Validation of a gas chromatographic method to quantify sesquiterpenes in copaiba oils

α-Copaene is a potent repellent against the Asian Citrus Psyllid Diaphorina citri

The Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, severely threatens citrus production worldwide by transmitting the greening (= Huanglongbing)-causing bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. There is growing evidence that the push-pull strategy is suitable to partially mitigate HLB by repelling ACP with transgenic plants engineered to produce repellents and attracting the vector to plants with a minimal disease transmission rate. Species that pull ACP away from commercial citrus plants have been identified, and transgenic plants that repel ACP have been developed. The concept of a repellent-producing plant was first demonstrated with an Arabidopsis line engineered to overexpress a gene controlling the synthesis of β-caryophyllene and other sesquiterpenes. We have analyzed the volatile organic compounds released by this Arabidopsis line and identified α-humulene, α-copaene, and trace amounts of β-elemene, in addition to β-caryophyllene. Behavioral measurements demonstrated that α-copaene repels ACP at doses ca. 100× lower than those needed for β-caryophyllene repellence. In contrast, α-humulene is innocuous at the level emitted by the transgenic plant. We confirmed that a mixture of the three sesquiterpenes in the ratio 1:100:10 repels ACP. Likewise, a commercial sample of copaiba oil containing the three sesquiterpenes, in a proportion similar to that in the transgenic plant, repelled ACP.

Effects of natural antimicrobial compounds propolis and copaiba on periodontal ligament fibroblasts, molecular docking, and in vivo study in Galleria mellonella

Root canal treatment addresses infectious processes that require control. Occasionally, the radicular pulp is vital and inflamed, presenting a superficial infection. To preserve pulpal remnants, conservative procedures have gained favor, employing anti-inflammatory medications. This study investigated the effects of propolis (PRO), and copaiba oil-resin (COR) associated with hydrocortisone (H) and compared their impact to that of Otosporin® concerning cytotoxic and genotoxic activity, cytokine detection, and toxicity in the Galleria mellonella model. Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs) were exposed to drug concentrations and evaluated by the MTT assay. Associations were tested from concentrations that did not compromise cell density. Genotoxicity was evaluated through micronucleus counting, while cytokines IL-6 and TGF-β1 were detected in the cell supernatant using ELISA. Molecular docking simulations were conducted, considering the major compounds identified in PRO, COR, and H. Increasing concentrations of PRO and COR were assessed for acute toxicity in Galleria mellonella model. Cellular assays were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey tests, while larval survivals were evaluated using the Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test (α = 0.05). PRO and COR promoted PDLFs proliferation, even in conjunction with H. No changes in cell metabolism were observed concerning cytokine levels. The tested materials induce the release of AT1R, proliferating the PDFLs through interactions. PRO and COR had low toxicity in larvae, suggesting safety at tested levels. These findings endorse the potential of PRO and COR in endodontics and present promising applications across medical domains, such as preventive strategies in inflammation, shedding light on their potential development into commercially available drugs.

Nanoemulsion-Based Orodispersible Film Formulation of Guava Leaf Oil for Inhibition of Oral Cancer Cells

Among natural sources, guava leaf oil (GLO) has emerged as a potential anticancer agent. However, its limited water solubility poses a significant challenge for its use. Oil-in-water nanoemulsions are used to address the limitation of water solubility of GLO prior to its incorporation into orodipersible films. Nanoemulsions containing GLO:virgin coconut oil (VCO) at a ratio of 50:50 to 70:30 presented a small droplet size of approximately 50 nm and a relatively low zeta potential. GLO:VCO at a ratio of 70:30 was selected for incorporation into sodium alginate film at various concentrations ranging from 1% to 30% w/w. Tensile strength and elongation at break relied on the concentration of nanoemulsions as well as the internal structure of films. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that GLO was compatible with sodium alginate. Film containing 2% w/w of nanoemulsions (2G_ODF) exhibited effective in vitro antioral cancer activity, with an IC50 of 62.49 ± 6.22 mg/mL; furthermore, its anticancer activity showed no significant difference after storage at 25 °C for 1 year. Moreover, 2G_ODF at IC60 arrested colony formation and cell invasion. There is also evidence that cell death occurred via apoptosis, as indicated by nuclear fragmentation and positive Annexin-V staining. These findings highlight the potential of orodispersible films containing GLO nanoemulsions as a prospective oral anticancer agent.

