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- Kaempferol Derivatives from Hedychium gardnerianum : Unveiling the Potential of an Invasive PlantPublication . Tavares, Wilson R.; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Seca, Ana M. L.The therapeutic properties of plants and of their secondary metabolites are a current research topic of great interest. Considering that Hedychium species are used in folk medicine around the globe, Hedychium gardnerianum Sheppard ex Ker Gawl., an extremely aggressive invasive plant in Hawaii and in Azores, was selected and phytochemically studied in order to search for natural compounds with interesting biological activities. […].
- Produtos naturais como medicamentos de sucessoPublication . Seca, Ana M. L.[…]. De acordo com dados da Organização Mundial da Saúde (WHO), cerca de 80 % da população que vive em países em desenvolvimento depende da medicina tradicional e do uso dos produtos naturais para fazer face aos cuidados de saúde primários. O reconhecimento da importância dos produtos naturais e da medicina tradicional na medicina moderna e confirmada também pelo facto das modernas farmacopeias fazerem referência a mais de 25 % de drogas derivadas de plantas. Por outro lado, dados de 2016 mostram que entre 1981 e 2014, foram aprovadas pelas entidades competentes 1211 novas pequenas moléculas para fins terapêuticos (principalmente anticancerígenos, antibacterianos e antivirais). Destas, 52 % são produtos naturais, cópias ou derivados de produtos naturais, enquanto que das 175 pequenas moléculas aprovadas para o tratamento do cancro entre 1940 e 2014, 75 % têm outra origem que não a obtenção por síntese. […].
- Chemical Composition and Phytopharmaceuticals : An Overview of the Caulerpa and Cystoseira GeneraPublication . Rosa, Gonçalo P.; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Seca, Ana M. L.; Pinto, Diana C. G. A.In recent years, macroalgae attracted increasing attention from many industries of diverse branches such as plastics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food. This interest is due to the diverse chemical composition existing within the various macroalgae classes, which offer the possibility of finding a wide array of primary and secondary metabolites with exciting properties and great potential for pharmacological applications. Caulerpa spp. and Cystoseira spp. produce a wide array of exciting compounds that have been isolated and showed a broad range of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiprotozoal, antitumor, cytotoxic activities, among others. These compounds present high biomedical potential, constituting natural structures that could serve as scaffolds for designing novel leads for pharmacological purposes. However, Caulerpa and Cystoseira species and their cosmetic potential are still understudied, which shows a great research opportunity.
- Uncharted Source of Medicinal Products : The Case of the Hedychium GenusPublication . Tavares, Wilson R.; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Seca, Ana M. L.A current research topic of great interest is the study of the therapeutic properties of plants and of their bioactive secondary metabolites. Plants have been used to treat all types of health problems from allergies to cancer, in addition to their use in the perfumery industry and as food. Hedychium species are among those plants used in folk medicine in several countries and several works have been reported to verify if and how effectively these plants exert the effects reported in folk medicine, studying their essential oils, extracts and pure secondary metabolites. Hedychium coronarium and Hedychium spicatum are the most studied species. Interesting compounds have been identified like coronarin D, which possesses antibacterial, antifungal and antitumor activities, as well as isocoronarin D, linalool and villosin that exhibit better cytotoxicity towards tumor cell lines than the reference compounds used, with villosin not affecting the non-tumor cell line. Linalool and α-pinene are the most active compounds found in Hedychium essential oils, while β-pinene is identified as the most widespread compound, being reported in 12 different Hedychium species. Since only some Hedychium species have been investigated, this review hopes to shed some light on the uncharted territory that is the Hedychium genus.
