Bahia, Brazil. It was found that the major chemical compounds belong to the class of phenolic compounds, with emphasis on the presence of gallic acid. In this study, no potentially toxic elements were found in the analysed geopropolis. Regarding the antimicrobial potential, gram-positive bacteria were susceptible to the action of geopropolis extract at concentrations of 0.25 to 2.5 mg.mL-1, highlighting its microbiological activity against Streptococcus mitis (ATCC 00456) and Candida albicans (CCMB 251). Thus, this geopropolis extract can be used as a bacteriostatic rather than a bactericide. Our results suggest the potential for the economic and therapeutic use of M. scutellaris geopropolis, adding value to one of the meliponiculture products.
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF Amburana acreana Ducke A. C. Sm. LEAVES A. Ferreira, R. Aguiar, H. Brandão, R. Santos, H. D. de Freitas, et al. Quimica Nova, 2025 This study aimed to isolate, purify and characterize secondary metabolites present in Amburana acreana leaves, native to the state of Rondônia, using classical chromatographic methods and 1D, 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. From the hydroethanolic leaves extract of A. acreana, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, coumarin, campesterol 3-β-D-glucoside and amburoside B, all known compounds, were identified. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of isolation and chemical characterization of secondary metabolites in A. acreana. In addition, in vitro assays indicated that amburoside B does not have inhibitory potential on the growth of gram-negative bacteria. The presence of these compounds suggests that, thus far, amburosides (A and B) could be chemotaxonomic markers of the genus Amburana.
In vitro and in silico Antifungal Activity of Metabolites from Bredemeyera brevifolia (Benth.) Klotzsch ex A.W. Benn. Rubens S. Barreto, Diego M. da Costa, Jailan S. Sousa, Vilisaimon S. de Jesus, Agnaldo P. da Silva, et al. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, 2025 Bredemeyera Willd. is a genus of the Polygalaceae family, occurring in Brazil. This research aims to evaluate the phytochemical and antifungal potential, in vitro and in silico, of Bredemeyera brevifolia extracts. The identification of fatty acids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and their quantification by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector showed that palmitic (36.55 mg g-1), margaric (3.66 mg g-1), linolelaidic (108.82 mg g-1), oleic (7.86 mg g-1), stearic (41.11 mg g-1), dihomo-γ-linolenic (85.48 mg g-1), and arachidic (209.00 mg g-1) acids are present in the hexane extract. From the chloroform extract, 1-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone was isolated and identified. The minimum inhibitory concentration assay with methanolic extract demonstrated antifungal activity against species of the genus Candida, Sporothrix, and Trichophyton for up to 96 h, with values ranging from 64-1024 μg mL-1. The in silico study with the chemical compounds of this species showed fungal inhibition potential of sterol14-α-demethylase, highlighting 1-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone, which presented an affinity energy of -8.8 kcal mol-1, greater than that observed for fluconazole (-8.3 kcal mol-1). The fatty acids interacted with the active site of the enzyme but presented energies ≥ -7.4 kcal mol-1. Compounds isolated from this species have pharmacokinetic potential for the development of pharmaceutical formulations.
Hydroxytakakiamide and Other Constituents from a Marine Sponge-Associated Fungus Aspergillus fischeri MMERU23, and Antinociceptive Activity of Ergosterol Acetate, Acetylaszonalenin and Helvolic Acid Harol Ricardo Arias Cardona, Bruno Cerqueira da Silva, Flávia Oliveira de Lima, Franco Henrique Andrade Leite, Bruno Cruz de Souza, et al. Marine Drugs, 2024 An unreported prenylated indole derivative hydroxytakakiamide (4) was isolated, together with the previously described ergosterol (1), ergosterol acetate (2), and (3R)-3-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)-3, 4-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-dione (3), from the column fractions of the crude ethyl acetate extract of the culture of a marine sponge-associated fungus, Aspergillus fischeri MMERU 23. The structure of 4 was elucidated by the interpretation of 1D and 2D NMR spectral data and high-resolution mass spectrum. The absolute configuration of the stereogenic carbon in 3 was proposed to be the same as those of the co-occurring congeners on the basis of their biogenetic consideration and was supported by the comparison of its sign of optical rotation with those of its steroisomers. The crude ethyl acetate extract and 2 were evaluated, together with acetylaszonalenin (5) and helvolic acid (6), which were previously isolated from the same extract, for the in vivo antinociceptive activity in the mice model. The crude ethyl acetate extract exhibited antinociceptive activity in the acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin tests, while 2, 5, and 6 displayed the effects in the late phase of the formalin test. On the other hand, neither the crude ethyl acetate extract nor 2, 5, and 6 affected the motor performance of mice in both open-field and rotarod tests. Additionally, docking studies of 2, 5, and 6 were performed with 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes, PDE4 and PDE7, which are directly related to pain and inflammatory processes. Molecular docking showed that 6 has low affinity energy to PDE4 and PDE7 targets while retaining high affinity to 5-LOX. On the other hand, while 2 did not display any hydrogen bond interactions in any of its complexes, it achieved overall better energy values than 6 on the three antinociceptive targets. On the other hand, 5 has the best energy profile of all the docked compounds and was able to reproduce the crystallographic interactions of the 5-LOX complex.