Chemical Characterization and Quality Assessment of Copaiba Oil-Resin Using GC/MS and SFC/MS

In recent years, the popularity of copaiba oil-resin has increased worldwide due to its medicinal value and wide applications in industry. Despite its popularity, the oil has not been standardized by industry or regulatory agencies. Product adulteration in order to maximize profits has become a problem. To address these issues, the current study describes the chemical and chemometric characterization of forty copaiba oil-resin samples by GC/MS. The results demonstrated, with the exception of commercial samples, that all sample groups contained six characteristic compounds (β-caryophyllene, α-copaene, trans-α-bergamotene, α-humulene, γ-muurolene, and β-bisabolene) in varying concentrations. Furthermore, compositional patterns were observed in individual groups which corresponded to sample origin. Within the commercial group, two samples did not contain or contained only one of the characteristic compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed distinct groups which largely corresponded to sample origin. Moreover, commercial samples were detected by PCA as outliers, and formed a group far removed from the other samples. These samples were further subjected to analysis using a SFC/MS method. Product adulteration with soybean oil was clearly detected, with each individual triglyceride in soybean oil being unambiguously identified. By combining these analytical techniques, the overall quality of copaiba oil-resin can be assessed.

Edible Plant Extracts against Aedes aegypti and Validation of a Piper nigrum L. Ethanolic Extract as a Natural Insecticide

The Aedes aegypti mosquito significantly impacts public health, with vector control remaining the most efficient means of reducing the number of arboviral disease cases. This study screened the larvicidal and pupicidal activity of common edible plant extracts. Piper nigrum L. (black pepper) extract production was optimized using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and validated following regulatory requirements using HPLC-PDA analytical methodology to quantify its major component-piperine. Larvicidal activity was determined for the standardized P. nigrum fruit ethanol extract (LC₅₀ 1.1 µg/mL) and piperine standard (LC₅₀ 19.0 µg/mL). Furthermore, 9-day residual activity was determined for the extract (4 µg/mL) and piperine (60 µg/mL), with daily piperine quantification. Semi-field trials of solid extract formulations demonstrated 24-day activity against Ae. aegypti larvae. Thus, the standardized P. nigrum extract emerges as a potential candidate for insecticide development to control the arboviral vector.

Beta-caryophyllene as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and re-epithelialization activities in a rat skin wound excision model

The skin is a critical organ for the maintenance of the integrity and protection of the organism. When a wound occurs, a sequence of healing mechanisms is triggered to reconstruct the wounded area. β-caryophyllene is a sesquiterpene in Copaifera langsdorffii oleoresin with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. On the basis of previous studies with C. langsdorffii, β-caryophyllene was selected to evaluate its wound healing potential and pharmacological mechanisms. The excision wound model was used with male Wistar rats and macroscopic, histological, immunohistochemical and biochemical analyses were performed with skin samples, comparing the β-caryophyllene-treated group with reference drugs. The results showed macroscopic retraction of the wounds treated with β-caryophyllene. Biochemical assays revealed the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the β-caryophyllene-treated group with increasing levels of IL-10 and GPx and decreasing levels of pro-inflammatory molecules, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β and IL-6. After β-caryophyllene treatment, immunohistochemical assays showed enhanced re-epithelialization, through the increase in laminin-γ2 and desmoglein-3 immunolabeling. β-caryophyllene also act in the remodeling mechanism, increasing the collagen content in the Masson’s trichrome staining. These findings indicated the wound-healing potential of β-caryophyllene topical formulation in rat skin wounds, mediated by antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and re-epithelialization mechanisms.

Quality Control of Herbal Medicines: From Traditional Techniques to State-of-the-art Approaches

