Abstract Clusia grandiflora belongs to an important botanical family which is known for its medicinal value, however there are few reports in literature about the species, highlighting the relevance of this study. Anatomical studies with leaves and stems were performed using traditional techniques. In this investigation it was identified particularities of the species such as the presence of vascular system arranged in an opened arc-shaped with the flexed ends towards the inside of the arch with accessory bundles in the petiole. In histochemical studies, performed with different reagents, alkaloids, phenols substances, carbohydrates and lipids were located. The cytotoxic activity of the extracts was performed by tetrazole salt and showed promising results for ethanolic extracts of stems (IC50 human colon cells of 24.30 μg/ mL) and leaves (IC50 ascites gastric cells of 44.15 μg/ mL), without cell membrane disruption of erythrocytes. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by tryptic soy agar and minimal inhibitory concentration assays and showed positive results for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, with better result for adventitious roots (32 μg/ mL and 16 μg/ mL, respectively), stems (64 μg/ mL and 32 μg/ mL, respectively) and leaves (64 μg/ mL and 32 μg/ mL, respectively) ethanolic extracts. Thus, these studies were able to characterize the species and show its potential as promising source of active substances.

Resumo Maytenus s.l. é um gênero da família Celastraceae e muitas de suas espécies são utilizadas na medicina tradicional. Grande parte das substâncias responsáveis pelas atividades biológicas das plantas provém do seu metabolismo secundário, como terpenoides e flavonoides, que desempenham múltiplas funções na planta e podem ocorrer de forma semelhante em grupos vegetais. A quimiofenética analisa a ocorrência dessas substâncias em um táxon e pode inferir sobre tendências evolutivas e contribuir na busca racional por novos fármacos. Foram utilizados parâmetros quimiossistemáticos para análise dos dados encontrados através de levantamento bibliográfico. As espécies de Maytenus s.l. foram separadas em três grupos: espécies com nomes aceitos, espécies sinonimizadas com o gênero Monteverdia e espécies sinonimizadas com o gênero Gymnosporia. Devido à sua grande ocorrência e variedade estrutural nas espécies de Maytenus s.l., os triterpenos foram escolhidos como marcadores quimiossistemáticos, sendo os triterpenos friedelanos e quinonametídeos os mais expressivos. Estudos já demonstraram o potencial analgésico de quinonametídeos e o potencial antitumoral de triterpenos fenólicos e dímeros dessas unidades. Juntas, as três classes auxiliam na circunscrição de Maytenus s.s. e Monteverdia, enquanto os lupanos podem ser utilizados na separação destes gêneros. Os oleananos são representativos em Gymnosporia.

Abstract Maytenus s.l. is a genus of the Celastraceae family and many of its species are used in traditional medicine. Most of the substances responsible for the biological activities of plants come from their secondary metabolism, such as terpenoids and flavonoids, which have multiple functions in the plant and can occur in a similar way in plant groups. Chemophenetics analyzes the occurrence of these substances in a taxon and can infer evolutionary trends and contribute to the rational search for new drugs. Chemosystematic parameters were used to analyze the data obtained through a bibliographic survey. The species of Maytenus s.l. were separated into three groups: species with accepted names, synonymous species with the genus Monteverdia and synonymous species with the genus Gymnosporia. Due to their great occurrence and structural variety in Maytenus s.l., triterpenes were chosen as chemosystematic markers, with friedelanes and quinone methide triterpenes being the most expressive types. Studies have already demonstrated the analgesic potential of quinone methides and the antitumor potential of phenolic triterpenes and dimers of these units. Together, the three classes assist in the circumscription of Maytenus s.s. and Monteverdia, while lupanes can be used in the separation of these genera. Oleanans are representative of Gymnosporia.

Plumbagin is a naturally occurring naphthoquinone isolated from roots of Plumbago scandens. The plant was collected at the Campus of Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. P. scandens is used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The antimicrobial activity of plumbagin was evaluated using the macrodilution method. The compound exhibited relatively specific activity against bacteria and yeast. The minimum inhibitory concentration test showed the growth inhibiton of Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration of 1.56 µg/ml and of Candida albicans at a concentration of 0.78 µg/ml. These results suggest the naphthoquinone plumbagin as a promising antimicrobial agent.

ABSTRACT Plumbaginales belongs to the superorder Malviflorae and comprises two families, Plumbaginaceae and Limoniaceae. Its representatives are chemically characterized by the presence of naphthoquinones, flavonoids, terpenoids and steroids, many of them being the responsible for biodynamic activities. The extracts of some species of Plumbaginales and also some isolated compounds revealed to be of great importance in the search of new drugs, since they have been described in literature for the treatment of many diseases such as: leishmaniasis, Chagas' disease, malaria, cancer and others. Plants represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds and should be investigated, as a promise in the development of effective, ready available and lesscostly drugs families Limoniaceae naphthoquinones flavonoids steroids activities leishmaniasis Chagas disease malaria others investigated effective

The genus Plumbago belongs to the family Plumbaginaceae, order Plumbaginales. Comparative chemical profile of P. scandens (native) and P. auriculata (cultivated) was obtained by normal and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector. Comparison of the ultraviolet espectra and the retention times for the compounds allowed to find similar metabolic patterns in roots, stems and leaves. Four flavonoids, one phenolic acid or derivative and the naphtoquinone plumbagin were comparatively identified to standards.

ABSTRACT Plumbaginaceae is composed by perennial herbs or subshrubs of cosmopolitan distribution. The present study aimed to evaluate the content of condensed tannins from leaves of two Plumbaginaceae species Plumbago auriculata Lam. e Plumbago scandens L. The tannin extraction was carried out by acid hydrolysis and the quantification was obtained through colorimetric analysis using epicatechin as standard sample. The results indicated a high tannin production in Plumbago auriculata while the slight content was found in P. scandens, indicating these metabolites as important differential markers of these plants.

RESUMO A família Plumbaginaceae é constituída por ervas ou subarbustos perenes de distribuição cosmopolita. O presente estudo visou avaliar o teor de taninos condensados em folhas de duas espécies de Plumbaginaceae: Plumbago auriculata Lam. e Plumbago scandens L. A extração dos taninos foi realizada através de hidrólise ácida e a quantificação foi feita através de análise colorimétrica em comparação com um padrão (epicatequina). Os resultados obtidos indicam uma produção maior de taninos condensados em Plumbago auriculata, em detrimento da sua baixa produção em P. scandens, indicando essa classe metabólica como importante marcador diferencial dessas plantas.