Central nervous system and analgesic profiles of Lippia genus

Abstract Many people use medicinal plants to relieve disorders related to the central nervous system, such as depression, epilepsy, anxiety and pain, even though the effectiveness of most of them has not yet been proven through scientific studies. Plants of the Lippia genus, Verbenaceae, are widely used in ethnobotany as a food, for seasoning and in antiseptic remedies. They are also marketed and used for the treatment of different types of pain, including stomach ache, abdominal pain and headache, as well as being used as sedatives, anxiolytics and anticonvulsants. Despite their widespread use, there are no reviews on the central nervous system profile of plants of this genus. Therefore, the databases Medline-PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were searched using the terms Lippia and biologic activity. Thirty-five papers were found. Eleven species of Lippia showed central nervous system activity, with leaves and the aerial parts of plants being the most commonly used, especially in aqueous and ethanol extracts or volatile oil. The species are composed mainly of terpenoids and phenylpropanoids, including polyketides, flavonoids and in less quantity some alkaloids. Although several species of Lippia present analgesic activity, most studies have not explored the mechanisms responsible for this effect, however, there is some evidence that volatile oils and constituents of the extracts may be responsible for the relief of some CNS disorders, but the effects on pain modulation seem to be the most exploited so far.

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oil from leaves of Croton heliotropiifolius in different seasons of the year

ABSTRACT This paper reports the first study of the variation of the chemical composition and abundance of the essential oil of Croton heliotropiifolius, in four seasons, and the evaluation of its antibacterial activity. Essential oil obtained from leaves of C. heliotropiifolius were analyzed by GC/MS and evaluated against eight bacteria strains by broth microdilution method. The chemical constituents identified were the same in all samples, but with different proportions. The total percentages identified were 96.58% in summer, 92.08% in autumn, 98.44% in winter and 90.78% in spring. The majors constituents are β-caryophyllene, bicyclogermacrene, germacrene-D, limonene and 1,8-cineole. β-Caryophyllene was the major compound in all samples. The results of the antibacterial evaluations showed weak to moderate activity against the analyzed strains. In all analyzes was observed that essential oil sample collected in summer stands out from the others, displaying stronger activity against Gram-positive as Gram-negative bacteria.

Custo anual do manejo da cardiopatia isquêmica crônica no Brasil: perspectiva pública e privada / Annual cost of ischemic heart disease in Brazil: public and private perspective

OBJETIVO: Estimar o custo anual do manejo da doenca arterial coronária (DAC) em valores do SUS e convênios. MÉTODOS: Estudo de coorte, incluindo pacientes ambulatoriais com DAC comprovada. Considerou-se para estimar custos diretos: consultas, exames, procedimentos, internacões e medicamentos. Valores de consultas e exames foram obtidos da tabela SUS e da Lista de Procedimentos Médicos (LPM). Valores de eventos cardiovasculares foram obtidos de internacões em hospital público e privado com estas classificacões diagnósticas em 2002. O preco dos fármacos utilizado foi o de menor custo no mercado. RESULTADOS: Os 147 pacientes (65n12 anos, 63 por cento homens, 69 por cento hipertensos, 35 por cento diabéticos e 59 por cento com IAM prévio) tiveram acompanhamento médio de 24n8 meses. O custo anual médio estimado por paciente foi de R$ 2.733,00, pelo SUS, e R$ 6.788,00, para convênios. O gasto com medicamentos ($ 1.154,00) representou 80 por cento e 55 por cento dos custos ambulatoriais, e 41 por cento e 17 por cento dos gastos totais, pelo SUS e para convênios, respectivamente. A ocorrência de evento cardiovascular teve grande impacto (R$ 4.626,00 vs. R$ 1.312,00, pelo SUS, e R$ 13.453,00 vs. R$ 1.789,00, para convênios, p<0,01). CONCLUSAO: O custo médio anual do manejo da DAC foi elevado, sendo o tratamento farmacológico o principal determinante dos custos públicos. Essas estimativas podem subsidiar análises econômicas nesta área, sendo úteis para nortear políticas de saúde pública.