Herbal medicines are important options for the treatment of several illnesses. Although their therapeutic applicability has been demonstrated throughout history, several concerns about their safety and efficacy are raised regularly. Quality control of articles of botanical origin, including plant materials, plant extracts, and herbal medicines, remains a challenge. Traditionally, qualitative (e.g., identification and chromatographic profile) and quantitative (e.g., content analyses) markers are applied for this purpose. The compound-oriented approach may stand alone in some cases (e.g., atropine in Atropa belladonna). However, for most plant materials, plant extracts, and herbal medicines, it is not possible to assure quality based only on the content or presence/absence of one (sometimes randomly selected) compound. In this sense, pattern-oriented approaches have been extensively studied, introducing the use of multivariate data analysis on chromatographic/spectroscopic fingerprints. The use of genetic methods for plant material/plant extract authentication has also been proposed. In this study, traditional approaches are reviewed, although the focus is on the applicability of fingerprints for quality control, highlighting the most used approaches, as well as demonstrating their usefulness. The literature review shows that a pattern-oriented approach may be successfully applied to the quality assessment of articles of botanical origin, while also providing directions for a compound-oriented approach and a rational marker selection. These observations indicate that it may be worth considering to include fingerprints and their data analysis in the regulatory framework for herbal medicines concerning quality control since this is the foundation of the holistic view that these complex products demand.

Development and validation of a gas chromatography method for the determination of β-caryophyllene in clove extract and its application

The purpose of this study is to check the effectiveness of the analysis method that separates and quantifies β-caryophyllene among clove extracts and validate according to current ICH guidelines. The β-caryophyllene was active constituent of clove buds. The developed method gave a good detection response. In the specificity test, the standard solution was detected at about 17.32 min, and the test solution was detected at 17.32 min. The linearity of β-caryophyllen was confirmed, and at this time, the correlation coefficient (R²) of the calibration curve showed a high linearity of 0.999 or more in the concentration range. The levels of LOD and LOQ were 1.28 ug/mL and 3.89 ug/mL, respectively. The accuracy was confirmed to be 101.6–102.2% and RSD 0.95 ~ 1.31%. As a result of checking the repeatability and inter-tester reproducibility to confirm the precision, the RSD was found to be 1.34 ~ 2.69%. This validated GC method was successfully applied to a soft capsule containing clove extract and other materials for clinical trials. Therefore, this method can be used as an analytical tool for quality control of various samples, including clove extracts and their products of food and pharmaceutical uses.

Adaptive laboratory evolution of β-caryophyllene producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Background

β-Caryophyllene is a plant terpenoid with therapeutic and biofuel properties. Production of terpenoids through microbial cells is a potentially sustainable alternative for production. Adaptive laboratory evolution is a complementary technique to metabolic engineering for strain improvement, if the product-of-interest is coupled with growth. Here we use a combination of pathway engineering and adaptive laboratory evolution to improve the production of β-caryophyllene, an extracellular product, by leveraging the antioxidant potential of the compound.

Results

Using oxidative stress as selective pressure, we developed an adaptive laboratory evolution that worked to evolve an engineered β-caryophyllene producing yeast strain for improved production within a few generations. This strategy resulted in fourfold increase in production in isolated mutants. Further increasing the flux to β-caryophyllene in the best evolved mutant achieved a titer of 104.7 ± 6.2 mg/L product. Genomic analysis revealed a gain-of-function mutation in the a-factor exporter STE6 was identified to be involved in significantly increased production, likely as a result of increased product export.

Conclusion

An optimized selection strategy based on oxidative stress was developed to improve the production of the extracellular product β-caryophyllene in an engineered yeast strain. Application of the selection strategy in adaptive laboratory evolution resulted in mutants with significantly increased production and identification of novel responsible mutations.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-021-01598-z.

Plant Natural Sources of the Endocannabinoid (E)-β-Caryophyllene: A Systematic Quantitative Analysis of Published Literature

(E)-β-caryophyllene (BCP) is a natural sesquiterpene hydrocarbon present in hundreds of plant species. BCP possesses several important pharmacological activities, ranging from pain treatment to neurological and metabolic disorders. These are mainly due to its ability to interact with the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) and the complete lack of interaction with the brain CB1. A systematic analysis of plant species with essential oils containing a BCP percentage > 10% provided almost 300 entries with species belonging to 51 families. The essential oils were found to be extracted from 13 plant parts and samples originated from 56 countries worldwide. Statistical analyses included the evaluation of variability in BCP% and yield% as well as the statistical linkage between families, plant parts and countries of origin by cluster analysis. Identified species were also grouped according to their presence in the Belfrit list. The survey evidences the importance of essential oil yield evaluation in support of the chemical analysis. The results provide a comprehensive picture of the species with the highest BCP and yield percentages.

