Arrabidaea chica (H&B) Verlot is a plant popularly known as Pariri and this species is a known source of anthocyanins, flavonoids and tannins. This report describes an approach involving enzymatic treatment prior to extraction procedures to enhance A chica crude extract anticancer activity. Anticancer activity in human cancer cell lines in vitro using a 48 h SRB cell viability assay was performed to determine growth inhibition and cytotoxic properties. The final extraction yield without enzyme treatment was higher (24.28%) compared to the enzyme-treated material (19.03%), with an enhanced aglycones anthocyanin ratio as determined by HPLC- DAD and LC-MS with direct infusion.

The use of antibiotics in agriculture is limited when compared to their applications in human and veterinary medicine. On the other hand, the use of antimicrobials in agriculture contributes to the drug resistance of human pathogens and has stimulated the search for new antibiotics from natural products. Essential oils have been shown to exert several biological activities including antibacterial and antifungal actions. The aim of this study was to determine the activity of 28 essential oils from medicinal plants cultivated at CPMA (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Collection), CPQBA/UNICAMP, against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Sacc., the anthracnose agent in yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg), as well as evaluating their effect in the control of post-harvest decay. The oils were obtained by water-distillation using a Clevenger-type system and their minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) determined by the micro-dilution method. According to the results, 15 of the 28 essential oils presented activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and the following four oils presented MIC values between 0.25 and 0.3 mg/mL: Coriandrum sativum, Cymbopogon citratus, Cymbopogon flexuosus and Lippia alba. The evaluation of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil in the control of post-harvest decay in yellow passion fruit showed that the disease index of the samples treated with the essential oil did not differ (P < 0.05) from that of the samples treated with fungicide. The present study shows the potential of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil in the control of the anthracnose agent in yellow passion fruit.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produção de biomassa e a composição química de genótipos selecionados de Artemisia annua (artemisia), Cordia verbenacea (erva-baleeira), Phyllanthus amarus (quebra-pedra) e Mikania laevigata (guaco), nos municípios de Altinópolis, Campinas, Jales e São Carlos, no Estado de São Paulo. Ocorrem variações na produção de biomassa, assim como diferenças qualitativas e quantitativas, na composição química das plantas, em função dos locais de cultivo, destacando-se os maiores rendimentos de princípios ativos na região de Jales.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the production and chemical constituents of selected genotypes of Artemisia annua, Cordia verbenaceae, Phyllanthus amarus and Mikania laevigata cultivated in Altinópolis, Campinas, Jales and São Carlos. Biomass variations, and qualitative and quantitative differences in plants chemical composition are observed among the locations, with higher values of interesting substances being detected in Jales.

Óleos essenciais foram obtidos a partir das partes aéreas de Mentha piperita, M. spicata, Thymus vulgaris, Origanum vulgare, O. applii, Aloysia triphylla, Ocimum gratissimum e O. basilicum através de arraste de vapor em sistema tipo Clevenger. Os óleos foram avaliados quanto à atividade antimicrobiana contra bactérias e contra a levedura Candida albicans pelo método de bioautografia. A concentração mínima inibitória dos óleos com atividade positiva foi em seguida determinada pelo método da microdiluição. De acordo com os resultados, a maioria dos óleos essenciais estudados foram efetivos contra Enterococcus faecium e Salmonella cholerasuis. A.triphylla e O. basilicum apresentaram inibição moderada contra Staphylococcus aureus enquanto apenas A. tryphila e M. piperita foram capazes de inibir a levedura Candida albicans. Os óleos foram analisados quimicamente por técnicas de CG e CG-EM de modo a determinar os compostos majoritários presentes.

Essential oils from aerial parts of Mentha piperita, M. spicata, Thymus vulgaris, Origanum vulgare, O. applii, Aloysia triphylla, Ocimum gratissimum, O. basilicum were obtained by steam destillation using a Clevenger-type system. These oils were screened for antibacterial and anti-Candida albicans activity using bioautographic method. Subsequently, minimal inhibitory concentration from oils was determined by microdilution method. Most essential oil studied were effective against Enterococcus faecium and Salmonella cholerasuis. Aloysia triphylla and O. basilicum presented moderate inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus while only A. tryphila and M. piperita were able to control the yeast Candida albicans. The oils were analyzed by GC and GC-MS techniques in order to determine the majoritary compounds.