ABSTRACT
Sponges from freshwater environments, unlike marine's, are poorly known producers of natural compounds with medicinal purposes. Amazonian sponges produce massive large specimens and are widely spread, taxonomically diverse and their metabolites could represent a new frontier on unusual natural products to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's and Malaria. Species of Metania and Drulia (Metaniidae) genera are major contributors to the fauna of Amazonian freshwater sponges. Methanolic extracts from several species from these genera had their inhibitory activities evaluated inâ vitro, for parasite Plasmodium falciparum and acetyl and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes (AChE and BChE). All extracts were able to inhibit AChE, although no activity was observed towards BChE. Drulia uruguayensis extract was the most potent, inhibiting AChE with IC50 =1.04â mg/mL. For antiplasmodial activity, all species showed inhibition to P. falciparum, but Metania reticulata being the most efficient with IC50 =2.7â µg/mL. Mass spectrometry analyses evidenced the presence of fatty acids and sterols in active extracts.
Subject(s)
Antiprotozoal Agents/chemistry , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/chemistry , Porifera/chemistry , Acetylcholinesterase/chemistry , Acetylcholinesterase/metabolism , Animals , Antiprotozoal Agents/isolation & purification , Antiprotozoal Agents/pharmacology , Butyrylcholinesterase/chemistry , Butyrylcholinesterase/metabolism , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/metabolism , Fatty Acids/analysis , Fatty Acids/chemistry , Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects , Porifera/metabolism , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization , Sterols/chemistryABSTRACT
Oils of various species of Copaifera are commonly found in pharmacies and on popular markets and are widely sold for their medicinal properties. However, the chemical variability between and within species and the lack of standardization of these oils have presented barriers to their wider commercialization. With the aim to recognize patterns for the chemical composition of copaiba oils, 22 oil samples of C. multijuga Hayne species were collected, esterified with CH2 N2 , and characterized by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. The chromatographic data were processed using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). In total, 35 components were identified in the oils, and the multivariate analyses (MVA) allowed the samples to be divided into three groups, with the sesquiterpenes ß-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide as the main components. These sesquiterpenes, which were detected in all the samples analyzed in different concentrations, were the most important constituents in the differentiation of the groups. There was a prevalence of sesquiterpenes in all the oils studied. In conclusion, GC-FID and GC/MS analyses combined with MVA can be used to determine the chemical composition and to recognize chemical patterns of copaiba oils.