Copaiba oleoresin has topical antinociceptive activity in a UVB radiation-induced skin-burn model in mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Copaiba oleoresin, extracted from Copaifera L., is used as a wound healing, analgesic, antimicrobial and, mainly, anti-inflammatory agent. Thus, in this study we investigated the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of a topical formulation containing Copaiba oleoresin (3%) in a UVB radiation-induced skin burn model (0.75 J/cm²) in mice and performed a cream-formulation stability study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The chemical composition of Copaiba oleoresin was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC-MS). The topical antinociceptive (evaluated through mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia) and the anti-inflammatory (dermal thickness and inflammatory cell infiltration) effects of treatments were assessed. The cream-formulation stability study was performed after two months, and organoleptic characteristics, pH, spreadability and rheological characteristics were analyzed.

RESULTS

Copaiba oleoresin cream was able to prevent UVB radiation-induced mechanical allodynia on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th day after UVB radiation exposure with a maximum inhibition (I_max) of 64.6 ± 7% observed on the 2nd day; it also reduced the thermal hyperalgesia on the 1st and 2nd days post UVB radiation, with a I_max of 100% observed on the 2nd day. Moreover, topical treatment with Copaiba oleoresin cream inhibited the inflammatory cell infiltration, but did not reduce the dermal thickness. Such effects can be attributed, at least in part, to the presence of biological components, such as β-caryophyllene and other sesquiterpenes identified by GC-MS.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that the topical formulation containing Copaiba oleoresin presented antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in mice subjected to a UVB radiation and that the cream-formulation was stable for two months. Thus, use of Copaiba oleoresin is a promising strategy for the treatment of inflammatory pain associated with sunburn.

Copaiba oil suppresses inflammation in asthmatic lungs of BALB/c mice induced with ovalbumin

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that represents high hospitalizations and deaths in world. Copaiba oil (CO) is popularly used for relieving asthma symptoms and has already been shown to be effective in many inflammation models. This study aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory relationship of CO in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. The composition of CO sample analyzed by GC and GC-MS and the toxicity test was performed in mice at doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg (by gavage). After, the experimental model of allergic asthma was induced with OVA and mice were orally treated with CO in two pre-established doses. The inflammatory infiltrate was evaluated in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), while cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-17, IFN-γ, TNF-α), IgE antibody and nitric oxide (NO) production was evaluated in BALF and lung homogenate (LH) of mice, together with the histology and histomorphometry of the lung tissue. CO significantly attenuated the number of inflammatory cells in BALF, suppressing NO production and reducing the response mediated by TH2 and TH17 (T helper) cells in both BALF and LH. Histopathological and histomorphometric analysis confirmed that CO significantly reduced the numbers of inflammatory infiltrate in the lung tissue, including in the parenchyma area. Our results indicate that CO has an effective in vivo antiasthmatic effect.

Simultaneous GC-FID Quantification of Main Components of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Lavandula dentata Essential Oils in Polymeric Nanocapsules for Antioxidant Application

The essential oils (EO) of R. officinalis and L. dentata have been widely used due to their antioxidant activity. However, due to their high volatility, the loading of EO into polymeric nanocapsules (NC) represents an efficient way of retaining their effect in future topical administration. In this way, the quantitative determination of EO incorporated into NC is necessary for simultaneous monitoring of the main components of the EO during the nanoencapsulation process as well as for precise and exact dosing of the components used during the performance of in vitro and in vivo biological tests. In this study, EO were isolated by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and characterized by GC-MS and GC-FID analyses. The major constituents of EO-R. officinalis were camphor (39.46%) and 1,8-cineole (14.63%), and for EO-L. dentata were 1,8-cineole (68.59%) and β-pinene (11.53%). A new analytical method based on GC-FID for quantification of free and encapsulated EO was developed and validated according to ICH. Linearity, limit of detection and quantification, and intra- and interday precision parameters were determined. The methods were linear and precise for the quantification of the main components of EO. The EO were encapsulated by nanoprecipitation and were analyzed by the GC-FID method validated for their direct quantification. The NC size was 200 nm with homogeneous size distribution. The quantification of the incorporated EO within a NC is an important step in NC characterization. In this way, an encapsulation efficiency of at least 59.03% and 41.15% of total EO-R. officinalis and EO-L. dentata, respectively, was obtained. Simple, repeatable, and reproducible methods were developed as an analytical tool for the simultaneous quantification of the main components of EO loaded in polymeric nanocapsules as well as their monitoring in biological assays.