Antiplasmodial activity of coumarins isolated from Polygala boliviensis: in vitro and in silico studies Danielle Figuerêdo da Silva, Jéssica Lima de Souza, Diego Mota da Costa, David Bacelar Costa, Paulo Otávio Lourenço Moreira, et al. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 2023 Polygala boliviensis is found in the Brazilian semiarid region. This specie is little chemically and biologically studied. Polygala spp. have different metabolites, especially coumarins. Studies indicate that coumarins have antimalarial potential, denoting the importance of researching new active compounds from plants, since the resistance of Plasmodium strains to conventional therapy has increased. The present study aimed to evaluate the antiplasmodial activity of auraptene and poligalen against a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Coumarins were isolated from P. boliviensis by open column chromatography and identified by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. A cytotoxicity assay was carried out using MTT test, and the in vitro antiplasmodial activity was evaluated using the W2 strain. The antiplasmodial activity results found were IC50=0.171 ± 0.016 for auraptene and 0.164 ± 0.012 for poligalen; the selectivity indexes were 78.71 and 609.76, respectively. Inverse virtual screening in the BRAMMT database by OCTOPUS 1.2 was applied to coumarins to find potential P. falciparum targets and showed higher affinity energy of auraptene for purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PfPNP) and of poligalen for dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (PfDHODH). Molecular Dynamics studies (MD and MM-GBSA) approach were applied to calculate binding energies against selected P. falciparum targets and showed that all coumarins were stable at the binding site during simulations. Furthermore, energies were favorable for complexation. This is the first report of auraptene in P. boliviensis species and of in vitro antiplasmodial activity of auraptene and poligalen. In silico studies indicated that the mechanism of action of coumarins is the inhibition of PfPNP and PfDHODH. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Thermal shift assays of marine-derived fungal metabolites from Aspergillus fischeri MMERU 23 against Leishmania major pteridine reductase 1 and molecular dynamics studies Harol R. Arias Cardona, Thamires Q. Froes, Bruno C. De Souza, Franco H. A. Leite, Hugo Neves Brandão, et al. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 2022 Marine-derived fungi are a promising source of bioactive molecules, especially species from extreme habitats. Although several secondary metabolites such as meroterpenoids and alkaloids have been isolated from cultures of Aspergillus fischeri, obtained from terrestrial habitats, there is no report on compounds isolated from marine-derived strains. Many metabolites isolated from marine-derived fungi exhibited a myriad of biological activities. Marine natural products have shown to be an important source of bioactive compounds and can assist in the discovery of molecules with affinity against validated targets from exclusive strains of parasites of medical importance such as pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1), from Leishmania major, which is essential for cell growth. Leishmaniasis is responsible for approximately 65,000 annual deaths. Despite the mortality data, drugs available for the treatment of patients are insufficient and have moderate therapeutic efficacy in addition to serious adverse effects, which make the development of new drugs urgent. The previously described aszonalenin (ASL), aszonapyrone A (ASP), acetylaszonalenin (ACZ), and helvolic acid (HAC) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the culture of a marine sponge-associated A. fischeri MMERU 23 and their affinities against PTR1 were determined by ThermoFluor®. Among the tested compounds, only ACZ showed dose-dependent affinity against PTR1. Moreover, complementary molecular dynamics studies (t = 100 000 ps) have showed that this molecule performs hydrogen bonds with key residues at the active site for more than 60% of the productive trajectory time. The results indicate that ACZ could be a promising PTR1 inhibitor and a potential candidate for development of antileishmanial drug. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Chemical constituents, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and, antinociceptive activities of Trichilia ramalhoi Angélica F. Gomes, Bruno O. Moreira, Regiane Yatsuda, Érika P. de Souza, Jorge M. David, et al. Natural Product Research, 2021 Trichilia ramalhoi Rizz. is a species from Meliaceae family and its chemical composition and biological activities are still unknown. This work describes the chemical composition and biological activities of the organic extracts of this plant. Therefore, methanolic extract of stem barks and leaves were prepared and submitted to chromatographic procedures. Besides, T. ramalhoi extracts biological evaluation showed antioxidant, antinociceptive and, anti-inflammatory activities. Usual chromatographic procedures of the active extracts permitted to isolate methyl 5-O-caffeoylquinate, apocynin C, cinchonains Ia and Ib, besides β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and lupeol. The identification of the isolates was based on 13C and 1H NMR (1 D and 2 D) spectroscopic data and mass spectrometry. Although the flavalignans cinchonains Ia and Ib were previously isolated from T. catigua, this is the first occurrence of apocynin C in the Meliaceae family. Graphical Abstract
