ReviewMedicinal plants in Brazil: Pharmacological studies, drug discovery, challenges and perspectives
Graphical abstract
Introduction
The use of medicinal plants by the population, as an alternative therapy to treat many diseases, has been a common practice since thousands of years before Christ. For example, the use of poppy (Papaver somnniferum) and marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been described for as long as 4000 years. However, the search for the active constituents present in medicinal plants only began in the nineteenth century, thus leading to the conception of the first drug with the characteristics that we know today. Friedrich Serturner, in 1806, was a pioneer when he isolated the alkaloid morphine from poppy: an event that prompted a continuous search for other plant-derived medicines. In 1824, Pierre-Jean Robiquet isolated codeine, an antitussive agent also from poppy, and in 1848, George Merck Fraz isolated the anti-spasmodic alkaloid papaverine from this same plant. Other important examples of active constituents isolated from medicinal plants comprise atropine (muscarinic antagonist) isolated from Atropa belladonna by Mein in 1831; caffeine obtained by Runge in 1820 from Coffea arabica; digoxin (digitalis) isolated by Claude-Adolphe Nativelle in 1869 from Digitalis lanata; and curare (muscle relaxant) isolated by Winstersteiner and Dutcher in 1943 from Chondrodendron tomentosum, among many other examples.
The historical landmark in the global pharmaceutical industry development was the discovery of salicin (analgesic and antipyretic) by Rafaele Piria, in 1832, from Salix alba. In 1839, the first structural modification from salicin was performed, yielding salicylic acid to be used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. From the salicylic acid, Felix Hoffman synthesized aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) in 1897. Thus, the famous and powerful pharmaceutical industry Bayer in Germany was born, as well as the first patent in the area of drugs.
The interest in medicinal products derived from higher plants [also known as herbal remedies or herbal medicines (phytomedicines)] has increased significantly worldwide. This interest is especially seen in developed countries, mainly in some European countries and in the United States. It is estimated that the global market for this class of drugs has reached 20 billion dollars annually [1]. Notably, the plant-derived compounds are currently employed in modern therapy, in addition to playing an important role for the synthesis of some more complex molecules. It has been estimated that about 30% of the available therapeutic medications are derived from natural sources, notably from plants and microorganisms. In some therapeutic areas, such as oncology, the amount of plant-derived medicines achieves 60% [1], [2], [3], [4].
Many classes of active principles have been isolated from Brazilian medicinal plants [5]. In fact, Brazil has the highest total of biodiversity in the world, comprising over 45,000 species of higher plants (20–22% of the total existing on the planet), 4680 algae, 32,715 angiosperms, 1519 of bryophytes, 5652 fungi, 30 gymnosperms and ferns, and 1239 lycophytes. Additionally, there are over 7000 species of known vertebrates, with 692 species of mammals, 1026 species of amphibians, 744 species of reptiles, 1901 species of birds, in addition to 3000 species of fishes. There is known to be 96,660 to 129,840 species of invertebrates. Beetles and butterflies are particularly abundant—each group with about 26,000 species (http://www.sibbr.gov.br/areas/?area=biodiversidade).
The Brazilian population has a long tradition in the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of different acute and chronic diseases. This has called the attention of Brazilian researchers and some Brazilian pharmaceutical companies to study native medicinal plants and their active principles. More recently, the use of new technologies, such as proteomic and genomic approaches, has led to a recurring interest in natural products both from academia and from pharmaceutical companies [6], [7].
Keeping in mind the above data, this review article will focus on recent studies conducted to evaluate the pharmacological properties of extracts and active principles isolated from Brazilian medicinal plants. Special attention will be given to those medicinal plants that were the subject of pharmacological studies published in international peer-review journals, with attempts to discuss the mechanisms of action of the active constituents.
Section snippets
Brazilian market of herbal drugs (Phytotherapeutic agents)
In view of Brazil’s large biodiversity and because of the great ethical influence of early colonization, Brazilians have a great interest in the use of herbal drugs to treat different illnesses [1]. It was in 1994 that the Brazilian Ministry of Health established the first directive to evaluate the safety, quality and efficacy of marketed herbal drugs. This proposed regulation was based mainly in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and in the German and French directives that
Medicinal plants and central nervous systems disorders
The central nervous system (CNS) is a complex and refined system that regulates and coordinates the body's main activities. It is vulnerable to a range of disorders, including: (i) vascular disorders (stroke and hemorrhage); (ii) infections (meningitis and encephalitis); (iii) structural disorders (brain or spinal cord injury, peripheral neuropathy and Guillain–Barré syndrome); (iv) functional disorders (headache and epilepsy); (v) neuromuscular diseases (motor neuron disease); (vi)
Cordia verbenacea
C. verbenacea (Borraginaceae), popularly known as “erva-baleeira” or “maria-milagrosa”, is a perennial bush that grows throughout the Brazilian coast, within the Atlantic Forest. In folk medicine, their leaves have been used for their anti-inflammatory and cicatrizing effects. During the last 20 years, a few groups have investigated the potential effects of this plant and the related compounds, especially concerning its promising actions against inflammatory conditions. Accordingly, a Brazilian
Concluding remarks
In this review article, we highlighted the recent efforts made by Brazilian researchers to study, in pre-clinical and clinical aspects, some medicinal plants widely used in folk medicine. Brazil has the greatest amount of biodiversity in the world, representing approximately 20–22% of all known plant species. Certainly, the area of plants is one of the most relevant fields of investigation in Brazil, as echoed by the great number of scientific articles published in peer-reviewed scientific
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there are no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgements
This review article and cited papers from our group were supported by grants from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina (FAPESC), all from Brazil.
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