Occurrence, chemical composition, biological activities and analytical methods on Copaifera genus-A review

Copaifera is a genus of large trees found in Brazil, mainly in Amazon forest, but also in Atlantic forest and cerrado biomes. It has also been found in other countries in South America. In Africa, it is found mainly in Congo, Cameroon, Guinea and Angola. Its oleoresin has been used in folk medicine in the treatment of numerous healthy disorders, such as urinary, respiratory, skin and inflammatory diseases, for which there are several studies corroborating its ethnopharmacological uses. It is also extensively employed in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries in the development of ointments, pills, soaps, perfumes, among others. Copaifera oleoresin contains mainly diterpenes, such as: kaurenoic acid, kaurenol, copalic acid, agathic acid, hardwiickic acid, polyalthic acid, and sesquiterpenes, comprising β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, α-copaene, α-humulene, γ-muurolene and β-bisabolol, among other compounds. On the other hand, Copaifera leaves contain mainly phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids and methylated galloylquinic acid derivatives. Therefore, considering the economic importance of Copaifera oleoresin, its ethnopharmacological uses, the need to develop new pharmaceuticals for the treatment of many diseases, as well as the pharmacological potential of the compounds found in Copaifera spp., it was undertaken a review covering mostly the last two decades on the distribution, chemistry, pharmacology, quality control and safety of Copaifera species.

Development of a Gas Chromatography Method for the Analysis of Copaiba Oil

A rapid, simple, precise and economic method for the quantification of main compounds of copaiba resin and essential oils (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf.) by gas chromatography (GC) has been developed and validated. Copaiba essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation from the copaiba resin. Resin derivatization allowed the identification of diterpenes compounds. A gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) method was developed to identify compounds composing the copaiba resin and essential oil. Then the GC/MS method was transposed to be used with a flame ionization detector (FID) and validated as a quantitative method. A good correlation between GC/MS and GC/FID was obtained favoring method transposition. The method showed satisfactory sensitivity, specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantitation for β-caryophyllene, α-humulene and caryophyllene oxide analyses in copaiba resin and essential oils. The main compounds identified in copaiba essential oil were β-bisabolene (23.6%), β-caryophyllene (21.7%) and α-bergamotene (20.5%). Copalic acid methyl ester (15.6%), β-bisabolene (12.3%), β-caryophyllene (7.9%), α-bergamotene (7.1%) and labd-8(20)-ene-15,18-dioic acid methyl ester (6.7%) were diterpenes identified from the derivatized copaiba resin. The proposed method is suitable for a reliable separation, identification and quantification of compounds present in copaiba resin and essential oil. It could be proposed as an analytical method for the analysis of copaiba oil fraction in raw and essential oil parent extracts and after they have been incorporate in pharmaceutical formulations.

Skin Wound Healing Potential and Mechanisms of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of Leaves and Oleoresin of Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. Kuntze in Rats

The wound healing is a complex process which, sometimes, can be a problem in public health because of the possibility of physical disability or even death. Due to the lack of a gold standard drug in skin wound treatment and aiming at the discovery of new treatments in skin repair and the mechanisms involved in the process, we used oleoresin (OR) from Copaifera langsdorffii and hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves (EH) to treat rat skin wounds. For that, male Wistar rats were divided into groups (n = 8): Lanette, Collagenase, 10% EH, or 10% OR and, after anesthesia, one wound of 2 cm was made in the back of animals. The wounds were treated once a day for 3, 7, or 14 days and the wound areas were measured. The rats were euthanized and skin samples destined to biochemical, molecular, and immunohistochemical analysis. The results showed a macroscopic retraction of the wounds of 10% EH and 10% OR creams and both treatments showed anti-inflammatory activity. Molecular and immunohistochemical results demonstrated the activity of Copaifera langsdorffii creams in angiogenesis, reepithelialization, wound retraction, and remodeling mechanisms.

