Search

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum: Human & Social Sciences is the property of Universidade Estadual de Maringa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The construction of a railroad between the coast and the capital of Paraná generated conflicts among Brazilian engineers, as the local political elites claimed the port station and the railroad layout. Engineers are considered to be experts who, according to Bruno Latour (2004), handled technical processes transitioning between science and politics. The article analyzes the performance of these engineers in the spatial configuration of the coast of Paraná, seeking to understand the engineering projects in the set of relations between society and nature. The research was developed from the analysis of the technical reports of the engineers and it is concluded that, based on a positivist science, the engineers legitimized the desires of the political groups that idealized the modernization and progress of the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The species Inga laurina is native to the Brazilian Cerrado. There are no studies about the chemical composition and biological activities of extracts of this endangered species. The ethanolic extract and its successive fractions are rich in phenolic compounds and presented good antifungal activities. HPLC/MS-MS/MS and H1/C13 analysis led to the identification of seventeen compounds, most of which are gallic acid derivatives, myricetin and quercetin glycosides. The ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) contained high levels of total phenolics, expressed in milligrams of gallic acid equivalents per gram of extract (475.3 ± 1.9 mg GAE gextract-1) and flavonoids expressed in milligrams of quercetin equivalents per gram of extract (359.3 ± 10.6 mg QE gextract-1). This fraction was active against fungi of the Candida genus. The EAF showed MIC value 11.7 μg mL-1 against C. glabrata and a selectivity index of 1.6 against Vero cells. The flavonol glycoside myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside was isolated for the first time from the Inga laurina. These results make I. laurina a promising plant as a source of pharmaceutical and biological active antifungal compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vernonia brasiliana (L) Druce is a plant from the Asteraceae family. The essential oils obtained by hydro distillation from flowers and roots of V. brasiliana were analyzed by GC and GC-MS for the first time. The major components found in the flowers were (E)-hex-2-enal (4.04%), hexan-1-ol (4.23%), (Z)-hex-2-en-1-ol (6.32%), palmitic acid (8.30%), and hexacosane (4.91%). The roots presented as major components modheph-2-ene (8.69%), a-isocomene (15.41%), a-gurjunene (9.61%), β-isocomene (10.26%) and trans-caryophyllene (10.42%), a-humulene (5.36%), and palmitic acid (5.25%). Leaves essential oil presented as major components trans-caryophyllene (8.73%), bicyclogermacrene (5.78%), germacrene-D (10.19%), and caryophyllene oxide (4.51%). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil from leaves, flower and roots of V. brasiliana was evaluated against the microorganisms Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), using the broth micro dilution method, and the assays have showed no positive results. However, the three essential oils showed antiprotozoal activity against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania amazonensis, and did not display cytotoxicity against Vero (ATCC CCL 81) and RAW 264.7 (ATCC TIB 71) cell lines. Up to date, no studies have been carried out on the antitrypanosomal, antileishmanial and cytotoxic activities of the essential oils from leaves, flowers and roots of this plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The species Inga laurina is native to the Brazilian Cerrado. There are no studies about the chemical composition and biological activities of extracts of this endangered species. The ethanolic extract and its successive fractions are rich in phenolic compounds and presented good antifungal activities. HPLC/MS-MS/MS and H1/C13 analysis led to the identification of seventeen compounds, most of which are gallic acid derivatives, myricetin and quercetin glycosides. The ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) contained high levels of total phenolics, expressed in milligrams of gallic acid equivalents per gram of extract (475.3 ± 1.9 mg GAE g extract -1 ) and flavonoids expressed in milligrams of quercetin equivalents per gram of extract (359.3 ± 10.6 mg QE g extract -1 ). This fraction was active against fungi of the Candida genus. The EAF showed MIC value 11.7 μ and a selectivity index of 1.6 against Vero cells. The flavonol glycoside myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside was isolated for the first time from the -1 against C. glabrata a promising plant as a source of pharmaceutical and biological active antifungal compounds.Inga laurina . These results make I. laurina a promising plant as a source of pharmaceutical and biological active antifungal compounds.

Many essential oils (EOs) of different plant species possess interesting antimicrobial effects on buccal microorganisms and cytotoxic properties. EOs of Kielmeyera coriacea Mart. & Zucc. were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The EO from leaves is rich in sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The three major compounds identified were germacrene-D (24.2%), (E)-caryophyllene (15.5%), and bicyclogermacrene (11.6%). The inner bark EO is composed mainly of sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons and the major components are alpha-copaene (14.9%) and alpha-(E)-bergamotene (13.0%). The outer bark EO is composed mainly of oxygenated sesquiterpenes and long-chain alkanes, and the major components are alpha-eudesmol (4.2%) and nonacosane (5.8%). The wood EO is mainly composed of long-chain alkanes and fatty acids, and the major components are nonacosane (9.7%) and palmitic acid (16.2%). The inner bark EO showed the strongest antimicrobial activity against the anaerobic bacteria Prevotella nigrescens (minimum inhibitory concentration-MIC of 50 µg mL(-1)). The outer bark and wood EOs showed MICs of 100 µg mL(-1) for all aerobic microorganisms tested. The EOs presented low toxicity to Vero cells. These results suggest that K. coriacea, a Brazilian plant, provide initial evidence of a new and alternative source of substances with medicinal interest.