Schinus Terebinthifolius Raddi Fruits Research Articles

Toxicity and Behavioral Outcomes of the Ethanolic Extract of Schinus Terebinthifolius Raddi fruits in Wistar Rats

Toxicity and Behavioral Outcomes of the Ethanolic Extract of Schinus Terebinthifolius Raddi fruits in Wistar Rats

Intermittent drying of Lippia origanoides H.B.K. leaves and Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits

Drying is an indispensable process for maintaining the quality of medicinal plants after harvest. However, the continuous exposure to heated air during drying can induce physical and physicochemical alteration, besides volatile compounds in the dry plant material. Intermittence has the advantage of reducing the exposure time to heat, introducing tempering periods to drying, minimizing losses due to the process. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the application of different intermittence ratios on the yield and quality of the essential oil of Lippia origanoides Humboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth (H.B.K.) leaves and of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits and on the color of Lippia origanoides leaves. The leaves and fruits were subjected to 4 drying procedures: drying without intermittence (continuous drying) and drying with tempering period (10:20; 15:15; 20:10), where the numbers indicate the duration of each interval (drying:tempering), in minutes. The drying air temperatures were 50, 60, and 70 °C and the air flows were 1 m s−1 for the leaves and 2 m s−1 for the fruits. The essential oils of both species were extracted by hydrodistillation and their constituents were identified and quantified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The color of Lippia origanoides leaves was determined by direct reflectance reading of the coordinates L*, a*, and b*, on the adaxial face of the leaves before and after drying. Drying with the 10:20 intermittence ratio at 70 °C provided the highest yields and the best quality of the essential oil of Lippia origanoides dried leaves, preserving Thymol and not resulting in degradation of color attributes. For Schinus terebinthifolius fruits, drying with a 10:20 intermittence ratio at 50 °C maximized essential oil yield and resulted in a higher concentration of the compound α-Phellandrene.

Effects of structural differences on the antibacterial activity of biflavonoids from fruits of the Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi)

Flavonoids, synthesized by plants across all families and therefore found in a huge variety, possess a diverse range of pharmacological properties. Direct antibacterial and synergistic activities as well as the inhibition of several bacterial virulence factors are known. Besides the mode of action, it is important to understand the structure-activity relationship to identify key structural characteristics.This study aimed to identify biflavonoids with antibacterial activity from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits. The purified biflavonoids were characterized in terms of their antibacterial effects. We found that the activity of biflavonoids, including agathisflavone (AGF), amentoflavone (AMF), and tetrahydroamentoflavone (THAF), was dependent on their chemical configuration and degree of oxidation, with THAF showing the highest activity on planktonic cells. Additionally, biofilm formation and composition were strongly influenced by THAF.Even slight differences in the chemical structure have fundamental effects on the activity of isolated biflavonoids. This suggests a specific binding of these substances in bacteria and thus enables detailed investigations of the mode of action in the future.

Optimization of hydrodistillation and in vitro anticancer activity of essential oil from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits

Although several studies show that Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits are a promising source of bioactive compounds, few studies have investigated the anticancer activity of its essential oil (EO). The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the antiproliferative activity of S. terebinthifolius fruit EO against eight human tumor cell lines. A central composite rotatable design with 11 experiments was developed to investigate the optimal conditions of hydrodistillation by Clevenger apparatus. EO obtained at optimized conditions (yield greater than 6.7%) showed potent activity for all cell lines investigated; the most promising results were observed against leukemia, kidney, multidrug-resistant ovarian, and prostate tumor cell lines. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the following major compounds in the EO: δ-3-carene (33.78–36.73%), α-phellandrene (15.67–17.30%), limonene (15.03–16.32%), α-pinene (7.03–9.20%), and germacrene D (4.98–6.99%). Future work involving fractionation of the EO might shed some light on the compounds responsible for each antiproliferative activity.

Phenolic Compounds Present Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi Influence the Lowering of Blood Pressure in Rats.

This study identified two phenolic compounds in Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits: naringenin (first report in this species) and gallic acid. Their structures were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data (1H-, 13C-NMR) and a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. A high content of phenolics (659.21 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g of sample—Folin-Ciocalteau method) and total flavonoids (140.69 mg of rutin equivalents/g of sample—aluminum chloride method) were quantified in S. terebinthifolius, as well as high antioxidant activity (77.47%—2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH method). The antihypertensive activity related to its phenolic content was investigated. After intravenous infusion in Wistar rats, these phenolics significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the systolic, median, and diastolic arterial pressures of individuals. The rotarod test was performed to determine the mechanism of action of the sample vasorelaxant effect. It was found that its action exceeded that of the positive control used (diazepam). This confirmed the vasodilatory activity exerted by S. terebinthifolius fruits is related to the phenolic compounds present in the plant, which are potent antioxidants and inhibit oxidative stress, mainly in the central nervous system.

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of compounds from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits: Effects of operating conditions on global yield, volatile compounds, and antiproliferative activity against human tumor cell lines

Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi is a South American plant with medicinal properties. We report the extraction of compounds from S. terebinthifolius fruits using supercritical CO2 (scCO2), with emphasis on the effects of scCO2 pressure (100–300bar) and temperature (40–60°C) on global yield, volatile compounds, and antiproliferative activity against nine human tumor cell lines. Supercritical extracts obtained at 50–60°C, independently of pressure, showed potent activity against kidney cancer with total growth inhibition <3.9μg/mL. Furthermore, extracts obtained at 200bar and 50°C showed potent activity against multidrug-resistant ovarian, prostate, and ovarian tumor cell lines, and glioma. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the following volatile compounds: δ-3-carene, α-phellandrene, limonene, germacrene D, and caryophyllene. The results suggest that sesquiterpenes may be the metabolites responsible for the antiproliferative activity. However, future work involving fractionation of the extracts might shed light on the chemical compounds responsible for each antiproliferative activity.

Anti-Escherichia coli activity of extracts from Schinus terebinthifolius fruits and leaves

Ethanol extracts obtained from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits and leaves were active against Escherichia coli with MIC of 78 μg mL−1 for both extracts. Phytochemical analyses revealed a major presence of phenolic acids, tannins, fatty acids and acid triterpenes in the leaves and phenolic acids, fatty acids, acid triterpenes and biflavonoids in the fruits. Major compounds isolated from the plant, such as the acid triterpene schinol, the phenolic acid derivative ethyl gallate and the biflavonoids agathisflavone and tetrahydroamentoflavone, showed very little activity against E. coli. Bioautography of the ethanol extracts on silica gel plate showed inhibition zones for E. coli. They were removed from the plate and the compounds identified as a mixture of myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, heptadecanoic, stearic, nonadecanoic, eicosanoic, heneicosanoic and behenic fatty acids.