Journal of Natural Remedis

64-73

Authors: Ahmed M. H. Ali, Emad M. Abdallah, Adil A. H. Mujawah, Elena Yu. Avdeeva

Trachyspermum ammi fruits (T. ammi) are widely sold and used in the Arabian herbal markets, which requires scientific investigations about its biological activities. The GC-MS analysis of the essential oil revealed that it contains 20 compounds, of which the main components are aromatic and monocyclic terpenes. Thymol was present in the higher amounts (36.00%) followed by γ-terpinene (26.01%) and m-cymene (21.44%). The essential oil of T. ammi contains about 9.77% of bicyclic terpenes of which β-pinene is about 6.70%. The anti-bacterial activity (in vitro) was performed by disc diffusion, MIC and MBC methods. The essential oil of the fruits of T. ammi exhibited significant dose-dependent antibacterial activity against all tested microorganisms (three Gram-positive and four Gram-negative bacteria) and it was comparable to the positive control (Chloramphenicol), with a remarkable MIC and MBC values. Water extract of T. ammi exhibited promising larvicidal activity against S. littoralis and the lethal concentration, LC50 was found to be 6.21%. The current study provides some scientific support to the application of T. ammi fruits in traditional medicine and suggests it as a source of antibacterial drug and natural larvicidal agents for crops as biocontrols.

80-86

Authors: Emerson B. da Silva, Camila S. Chagas, Marina P. A. Oliveira, Alexandre L. A. Fonseca, Beatriz da C. A. Alves, Izilda Bagatin, Fabio F. Perazzo, Paulo Rosa, David Feder, Giuliana Petri, Fernando Luiz A. Fonseca

Cancer is one of the pathologies that most challenge medicine, not only because of the complexity of its development, but also because of the difficulty of treatment that is not always effective. Due to the significant toxicity and adverse effects profile presented by the main chemotherapeutic agents used to treat neoplasm, there is a constant interest in the search for new drugs that may be a more effective alternative. Therefore, the search for new compounds of plant origin becomes an interesting tool for the discovery of drugs with antitumor activity. Synadenium umbellatum is a plant native to tropical Africa known as "cola-nota", "hazel", "cancerous", "miraculous", among others. The plant is used by the Brazilian population as having anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antineoplastic properties, among others. However, the literature is lacking on reports of the toxicity of Synadenium umbellatum macerate. Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in different plant species, mainly in grape species (Vitis) and their seeds. Vitis vinifera is a species of grape easily found in several regions, also containing a high concentrations of phenolic compounds, including resveratrol in its fruits, leaves and seeds. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the myelotoxicity of macerate, extract and resveratrol and their antitumor activity in Balb/c mice with Ehrlich tumor. The hematological evaluation was obtained by flow cytometry and the tumors were measured using a pachymeter and the tumor masses by means of weighing. No statistically significant difference was observed between results from the control group and the treatment groups. It was concluded that macerate, crude extract and resveratrol did not demonstrate a myelotoxic effect and did not cause a decrease in tumor mass.