The crude extract of Jatropha isabellei and its fraction rich in alkaloid presents antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in a rat gout model, similar to that observed after treatment with colchicine, supporting the traditional use of this plant in gouty patients.

In this study we assessed the involvement of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), a key enzyme implicated in monoamine metabolism, on postoperative (plantar incision) and neuropathic (partial sciatic nerve ligation) pain models in mice. Paw incision submitted mice showed a significant decrease in mechanical threshold compared with the sham-operated mice, characterizing the development of mechanical allodynia. The selective and irreversible MAO-B inhibitor selegiline, at a dose sufficient to selectively inhibit MAO-B activity (10 mg/kg), showed an anti-allodynic effect from 0.5 to 6 h after incision. Likewise, partial sciatic nerve ligation submitted mice also developed mechanical allodynia, which was reversed by selegiline (10 mg/kg) from 2 to 6 h after treatment. In addition, a significant increase on striatal MAO-B activity was observed in neuropathic mice compared with the sham-operated animals, which was reversed by selegiline treatment. Taken together, our results showed that MAO-B seems to exert a critical role in the development of postoperative and neuropathic pain.

No abstract

Piriqueta pampeana, a new species of Turneraceae, is described and illustrated here. The species occurs in the municipalities of Alegrete, Maçambará, Manoel Viana and São Francisco de Assis, in the western region of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. It resembles Piriqueta suborbicularis and Piriqueta taubatensis, but can be distinguished by the presence of a pair of discoid basilaminar nectaries, a pair of petiolar nectaries and small nectaries distributed along the leaf margin, sepals with acute apex and a yellow spot at the base of the petals. Due to the intense environmental degradation of  its habitat, and according to IUCN guidelines, we ranked the species as “Endangered” (EN).

Resumo Este trabalho teve como objetivo contribuir para o conhecimento das espécies de árvores e arbustos ocorrentes no campus da