PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Corteza, raíz.

ACCION FARMACOLOGICA= Pharmacological action: Vomitivo.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Screening ethanolic seed exts. for antitumor activity revealed that S. vesicaria, S. punicea and S. drummondii were significantly active against lymphocytic leukemia P-388 (PS) in vivo. Approx., a 100-fold enrichment was achieved of the active principle(s) of S. vesicaria. The ethanolic ext. has been shown to contain sucrose [57-50-1], raffinose [512-69-6], stachyose [470-55-3], several triterpene saponins, sterol glycosides and substantial amts. of phospholipids. Acid hydrolysis of a saponin conc. revealed oleanolic acid [508-02-1] and an unidentified isomer of hederagenin, possibly queretaroic acid (I) [511-82-0]. The major sterols were stigmasterol [83-48-7] and beta-sitosterol [83-46-5]. Antitumor activity of S. vesicaria was assocd. with a minor, as yet unidentified constituent. The isolated saponins were relatively nontoxic and inactive..

ZONA GEOGRAFICA: Uruguay. 

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:

Three different techniques were applied to analyze the patterns of longitudinal chromosome differentiation in five Sesbania species (S. exasperata, S. punicea, S. sesban, S. tetraptera, and two different geographical populations of S. virgata). For all the species investigated the prophase chromosome condensation was always proximal. After staining with the fluorochromes chromomycin A3 and DAPI, each karyotype revealed two or four CMA+/ DAPI- heterochromatic blocks, apparently corresponding to the nucleolus organizing regions. However, in S. virgata two or four CMA+ bands were observed, depending on the population studied. No DAPI+ bands were observed. C-banding showed the most diversified patterns, being a more useful technique to distinguish karyorypes of Sesbania species The largest amount of heterochromatin was observed in S. virgata (subgenus Daubentonia) whereas the smallest was found in S. sesban (subgenus Sesbania).

1) GONZALEZ, Matías ; LOMBARDO, Atilio ; VALLARINO, Aida. Plantas de la medicina vulgar del Uruguay. Montevideo : Talleres Gráficos,1937, p.8 .

2) POWELL, R. G.; SMITH, C. R., Jr.; MADRIGAL, R. V. Antitumor activity of Sesbania vesicaria, S. punicea , and S. drummondii seed extracts. Planta Medica.1976, vol.30,nº1,p. 1-8.

3) FOMI-MARTINS, E.R.; GUERRA, M. Longitudinal differentiation in chromosomes of some Sesbania Scop. species (Fabaceae) . Caryologia. 1999,vol. 52 , nº1-2, p. 97-103.