Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.), a typical fruit of the Brazilian Cerrado, is an important source of micronutrients and fatty acids. In this work, a new approach for the acid digestion (using H2SO4, HNO3 and H2O2) of pequi oil samples and the determination of Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F AAS) was employed. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was used for free fatty acid (FFA) determination after simple and fast extraction with heated ethanol. Good results regarding precision (RSD < 10%, in most cases), sensitivity and adequate LOD and LOQ values were obtained. The accuracy was evaluated using spike tests and the recoveries were from 97 to 107%. The analytes were investigated in four different pequi oil samples. Fe was the trace element with the highest concentration (from 1.99 to 10.3 mg/100 g), followed by Zn, Mn and Cu (1.15 to 3.19, 0.42 to 0.91 and 0.31 to 0.56 mg/100 g, respectively). The main FFA found were oleic acid and palmitic acid (1.61 to 10.7 and 0.82 to 2.69 g/100 g, respectively), while linoleic acid (0.50 g/100 g) was detected in only one sample. The pequi oil chemical composition showed good characteristics to be used as a food additive, in cosmetic formulations and for traditional medicine.

Four diamines and three amino alcohols derived from 1-decanol, 1-dodecanol and 1,2-dodecanediol were evaluated in an in vitro assay against a mixture of trypomastigote and intracellular amastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. Two of these compounds (6 and 7) showed better activity against both proliferative stages of T. cruzi than the positive control benznidazole, three were of similar potency (1, 2 and 5) and two were less active (3 and 4).

A series of diamines and amino alcohols derived from 1-dodecanol, 1-tetradecanol, 1,2-dodecanediol and 1,2-tetradecanediol were synthesized and tested for their antitubercular activity. Compounds 3, 8 and 9 were found to be the most active (MIC of 6.25 ¼g/mL). Nine other compounds displayed activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with a MIC of 12.5 ¼g/mL.

Diaminas N-monoalquiladas foram sintetizadas e tratadas com D-ribonolactona ou D-gliconolactona. As aldonamidas resultantes foram avaliadas para atividade antimicrobiana contra S. aureus, E. coli, M. tuberculosis and C. albicans. Duas hidrazidas foram também preparadas a partir da ribonoidrazida e suas atividades biológicas comparadas com aquelas de análogos amida. Todos os derivados da ribonolactona mostraram ter atividade antitubercular moderada, alguns foram ativos também contra S. aureus.

N-monoalkylated diamines were synthesised and treated with D-ribonolactone or D-gluconolactone. The resulting aldonamides were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, M. tuberculosis and C. albicans. Two hydrazides were also prepared from ribonohydrazide and their biological activity was compared to their amide analogues. All the ribono-derivatives displayed moderated antitubercular activity, and some of them were also active against S. aureus.

In 1981 2,3-pyridine dicarboxylic acid (quinolinic acid) was discovery to be a selective agonist for the N-methyl -D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor. As a consequence it possesses neurotoxic activity resulting from overstimulation of the receptor. Quinolinic acid is implicated as an etiological factor in a range of neurodegenerative disease including AIDS related dementia, Huntington´s disease and Lyme disease. In the design of novel therapies to treat these diseases, some molecules have been identified as an important target. In this paper we described different methods to prepare quinolinic acid and derivatives.

Synthetic methods used for the preparation of azaindoles are described in this article. Applications in the preparation of bioactive molecules are given: synthesis of substituted 6-azaindoles as benzodiazepines receptor ligands, substituted 7-azaindoles as dopamine D4 ligands and preparation of an olivacine analogue.