PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Planta entera. 

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Sudoríficas y antinervinas. A dosis mayores son estomacales. 

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Gas and thin-layer chromatog. of the essential oils of S. pohlii and S. brasiliensis revealed the presence of alpha- and beta-pinene, phellandrene, o- and p-cymene, caryophyllene, farnesol, and nonanol, as well as >5 other components. 

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Uruguay. 

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

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) were characterized by GC-MS in inflorescences of 14 Senecio species (S. brasiliensis, S. conyzifolius, S. heterotrichius, S. oleosus, S. oxyphyllus, S. riograndensis, S. selloi, S. bonariensis, S. grossidens, S. icoglossus, S. juergensii, S. pulcher, S. ceratophylloides and S. crassiflorus) from southern Brazil, belonging to three taxonomic sections of the genus. The 1,2-saturated macrocycle diesters (such as platyphylline or rosmarinine), 1,2-saturated or unsaturated triangularine-like alkaloids such as senecioylplatinecine and senecioylretronecine were characteristic for the section Hualtatini. The section Corymbosi has, as characteristic PAs, 1,2-unsaturated 12-membered macrocyclic diesters (such as senecionine), while the section Suffrutecius is ambiguous in relation to the PA profile. The data indicate that the PA patterns are mostly in good agreement with morphological data for the sections Corymbosi and Hualtatini and that they can be useful chemotaxonomic markers at the infrageneric level. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 

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

1) We investigated the antiulcerogenic activity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) integerrimine, retrorsine, senecionine, usaramine and seneciplhylline, an alkaloidal ext. obtained from Senecio brasiliensis.  The PA ext. demonstrated significantly activity in both, acute and chronic gastric ulcers on rats.  The effects of PA ext. were dose dependent.  The mechanisms implicated on this activity were evaluated by detn. of gastrin plasma levels in rats subjected to the acute treatment with PA ext. and by expression of mRNA of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) after chronic treatment with this ext.  The results showed that the PA ext. increased both the levels of gastrin and the expression of EGF on these animals.  Moreover, the histol. examns. showed a redn. of exfoliation of superficial cells, hemorrhages and blood cell infiltration.  We concluded that the PAs showed an important and qual. antiulcerogenic activity mediated by increase in gastrin secretion and mRNA expression of EGF.

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

2) JORGE NETO, Jose; ROCHA, Arildo Bueno; POZETTI, Gilberto Luiz. Essential oil comparative analysis of Senecio pohlii Schultz Bipontinus ex Baker and Senecio brasiliensis (Sprengel) Lessing by thin-layer chromatography and gas phase chromatography. Revista de Ciencias Farmaceuticas (Sao Paulo) . 1987, vol.8-9, p.91-8.
 
3) TRIGO, J.R., et al.Chemotaxonomic value of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in southern Brazil Senecio (Senecioneae: Asteraceae). Biochemical Systematics and Ecology . 2003, vol.31, nº9, p.1011-1022.
 
4) TOMA, Walber; et al.  Modulation of gastrin and epidermal growth factor by pyrrolizidine alkaloids obtained from Senecio brasiliensis in acute and chronic induced gastric ulcers.Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology . 2004, vol.82, nº5, p.319-325.