Cytotoxic activity of eight plant extracts, native from the MidWest of Brazil comprising Cerrado, Pantanal and semideciduous forest, was evaluated for MDA-MB-435, SF-295, and HCT-8 cancer cell strains. A single 100 µg.mL -1 dose of each extract was employed with 72 h of incubation for all tests. Doxorubicin (1 µg.mL -1 ) was used as the positive control and the MTT method was used to detect the activity. Cytotoxicity of distinct polarities was observed in thirty extracts (46%), from different parts of the following species: Tabebuia heptaphylla (Vell.) Toledo, Bignoniaceae, Tapirira guianensis Aubl., Anacardiaceae, Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão, Anacardiaceae, Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Anacardiaceae, Gomphrena elegans Mart., Amaranthaceae, Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng., Arecaceae, Eugenia uniflora L., Myrtaceae, and Annona dioica A. St.-Hil., Annonaceae. Extracts of at least two tested cell strains were considered to be highly active since their inhibition rate was over 75%.

Babaçu (A. speciosa), Buriti (M. flexuosa), and Macaúba (A. aculeata) are palm trees typical of the ecotone area between Cerrado and the Amazon rainforest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of the extracts prepared from the leaves of those palms as well as determine their chemical compositions. The ethanol extracts were prepared in a Soxhlet apparatus and tested by disk diffusion and agar dilution technique against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Candida parapsilosis. However, there was no significant activity at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 mg·Ml−1. Moreover, the phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, catechins, steroids, triterpenes, and saponins. Gas chromatography (GC/MS) analysis also identified organic acids, such as capric (decanoic) acid, lauric (dodecanoic) acid, myristic (tetradecanoic) acid, phthalic (1,2-benzenedicarboxylic) acid, palmitic (hexadecanoic) acid, stearic (octadecanoic) acid, linoleic (9,12-octadecadienoic) acid (omega-6), linolenic (octadecatrienoic) acid (omega-3), and the terpenes citronellol and phytol. Based on the chemical composition in the palm leaf extracts, the palms have the potential to be useful in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.

RESUMO -(Bioprospecção de substâncias inseticidas de plantas nativas de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil Palavras-chave: metabólitos secundários, plantas inseticidas, gorgulho-do-milho, Sitophilus zeamaisABSTRACT -(Bioprospecting insecticidal compounds from plants native to Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil). This paper reports on an evaluation of the insecticidal activity of extracts prepared from leaves of Tapirira guianensis Aubl. (Anacardiaceae), Attalea phalerata (Mart. ex Spreng.) Burret (Arecaceae), Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae), and Gomphrena elegans Mart. (Amaranthaceae) and from stems of Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão (Anacardiaceae). Four extracts and 18 fractions with a range of polarities were tested. Tengram batches of wheat grains were each nebulized with 1 mL of a separate extract at 10% w/v. After solvent evaporation at 38 ºC, the grains were placed into flasks along with 20 unsexed 10-to 20-day old adult individuals of Sitophilus zeamais. The assessment was carried out on the fifth and tenth day by counting and discarding the dead insects. Leaf extracts of G. elegans showed an insecticidal effect ranging from 27% to 60% by the fifth day, whereas the effect of the remaining extracts tested (if active at all) did not exceed 20% in the same period. By the tenth day, the most active extracts were those of A. phalerata (hexanic, 36.5%) and all those of G. elegans (52-80.5%), whereas the effect of the other extracts did not exceed 30%.

In this study, the chemical composition of the peel and pulp of Mauritia flexuosa fruits were analyzed and the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts from these fruits was evaluated using in vitro tests. Chemical composition analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) indicated the presence of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The peel extracts (ECBU) presented 54.41% and the pulp (EPBU) presented 94.05% of the saturated fatty acids lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids. The antimicrobial activities were performed using the diffusion and micro-dilution (MIC) methods. ECBU was active against the bacteria Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration of 200 mg mL -1 , but it was not active against the yeasts Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis using the diffusion method. The MIC results showed that ECBU was active against the tested bacteria at concentrations > 12.5 mg mL -1 and EPBU was active at concentrations > 25.0 mg mL -1 . This was probably due to higher sensibility of the method. The results indicated that the peel and pulp extracts of M. flexuosa present antibacterial activity and that ECBU is an especially promising potential candidate for the prospection of new pharmaceutical compounds.

RESUMOO babaçu é uma palmeira típica da região de transição entre o cerrado, o semiárido nordestino e a mata amazônica sendo distribuída por mais de 18 milhões de hectares do território brasileiro. Neste trabalho de pesquisa foram avaliadas características físicas de frutos, assim como a extração do óleo das amêndoas com solventes orgânicos. Os parâmetros avaliados no estudo de caracterização física foram: perímetro, comprimento, massa, volume e densidade dos quais foram obtidas as médias. As extrações de óleo foram realizadas utilizando os solventes orgânicos (etanol e hexano) e uma mistura etanol/hexano (1:1) com extrator Soxhlet por 4 horas. O uso da mistura etanol/hexano (80,1%) apresentou um rendimento maior que do etanol (57%) e menor do que o hexano (81,5%). O alto rendimento na quantidade de óleo obtido com o solvente hexano e com a mistura de solventes evidencia seu potencial no uso de extração de biomassa.Palavras-chave: biomassa; palmeira; amêndoas; óleo de babaçu; soxhlet. INTRODUÇÃOO babaçu é o nome genérico de uma palmeira não cultivada e originária do Brasil classificada genericamente como Orbinya oleífera por botânicos, conhecida também como Orbinya speciosa, Orbinya mariana ou Orbinya phalerata. Popularmente é conhecida como: bauaçu, baguaçu, aguaçu, guaguaçu, uauaçu, coco-de-macaco, coco-de-palmeira, coco-pindoba e palha-branca entre outros. Sendo ela da família das palmáceas (Arecaceae), dotada de frutos drupáceos com sementes oleaginosas podendo ser encontrada nos estados do Mato Grosso, Maranhão, Piauí e Tocantins. O extrativismo dessa palmeira é uma atividade secular no território nacional e atualmente produz cerca de 4 milhões de toneladas por ano 1 . A época de frutificação do babaçu ocorre durante o ano todo, sendo que o pico da produção ocorre nos meses de agosto a janeiro e cada planta pode produzir até 6 cachos 2 . Quando maduro, o fruto desprende-se e cai no solo 3 . Esse fruto é constituído por quatro partes: epicarpo (casca), endocarpo (parte lenhosa), amêndoas e mesocarpo (Figura 1). Os principais produtos comerciais extraídos do Babaçu são o óleo, extraído da amêndoa que corresponde de 6% a 7% do peso total do fruto e a torta (resultante do processo). O óleo de coco como é popularmente conhecido é um dos produtos mais utilizados dentre os derivados do babaçu, podendo ser empregado para fins culinários, como lubrificante, em cosméticos, além de ser alvo de pesquisas científicas para a fabricação de