Caracterização das plantas medicinais e medicamentos fitoterápicos para tratamento da osteoporose utilizados no Brasil. Arq. Cienc. Saúde UNIPAR, Umuarama, v. 20, n. 3, p, 183-188, set./dez. 2016. RESUMO:A osteoporose é caracterizada por desordem do sistema esquelético caracterizada por baixa massa óssea e deteriorização da microarquitetura do tecido ósseo levando a fragilidade óssea com aumento da suscetibilidade a fraturas. Considerada a doença osteometabólica mais comum, de distribuição global, pode comprometer ambos os sexos, diferentes idades ou raças. As consequências relacionadas a essas doenças são as fraturas vertebrais verificadas em aproximadamente 20% das mulheres acima de 65 anos em pós-menopausa. Além disso, a consequência dessa fragilidade óssea pode levar a consequências graves como dor, deformidades, sequelas, restrições motoras e morte precoce, portanto, associada com alta morbi/mortalidade. Desta forma, sabendo que as medicações utilizadas para o tratamento da osteoporose não são isentas de risco (por exemplo, aumento do risco de tromboses, câncer de mama/ ovário/ endométrio, lesões musculares, entre outras), foi realizado uma revisão bibliográfica com o intuito de avaliar se existem plantas medicinais que possam ter efeitos ósseo protetores com menor número de efeitos adversos em relação aos fármacos sintéticos. Em síntese, verificou-se que os fármacos sintéticos podem acarretar prejuízos à saúde do paciente a longo prazo e que as plantas medicinais ou fitoterápicos utilizadas no Brasil apresentam estudos científicos com menores efeitos colaterais e, portanto, são uma alternativa viável para o tratamento e prevenção da osteoporose, visto que a Politica Nacional de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares na Atenção Básica sustenta esta tendência mediante subsídios como a Farmacopeia Brasileira e o Memento Fitoterápico. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Brasil. Fitoterapia. Medicamentos Fitoterápicos. Osteoporose. CHARACTERIZATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND HERBAL MEDICINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOPOROSIS USED IN BRAZILABSTRACT: Osteoporosis is characterized by skeletal system disorder, consisting of low bone mass and deterioration of the microarchitecture of the bone tissue, leading to bone fragility with increased susceptibility to fractures. Considered the most common osteometabolic disease worldwide, it affects both sexes, different ages and races. The consequences of these diseases are vertebral fractures in approximately 20% of postmenopausal women over 65 years of age. In addition, the consequence of this bone fragility may lead to serious consequences, such as pain, deformities, sequelae, motor restrictions and early death, being therefore associated with high morbidity/mortality. Therefore, knowing the medication used in the treatment of osteoporosis are not free of risk (for example, increased risk of thrombosis, breast/ovarian/endometrial cancer, muscle injuries, among others), a bibliographical review was made with the intent of evaluating whether there are medicinal plants that may have protective ef...

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution. Currently, two drugs, pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, are used as a reference in the treatment of toxoplasmosis, but the resistance of Toxoplasma gondii appears as a relevant public health problem. In order to identify new drugs to toxoplasmosis treatment, we performed a molecular docking of raltitrexed to T. gondii thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase (TS-DHFR) and also evaluated its efficacy in infected mice. Initially, raltitrexed was docked on the crystallographic structures of TS-DHFR from T. gondii and Mus musculus. Then, 48 h after infection with the T. gondii RH strain, different groups of mice received an oral dose of raltitrexed (0.15, 0.75, and 1.5 mg kg). Two days after treatments, raltitrexed was able to prevent mortality and reduce the number of tachyzoites in the peritoneal fluid and liver imprints from infected mice. The results showed that raltitrexed has important protective activities against the T. gondii RH strain. Molecular docking still suggests that the effects against the parasite may be dependent on the inhibition of T. gondii thymidylate synthase. This study opens new perspectives for the use of raltitrexed in patients infected with T. gondii, especially when conventional treatments do not exhibit the expected efficacy.

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Tropaeolum majus L., popularly known as nasturtium, is a species widely used in the form of infusions and salads. In the last years, the antihypertensive, diuretic, and calcium and potassium sparing activities of T. majus preparations were shown. Moreover, no preclinical 90-day oral toxicity studies were conducted. Thus, this study evaluated the toxicity of the hydroethanolic extract obtained from T. majus (HETM) leaves in female and male mice, rats, and rabbits. Swiss mice and Wistar rats were treated with HETM (75, 375, and 750 mg/kg). The doses of rabbits (30, 150, and 300 mg/kg) were calculated by allometric extrapolation. The control groups received vehicle. The animals were orally treated, daily, for 90 days. At the end, the animals were anesthetized, and body weight gain, relative weight of liver, kidney, and spleen, and histopathological changes were evaluated. Serum hematological and biochemical parameters were also analyzed. No alterations were found in body and organ weights or in histopathological and biochemical evaluation. Hematological analyses revealed small changes in lymphocytes and neutrophil counts in rats after administration of 750 mg/kg of HETM. These results showed that 90-day use of T. majus is safe in rodents and lagomorphs.