PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Hojas, raíz, partes vegetativas. 

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Antirreumático, antiorchítico (hojas), drástico (raíz), insecticida (hojas), antiséptico, diurético, vulnerario (partes vegetativas). 

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: E. de Brasil, Paraguay, N.E. de Argentina. 

ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants, last advances on chemistry and bacteria activities on the medicinal herbs

1) Fatty acids were detd. in total lipids (Folch extn.) from pulps of 33 species of edible fruits (primarily Solanaceae, Rosaceae, and Cucurbitaceae) and compared with data on the fatty acid content of corresponding seed oils.  With few exceptions, fatty acids of the pulp were also found in seeds of the same species, although pulp lipid exts. contained a greater proportion of satd. fatty acids and linolenic acid.  The low yields of lipids from pulp, together with the sapon. characteristics of the exts., suggested that the pulp fractions contained a higher proportion of polar lipids and less neutral (storage) lipid than did lipid exts. from seeds.

2) From the beginning of this decade and with the revival of the phytotherapy, biological research about immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antiprotozoal effects of Central and South American plants have been in progress.  Our objective was to determine the antiprotozoal activity of 79 extracts from different plant families, including Asteraceae, Araceae, Moraceae, Solanaceae, Rhamnaceae, Zingiberaceae, Leguminosae and Sapotaceae.  Once matching with herbarium specimens authenticated the plants, selected parts were separated, dried carefully and reduced to powder.  Most of the screened extracts were aqueous.  Two protozoa with different metabolic pathways, Trypanosoma cruzi and Trichomonas vaginalis were used as experimental models.  Trypanocidal activity of plants was assayed on epimastigote cultures in liver infusion tryptose (LIT).  Anti-Trichomonas activity was determined over cultures of the parasite in Diamond medium.  In both cases, microscopic counting of parasites, after their incubation in the presence of different concentrations of the crude extracts, were made in order to determine the cytocidal and cytostatic activities respect to control cultures.  Of the nine extracts that showed antiprotozoal activity, those from Mikania cordifolia and Philodendron bipinnatifidum were then fractionated, and again, were assayed the organic and aqueous phases obtained.

1) TOURSARKISSIAN, Martín. Plantas medicinales de Argentina : sus nombres botánicos, vulgares, usos y distribución geográfica.  Buenos Aires : Hemisferio Sur, 1980, p.9.

2) SANCHEZ, M. A.; CATTANEO, P.  Contents and fatty acid composition values of total lipids (Folch) from pulps of nonoily edible fruits. Anales de la Asociacion Quimica Argentina. 1987, vol.75, nº5, p.531-49.
     
3) MUELAS-SERRANO, S., et al.  In vitro screening of american plant extracts on Trypanosoma cruzi and trichomonas vaginalis. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2000, vol.71, nº1-2, p.101-7.