Alkaloids Pharmacological Activities - Prospects for the Development of Phytopharmaceuticals for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The study of natural substances has increased in recent years in the search for compounds with pharmacological properties that can be used for the development of new drugs. The alkaloids, substances extracted natural sources, show promising pharmacological activities, including pharmacological activities for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, whose treatment is based on the use of various drugs. Thus, the article aims to a technological prospecting of alkaloids that presented important properties in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, namely, antioxidant, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties.

Screening of microorganisms producing cold-active oxidoreductases to be applied in enantioselective alcohol oxidation. An Antarctic survey.

Several microorganisms were isolated from soil/sediment samples of Antarctic Peninsula. The enrichment technique using (RS)-1-(phenyl)ethanol as a carbon source allowed us to isolate 232 psychrophile/psychrotroph microorganisms. We also evaluated the enzyme activity (oxidoreductases) for enantioselective oxidation reactions, by using derivatives of (RS)-1-(phenyl)ethanol as substrates.