No nordeste do Brasil, a abelha-sem-ferrão Trigona spinipes perfura o tronco de espécimens cultivados de Eucalyptus citriodora para a produção de exudatos. A investigação química do extrato etanólico do ninho de T. spinipes permitiu o isolamento dos triterpenos cicloartanos ácido magniferólico e ácido 3 -hidroxi-24-metilenocicloartan-26-óico, além dos flavonóides 3'-metilquercetina, sakuranetina, éter 7-metil campferol, tricetina e éter 7-metil aromadendrina como compostos majoritários. O isolamento de sakuranetina, éter 7-metil campferol e éter 7-metil aromadendrina do ninho de T. spinipes e do exudato de Eucalyptus citriodora, sugere esta espécie como origem botânica dos constituintes do ninho destas abelhas-sem-ferrão no nordeste do Brasil. A caracterização estrutural dos compostos isolados foi realizada utilizando-se métodos espectrométricos e comparação com dados da literatura.In the Northeast of Brazil the stingless bee Trigona spinipes Fabricius injures the tree bark of cultivated Eucalyptus citriodora specimens in order to make them exudate. The chemical investigation of the ethanol extract of an entire nest of T. spinipes allowed the isolation of the cycloartane triterpene magniferolic acid and 3 -hydroxy-24-methylenecicloartan-26-oic acid, besides the flavonoids 3'-methyl quercetin, sakuranetin, kaempferol 7-methyl ether, tricetin and aromadendrin 7-methyl ether as the main compounds. The isolation of sakuranetin, kaempferol 7-methyl ether, and aromadendrin 7-methyl ether from both Trigonas spinipes´nest and the exudate from Eucalyptus, may suggest this species as a botanical origin of the nest constituents of these stingless bee in the Northeast of Brazil. The structural characterization of the isolated compounds was accomplished by spectrometric means and comparison with the literature data. Keywords:Trigona spinipes nest, cycloartane triterpenes, flavonoids, Eucalyptus citriodora exudate IntroductionMore than 500 species stingless bees of subfamily Meliponinae are of pantropical distribution, however, the great diversity of species from the tribe Trigonini and all from the trib e Meliponini are found in the Neotropics. Indigenous stingless bee species from South America collect resinous material from plants and mix it with beewax and soil to form "geopropolis" or "divine elixir", terms suggested for the Meliponinae honeys.2,3 In a general way, they build more complex nests than Apis mellifera, although there are a great variety of forms, size and place of construction. The majority of species use closed cavities to build their nests, but some species of the genus Trigona build completely exposed aerial nests with an entrance normally build of wax and mud, and a passage way generally built with geopropolis ending at the storage pots. 4 Until now, chemical reports are concentrated to the honey bee Apis mellifera and only a few information is known about the chemistry of stingless bees, in spite of the estimated number of over 500 Neotropical species. 5Beekeeping of stingless bees or "meliponiculture" ...

Two unusual flavonoids, 3,5,4',5''-tetrahydroxy-7-methoxy-6-[1-(p-hydroxy-phenyl)ethyl]flavanone (1) and 3,5,7,4',5''-pentahydroxy-6-[1-(p-hydroxy-phenyl)ethyl] flavanone (2), were isolated from the kino of Eucalyptus citriodora. Structural elucidation of the new compounds were established on the basis of spectral data, particularly by the use of 1D NMR and several 2D shift-correlated NMR pulse sequences ((1)H, (1)H-COSY, HMQC, HMBC).

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Essential oils from fresh leaves of Eucalyptus urophylla (EOEU) and E. brassiana (EOEB), obtained by hydrodistillation, were orally administered to Swiss male mice 60 min before experimental procedures. EOEU and EOEB at either 200 or 400 mg/kg were evaluated for sedative/hypnotic activity through pentobarbital sleeping time, locomotor activity by open-field procedure, and anticonvulsant activity through seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole. EOEU and EOEB were effective in increasing the sleeping time, as well as diminishing ambulation in the open-field test. In addition, EOEU (but not EOEB) significantly increased the number of mice protected against PTZ-induced death. Our results are in accord with the ethnopharmacological use of Eucalyptus species, and, after complementary toxicological studies, could support further investigations to assess their use as sedative agents.

Acupuncture is a therapy of the traditional Chinese medicine technique, which over the years has been widespread in the West. Defined as a needle-point treatment technique (acupoints), exactly preconfigured in the body to produce a specific physiological reaction to restore the balance between the function of conflicting states and homeostasis, alternating states of energy and thus maintain the ideal organ and body organization. Thus, the objective of this study was to map and describe the main points of acupuncture in the species Boa constrictor , and their indications to promote the balance of this species. The unprecedented result of the mapping was the discovery of specific acupoints with individual location indications without distribution in specific meridians and dispersedly distributed in the body.