Abstract
Schinopsis brasiliensis Engl. is a native plant of Caatinga which has high concentrations of compounds capable of absorbing ultraviolet light, suggesting its potential application for the development of sunscreen preparations. After its identification and collection, this vegetable drug was submitted to a physicochemical analysis through the preparation of ethanolic extract. The phytochemical screening and analysis of extracts were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) evaluation. The antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and β-carotene bleaching test. Inhibitory hemolytic activity and morphological deformation of erythrocytes induced by H2O2 were also demonstrated and the antimicrobial activity was analyzed by the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) method. For the in vitro determination of the sun protection factor (SPF), the spectrophotometric method was used. From the analyses carried out with this species, this plant showed significant results for the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, as well as sunscreen action. Important flavonoids were identified. These data are an important step for the development of new photoprotective cosmetic with Caatinga species, revealing importance and representing another incentive for the preservation of the species involved and analyzed in the study.
Highlights
The Caatinga is an exclusive Brazilian biome that covers approximately 844 km2 of the country, which corresponds to 11% of the national territory
The foreign drug materials are classified into three types: (a) parts of the organism from which the drug derives; (b) any organisms, portions, or products of organisms; and (c) impurities of mineral or organic nature, not inherent in the drug
The results obtained by the granulometric distribution histogram of the powder of the Schinopsis brasiliensis barks demonstrate that the particles of the plant material were found predominantly retained in the 500, 425, and 300 μm mesh, representing, respectively, 42, 12, and 15% of all material (Figure 1)
Summary
The Caatinga is an exclusive Brazilian biome that covers approximately 844 km of the country, which corresponds to 11% of the national territory. This biome is rich in biodiversity since vegetation has adapted to the semiarid climate conditions and currently more than 1500 endemic species have been registered [1]. Caatinga registers high averages of temperature around 26∘C [2]. The high solar incidence in this biome interferes directly with the morphology of the vegetation and especially with its chemical composition, since some substances such as flavonoids play a special role in protection against ultraviolet radiation [3]
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