Bioactive Phenolic Compounds and Biological Activities of Mururé Bark (Brosimum acutifolium), a Natural Antioxidant

Abstract

Brosimum acutifolium is a large tree with high medicinal and pharmacological value, widely used in folk medicine by some communities in South America and northern Brazil, as a potent antirheumatic, antiarthritic and anti-inflammatory, so this work aims to address the chemical composition and biological activities of the bark of the species, reported in the scientific literature in the last 30 years. Information was collected from the databases such as the Google Scholar, Scientific Electronic library online (Scielo), National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Elsevier, institutional repositories and government websites. The bark of the plant species has a variability of compounds in its composition, such as flavonoids, coumarins, phytosterols, alkaloids and lignoids, representing an important source of phenolic bioactives, which makes it a natural antioxidant. In this research, biological activities, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and anticancer activities, were found. The biological properties observed are related to the promotion of human health, and when added to the vast diversity in secondary metabolites present in the bark, it transforms the species into a strong candidate to act as an auxiliary therapeutic alternative in the control and treatment of certain diseases and as an input for the development of bioproducts.