Development of a biocompatible magnetic nanofluid by incorporating SPIONs in Amazonian oils

Higher quality magnetic nanoparticles are needed for use as magnetic nanoprobe in medical imaging techniques and cancer therapy. Moreover, the phytochemistry benefits of some Amazonian essential oils have sparked great interest for medical treatments. In this work, a magnetic nanoprobe was developed, allying the biocompatibility and superparamagnetism of iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with benefits associated with Amazonian oils from Copaiba and Andiroba trees. SPIONs were obtained by two thermal decomposition procedures and different amounts of precursors (iron acetylacetonates). Their characterization was accomplished by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetization. The obtained nanoparticles composition and magnetic properties were not affected by the relative proportion of iron(II) and iron(III) in the precursor system. However, when changing the reducing and stabilizing agents the coating layer shows different compositions/relative weight - the more promising SPIONs have a coating mainly composed by oleylamine and an iron oxide:coating wt% ratio of 55:45. Nanoparticles size distributions were very narrow and centred in the average size of 6-7nm. Cellular assays confirmed the biocompatibility of SPIONs and their effective internalization in human colon cancer cells. Mössbauer/XRD results indicated maghemite as their main iron oxide phase, but traces of magnetite proved to be present. Magnetization saturations of 57emu/g at 5K and 42emu/g at 300K were achieved. With incorporation of SPIONs into Copaiba and Andiroba essential oils, these values show a 4-fold decrease, but the supermagnetic behaviour is preserved providing the effective formation of a nanofluid.

Immunomodulatory action of Copaifera spp oleoresins on cytokine production by human monocytes

Copaifera spp oleoresins have been used in folk medicine for centuries; nevertheless, its immunomodulatory action has not been investigated. Thus, the goal of this study was to characterize different oleoresins and to verify their action on human monocytes regarding pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production (TNF-α and IL-10, respectively). The chemical composition of Brazilian Copaifera reticulata, Copaifera duckey and Copaifera multijuga oleoresins was analyzed by HPLC-MS. Cell viability was assessed by MTT method after incubation of cells with Copaifera spp. Noncytotoxic concentrations of oleoresins were incubated with human monocytes from healthy donors, and cytokine production was determined by ELISA. HPLC-MS analysis for terpenes allowed the identification of six diterpene acids and one sesquiterpene acid. Oleoresins exerted no cytotoxic effects on human monocytes. All oleoresins had a similar profile: LPS-induced TNF-α production was maintained by oleoresins, while a significant inhibitory action on IL-10 production was seen. Copaifera oleoresins seemed to exert an activator profile on human monocytes without affecting cell viability. Such effect may be due to the presence of either diterpene or sesquiterpene acids; however, further studies are necessary to determine the involvement of such compounds in Copaifera immunomodulatory effects.

A Validated Reverse Phase HPLC Analytical Method for Quantitation of Glycoalkaloids in Solanum lycocarpum and Its Extracts

Solanum lycocarpum (Solanaceae) is native to the Brazilian Cerrado. Fruits of this species contain the glycoalkaloids solasonine (SN) and solamargine (SM), which display antiparasitic and anticancer properties. A method has been developed for the extraction and HPLC-UV analysis of the SN and SM in different parts of S. lycocarpum, mainly comprising ripe and unripe fruits, leaf, and stem. This analytical method was validated and gave good detection response with linearity over a dynamic range of 0.77-1000.00 μg mL(-1) and recovery in the range of 80.92-91.71%, allowing a reliable quantitation of the target compounds. Unripe fruits displayed higher concentrations of glycoalkaloids (1.04% ± 0.01 of SN and 0.69% ± 0.00 of SM) than the ripe fruits (0.83% ± 0.02 of SN and 0.60% ± 0.01 of SM). Quantitation of glycoalkaloids in the alkaloidic extract gave 45.09% ± 1.14 of SN and 44.37% ± 0.60 of SM, respectively.

Copaiba oil-resin treatment is neuroprotective and reduces neutrophil recruitment and microglia activation after motor cortex excitotoxic injury

The oil-resin of Copaifera reticulata Ducke is used in the Brazilian folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory and healing agent. However, there are no investigations on the possible anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective roles of copaiba oil-resin (COR) after neural disorders. We have investigated the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of COR following an acute damage to the motor cortex of adult rats. Animals were injected with the neurotoxin N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) (n = 10) and treated with a single dose of COR (400 mg/kg, i.p.) soon after surgery (Group 1) or with two daily doses (200 mg/kg, i.p.) during 3 days (Group 2) alter injury. Control animals were treated with vehicle only. COR treatment induced tissue preservation and decreased the recruitment of neutrophils and microglial activation in the injury site compared to vehicle animals. The results suggest that COR treatment induces neuroprotection by modulating inflammatory response following an acute damage to the central nervous system.