Phytochemical profile and ethnopharmacological applications of Lecythidaceae: An overview.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The family Lecythidaceae has about 25 genera and 400 identified species, which are distributed especially in the pantropical region, mostly found in the tropics of Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. The third most abundant family in Amazonian forests and the genus Eschweilera, with the large number of species in Lecythidaceae.

Aim Of The Review: The present review compiles information since the 1934s about of ethnopharmacology, and chemical constituents of species of Lecythidaceae, as well as a summary of the bioactivities shown by the extracts, fractions, and secondary metabolites.

Toxicological, chemopreventive, and cytotoxic potentialities of rare vegetal species and supporting findings for the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).

Unlabelled: Caatinga flora which are found in a poor Brazilian region contain a substantial number of endemic taxa with biomedical and social importance for regional communities. This study examined the antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of 35 samples (extracts/fractions) from 12 Caatinga species and determined the antiproliferative and genotoxic action of dichloromethane fraction from stem bark (DC-Mca) on human and vegetal cells. Samples were assessed for chemopreventive ability, toxic effects on shrimp as well as cytotoxicity on tumor cell lines and erythrocytes.