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Plants belonging to the genus Maytenus (Celastraceae) are routinely used in folk medicine in Brazil and other countries to treat a variety of illnesses, the most common of which are gastric disorders. Several studies have reported on the importance of these biological effects, and the chemical substances, mostly terpenoids and flavonoid glycosides, responsible for them. This review summarizes the ethnopharmacological, chemical and pharmacological knowledge of plants of the Maytenus genus, with particular emphasis on those growing in Brazil.

This paper describes the screening of different South American plant extracts and fractions. Aqueous and organic extracts were prepared and tested for antiherpetic (HSV-1, KOS and 29R strains) and antirabies (PV strain) activities. The evaluation of the potential antiviral activity of these extracts was performed by using an MTT assay for HSV-1, and by a viral cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibitory method for rabies virus (RV). The results were expressed as 50% cytotoxicity (CC(50)) for MTT assay and 50% effective (EC(50)) concentrations for CPE, and with them it was possible to calculate the selectivity indices (SI = CC(50)/EC(50)) of each tested material. From the 18 extracts/fractions tested, six extracts and four fractions showed antiviral action. Ilex paraguariensis, Lafoensia pacari, Passiflora edulis, Rubus imperialis and Slonea guianensis showed values of SI > 7 against HSV-1 KOS and 29-R strains and Alamanda schottii showed a SI of 5.6 against RV, PV strain.