PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Hojas. 

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Laringitis, faringitis y para afecciones inflamatorias renales. 

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: From the aerial parts of Conyza sophiaefolia a new alicyclic furan diterpene was isolated and characterized as an E-isomer in C6 of centipedic acid. In addition, the new clerodane type diterpene 12-epi-bacchotricuneatin A as well as two known related diterpenoids were identified. The flavone apigenine was also isolated. Structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. 

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Chile, Argentina. 

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

Subfamily Barnadesioideae (Asteraceae) consists of nine genera and 91 species endemic to South America. They include annual and perennial herbs, arching shrubs and trees up to 30 m tall. Presumed sister to all other Asteraceae, its intergeneric relationships are key to understanding the early evolution of the family. Results of the only mol. study on the subfamily conflict with relationships inferred from morphol. We investigate inter- and intrageneric relationships in Barnadesioideae with novel DNA sequence data and morphol. characters using parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian inference. All results verify Barnadesioideae as monophyletic and sister to the rest of the family. A basal split within the subfamily is recognized, with Chuquiraga, Doniophyton and Duseniella in one clade, and Arnaldoa, Barnadesia, Dasyphyllum, Fulcaldea, Huarpea and possibly Schlechtendalia in another. The largest genus, Dasyphyllum, is revealed as biphyletic with the two clades sepg. along subgeneric and geog. lines. Schlechtendalia, suggested as the earliest diverging lineage of the subfamily by morphol. studies and parsimony analyses, is found in a more derived position under model-based inference methods. Competing phylogenetic hypotheses, both previous and present, are evaluated using likelihood-based tests. Evolutionary trends within Barnadesioideae are inferred: hummingbird pollination has developed convergently at least three times. An early vicariance in the subfamily's distribution is revealed. X = 9 is supported as the ancestral base chromosome no. for both Barnadesioideae and the family as a whole.

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) Flavonoids were isolated from the aerial vegetative parts Chuquiraga spec.  Quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and kaempferol were identified in C. erinacea and C. rosulata.  In C. erinacea subspec. hystrix, C. incana, and C. avellanedae, quercetin-3-O-glucoside and kaempferol-3-O-glucoside were found, but the latter spec. also produced kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside.

2) A qual. model is developed describing mass transfer and control variables of the process of fluoride uptake by Chuquiraga avellanedae and Stipa humilis.  This model is different from those previously proposed for the same process in mesophytic species since it stresses the relative importance of the adsorbed particulate-cuticle path with respect to the stomatal path for both solid and gaseous components of fumes.  The amt. of fluoride (emitted from an Al smelter) and consequent adsorption was regulated by the aerodynamic mechanisms depending on the location of the site and wind flow.  The diffusion of fluoride to the inner tissues was regulated by the water potential at the epidermis and cuticle.

Summary
Chuquiraga avellanedae (Asteraceae) is a commonly found shrub in the dry lands of Patagonia. Also known by the common name of quilembay, very few pharmacological studies have been performed to date in this species. Some preliminary results have shown antioxidant and in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. However, no efforts have focused on validating the traditional uses of C. avellanedae.

1) ALONSO, Jorge ; DESMARCHELIER, Cristian. Plantas medicinales autóctonas de la Argentina : bases científicas para su aplicación en atención primaria de la salud. Buenos Aires : L.O.L.A, 2005, p.491-492.

2) SIMIRGIOTIS, M.J., et al. Phytochemical study Conyza sophiaefolia. Antiinflammatory activity. Molecules. 2000, vol.5, nº3, p.605-607.
 
3) GRUENSTAEUDL, Michael, et al. Phylogeny of Barnadesioideae (Asteraceae) inferred from DNA sequence data and morphology. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 2009, vol.51, nº3, p.572-587.
 
4) MENDIONDO, Maria Elena; JUAREZ, Berta Estela; SEELIGMANN, Peter. Flavonoid profiles of some Argentine species of Chuquiraga (Asteraceae). Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 2000, vol.28, nº3, p.283-285.
 
5) ARES, J. O.; VILLA, A.; MONDADORI, G.  Air pollutant uptake by xerophytic vegetation:  fluoride. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 1980, vol.20, nº3, p.259-69.

6) Plantas medicinales autóctonas de la Argentina. Bases científicas para su aplicación en atención primaria de la salud / Jorge Alonso y Cristian Jorge Desmarchelier. - 1a ed. - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Corpus Libros Médicos y Científicos, 2015.