Brazilian Amazon Plants: An Overview of Chemical Composition and Biological Activity

Abstract

Currently, the number of diseases has been increasing and reaching the population directly, and the deliberate use of drugs is creating resistance of pathogens in several drugs, a fact evidenced by the increased ineffectiveness of drugs and the persistence of infections in the body. Given this, it is necessary to search for new alternative drugs that can effectively promote effective therapy. It is possible to highlight, in Brazil, the diversity of the Amazonian flora, which has several species with considerable potential as a source of new molecules with identified biological activity. Thus, a literature review study was conducted in order to describe the applications of some Amazonian extracts and their chemical characteristics and biological activity. The Amazon rain forest has considerable diversity of plant species with biological properties that may be useful to public health. Further research is needed to identify new compounds with health benefits.

Beans with bugs: Covert carnivory and infested seed selection by the red‐nosed cuxiú monkey

“…Members of the genus Chiropotes have diets dominated by immature seeds from hard‐husked fruits (Pinto et al, 2018). In such fruits, the husk, in addition to a low water content, is often rich in tannins and highly sclerified or fibrous (Cunha Junior et al, 2020; van Roosmalen, 1985), which may account for low frequency of their infestation by insects, compared to pulp or seeds (AA Barnett, unpublished data). However, pulpy fruits accounted for nearly half the species eaten (51 of the 117 species reported for the C. albinasus diet by Pinto, 2008).…”

Technological applications and color stability of carotenoids extracted from selected Amazonian fruits

“…pulp has high total energetic value (247 kcal 100 g −1 ) and contains high levels of fatty acids, mainly oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), and palmitic (C16:0) acids, in addition to vitamin B2, vitamin C, catechin, quercetin, and carotenoids (Serra et al, 2019;Cunha Jr et al, 2020;Ferreira et al, 2021). The fruit was found to contain 21 different types of carotenoids, being β-carotene the major one (very high source) (Table 1).…”