ABSTRACT Amburana cearensis (Allemão) A.C. Sm., Fabaceae, has been widely studied for its medicinal activities. Many neurodegenerative disorders are caused by oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity induced by glutamate and ultimately cell death. This study describes the chemical profile of the ethanolic, hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate extracts obtained from seeds of A. cearensis. The objective of this study was to investigate the chemical profile of extracts obtained from seeds of A. cearensis, as well as their cytotoxicity and neuroprotective effects in cultures of neural PC12 cells. Metabolite profile was performed by GC–MS. PC12 cells were treated with increasing concentrations of the extracts (0.01–2000 µg/ml) and the cell viability was analyzed after 24 and 72 h using an MTT test. For the excitotoxicity assay, PC12 cells were pre-treated with glutamate (1 mM) for 6 h and treated with increasing concentrations (0.1–1000 µg/ml) of the extracts. The chromatographic analysis of the extracts detected various compounds with antioxidant properties, with the majority of peaks corresponding to the isoflavone coumarin. Only the hexane extract showed toxicity after 72 h exposure at the highest concentration (1000 µg/ml). By contrast, all extracts increased the cellular viability of PC12 cells against the toxicity caused by glutamate. Therefore, the extracts from the seeds of A. cearensis showed no toxicity and have neuroprotective potential against neuronal damage induced by glutamate, which may be related to their antioxidant properties.

Abarema cochliacarpos (Gomes) Barneby & J.W. Grimes, Fabaceae, is a native species of Brazil popularly known as "barbatimão", frequently found along the north coast of the state of Bahia. Local communities make an infusion from its stem bark, which is used to treat several diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the hepatotoxicity of A. cochliacarpos extracts in mice Mus musculus. The bark infusion and hydroalcoholic extract were administered nasogastrically into two groups of eight animals (four male and four female each). After 45 days all mice were killed and the livers were collected for further histological analysis. Hepatic steatosis, congestion of the hepatic vessels and medicinal plantspresence of macrophages and lymphocytes infiltrates in the liver, were observed in both steatosis group of animals, additionally animals that received the stem bark infusion presented an accumulation of pigments. None of the animals belonging to the negative control group showed any of the symptoms described above. In conclusion, the hydroalcoholic extract and infusion of A. cochliacarpos stem bark were proven to cause intoxication in mice. The hepatotoxicity of the infusion was more aggressive in females. Further studies are necessary to isolate compounds responsible for the toxic characteristics of A. cochliacarpos.

O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar o potencial antimicrobiano in vitro do extrato hidro-alcoólico da casca de Abarema cochliocarpos (Gomes) Barneby & Grimes, conhecido como barbatimão, nas cepas de Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 9341), Escherichia coli (ATCC 10536), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442) e Staphylococcus aureus isolado de amostra clínica (SAIACLIN). Coletaram-se cascas de um espécime de barbatimão no Parque Ecológico INDES, localizado em Vila de Sauípe, Bahia, para preparação do extrato hidro-alcoólico. Os testes de susceptibilidade bacteriana foram realizados através do método de difusão em disco e da concentração inibitória mínima (CIM). O extrato hidro-alcoólico de A. cochliocarpos inibiu o crescimento somente das bactérias Gram-positivas. S. aureus (ATCC 6538), SAIACLIN e M. luteus apresentaram halos crescentes de inibição bacteriana de acordo com o aumento da concentração do extrato (1, 2 e 3 mg/disco), que variaram entre 8 a 15 mm, de 8 a 16 mm e de 13 a 22 mm para os respectivos microrganismos. Os resultados confirmaram a capacidade de inibição do crescimento bacteriano in vitro pelo extrato da casca de A. cochliocarpos, corroborando os relatos populares.

The present study aimed at evaluating the in vitro antimicrobial potential of the hydroalcoholic extract from the bark of Abarema cochliocarpos (Gomes) Barneby & Grimes, known as 'barbatimão', over the strains of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 9341), Escherichia coli (ATCC 6538), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442) and over a Clinical Sample isolated from Staphylococcus aureus (SAIACLIN). Samples of 'barbatimão' bark were collected from a specimen at the INDES Ecological Park, located at Vila de Sauípe, Bahia to prepare the hydroalcoholic extract. The bacterial susceptibility tests were carried through the disk diffusion method and through the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The hydroalcoholic extract of A. cochliocarpos only inhibited the growth of the Gram-positive bacteria. S. aureus (ATCC 6538), SAIACLIN and M. luteus had presented increasing zones of bacterial inhibition in accordance with the increase of the extract concentration (1, 2 and 3 mg/disco), that had varied between 8 to 15 mm, from 8 to 16 mm and from 13 to 22 mm for the respective microorganisms. The results had confirmed the capacity of inhibition of the in vitro bacterial growth for the extract of the bark of A. cochliocarpos, corroborating the popular stories.