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RESUMO:O presente trabalho verificou a utilização de plantas medicinais encontradas no Cerrado mato-grossense para o tratamento de hiperlipidemias e obesidade. Entrevistas com 180 pessoas acima de 50 anos foram realizadas em Nova Xavantina-MT. O questionário abordou nome popular, parte utilizada, forma de preparo e uso das espécies citadas, além de informações gerais sobre o uso de plantas. -Hil.). A folha foi a parte mais utilizada (46%) e o preparo das plantas ocorre principalmente por meio de infusão citado por 36,5% dos entrevistados. Apesar do uso popular destas plantas no combate as hiperlipidemias e obesidade, há necessidade de estudos fitoquímicos e farmacológicos que comprovem estas atividades, com vistas ao desenvolvimento de um fitoterápico.Unitermos: Levantamento etnobotânico, Nova Xavantina, plantas medicinais, anti-hiperlipidêmicas, anorexígenas, Cerrado.ABSTRACT: "Ethnobotanical survey of plants used as anti-hyperlipidemic and anorexigenic by the population of Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil". This study checked the use of medicinal plants found in the Cerrado mato-grossense for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and obesity. Interviews with 180 people over 50 years were held in Nova Xavantina-MT. The questionnaire addressed popular name, part used, type of preparation and use of the species mentioned, beyond general information about the use of plants. The ten plants most cited were collected, identified and studied through a literature review. Most respondents (95.6%) said using medicinal plants regularly, while 71.5% of them inherited the knowledge of plants of parents and grandparents and 94.20% reported the use to advise youngsters. Furthermore, 93.6% attested that the plants are more effective than the drugs from pharmacy and 57% considered the strong effect of the same, i.e., they always solved health problems. Regarding adverse effects, 95.9% said they have never felt them after the use of plants. Of the respondents, 56.7% knew or had used medicinal plants in the treatment of hyperlipidemias and obesity, being cited 54 medicinal species belonging to 53 different genera and 38 families, with emphasis on Fabaceae (13%

Infusions of Aspidosperma nitidum (Apocynaceae) wood bark are used to treat fever and malaria in the Amazon Region. Several species of this family are known to possess indole alkaloids and other classes of secondary metabolites, whereas terpenoids, an inositol and the indole alkaloids harmane-3 acid and braznitidumine have been described in A. nitidum . In the present study, extracts from the wood bark, leaves and branches of this species were prepared for assays against malaria parasites and cytotoxicity testing using human hepatoma and normal monkey kidney cells. The wood bark extracts were active against Plasmodium falciparum and showed a low cytotoxicity in vitro, whereas the leaf and branch extracts and the pure alkaloid braznitidumine were inactive. A crude methanol extract was subjected to acid-base fractionation aimed at obtaining alkaloid-rich fractions, which were active at low concentrations against P. falciparum and in mice infected with and sensitive Plasmodium berghei parasites. Our data validate the antimalarial usefulness of A. nitidum wood bark, a remedy that can most likely help to control malaria. However, the molecules responsible for this antimalarial activity have not yet been identified. Considering their high selectivity index, the alkaloid-rich fractions from the plant bark might be useful in the development of new antimalarials.

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Cariniana rubra Miers (Lecythidaceae), popularly known as "jequitibá-vermelho", is a large Brazilian tree whose bark is used in infusion and decoction for the treatment of inflammatory conditions. This study aims to assess the anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antipyretic effects of Cariniana rubra methanolic stem bark extract (EMCr) using experimental animals. Anti-inflammatory activity of EMCr was tested on carrageenan and dextran-induced rat paw edema, carrageenan-induced pleurisy in rats and acetic acid-increase vascular permeability in mice. Antinociceptive and antipyretic activities were evaluated using acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin and hot-plate tests in mice, as well as brewer's yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. The extract inhibitied carrageenan and dextran-induced edema, reduced exudate volume and leukocyte migration on the carrageenan-induced pleurisy and on the vascular permeability increase induced by acetic acid. The EMCr inhibited nociception on the acetic acid-induced writhing and in the second phase of formalin test, and decreased rectal temperature. It was, however, inactive against thermal nociception. Phytochemical analysis with EMCr showed the occurrence of saponins, triterpenes, sterols and phenolic compounds. Phytosterols (β-sitosterol, stigmasterol), pentacyclic triterpenes (α-and β-amyrin as a mixture), arjunolic acid, a phytosterol glycoside (sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside), and triterpenoid saponins (28-β-glucopyranosyl-23-O-acetyl arjunolic acid; 3-O-β-glucopyranosyl arjunolic acid and 28-O-[α-L-Rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-glucopyranosyl]-23-O-acetyl arjunolic acid) were the main identified compounds. It can be presumed that EMCr caused their effects by inhibiting the liberation and/or action of different inflammatory mediators. These findings support the traditional use of Cariniana rubra preparations to treat inflammation.