- Seaweed Secondary Metabolites with Beneficial Health Effects : An Overview of Successes in In Vivo Studies and Clinical TrialsPublication . Rosa, Gonçalo P.; Tavares, Wilson R.; Sousa, Pedro M. C.; Pagès, Aida K.; Seca, Ana M. L.; Pinto, Diana C. G. A.Macroalgae are increasingly viewed as a source of secondary metabolites with great potential for the development of new drugs. In this development, in vitro studies are only the first step in a long process, while in vivo studies and clinical trials are the most revealing stages of the true potential and limitations that a given metabolite may have as a new drug. This literature review aims to give a critical overview of the secondary metabolites that reveal the most interesting results in these two steps. Phlorotannins show great pharmaceutical potential in in vivo models and, among the several examples, the anti-dyslipidemia activity of dieckol must be highlighted because it was more effective than lovastatin in an in vivo model. The IRLIIVLMPILMA tridecapeptide that exhibits an in vivo level of activity similar to the hypotensive clinical drug captopril should still be stressed, as well as griffithsin which showed such stunning results over a variety of animal models and which will probably move onto clinical trials soon. Regarding clinical trials, studies with pure algal metabolites are scarce, limited to those carried out with kahalalide F and fucoxanthin. The majority of clinical trials currently aim to ascertain the effect of algae consumption, as extracts or fractions, on obesity and diabetes.
- Isolation and identification of bioactive secondary metabolitesPublication . Seca, Ana M. L., ed.; Trendafilova, Antoaneta, ed.This book is a reprint of the Special Issue Isolation and Identification of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites that was published in "Foods" (ISSN 2304-8158).
- Aqueous and Ethanolic Plant Extracts as Bio-Insecticides : Establishing a Bridge between Raw Scientific Data and Practical RealityPublication . Tavares, Wilson R.; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Seca, Ana M. L.Global demand for food production is causing pressure to produce faster and bigger crop yields, leading to a rampant use of synthetical pesticides. To combat the nefarious consequences of its uses, a search for effective alternatives began in the last decades and is currently ongoing. Nature is seen as the main source of answers to crop protection problems, supported by several examples of plants/extracts used for this purpose in traditional agriculture. The literature reviewed allowed the identification of 95 plants whose extracts exhibit insecticide activity and can be used as bio-pesticides contributing to sustainable agriculture. The option for ethanol and/or water extracts is more environmentally friendly and resorts to easily accessible solvents, which can be reproduced by farmers themselves. This enables a bridge to be established between raw scientific data and a more practical reality. Azadirachta indica, Capsicum annuum, Nicotiana tabacum and Tagetes erecta are the most researched plants and have the potential to be viable options in the pest management approach. Azadirachta indica showed the most promising results and Brevicoryne brassicae was the most targeted pest species, being tested against the aqueous and/or ethanolic extracts of 23 different plants. Maceration using dried material (usually leaves) is the extraction method preferred by the majority of authors.
- Valorization of Macaronesia Beach-Cast Seaweeds : Secondary Metabolites and Antiaging ActivityPublication . Seca, Ana M. L.; Faustino, Luís M. M.; Viveiros, Mariana Moniz; Rosa, Gonçalo P.; Barreto, Maria do CarmoBeach-cast seaweeds are a seasonal phenomenon consisting of the accumulation of large tons of algae on beaches, which is unpleasant for beach users and affects the tourism industry, mainly because tourists often interpret stranded natural litter as lowering beach quality, especially if the material starts to decompose. These beach casts are always variable mixtures of different species of seagrass and seaweeds. The present work aimed to contribute to the valorisation of this biomass by studying its chemical composition and bioactivities that reveal its potential in the pharmaceutical and/or cosmeceutical industries. […].
- Laurus Azorica Leaves : Sesquiterpene Lactones and Antiaging ActivityPublication . Viveiros, Mariana Moniz; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Seca, Ana M. L.Plants are a relevant source of biologically active compounds for skin protection. Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco, an endemic species from Azores, was traditionally used as a disinfectant, and the oil from its berries was used to treat wounds. This species is barely studied concerning its chemical constituents and biological activities. In this study, three sesquiterpene lactones, costunolide, 11,13-dehydrosantonin and reynosin, were isolated for the first time on the hexane fraction of the ethanol extract from Laurus azorica leaves by chromatographic techniques. […].
- Research Advances on Health Effects of Edible Artemisia Species and Some Sesquiterpene Lactones ConstituentsPublication . Trendafilova, Antoaneta; Moujir, Laila M.; Sousa, Pedro M. C.; Seca, Ana M. L.The genus Artemisia, often known collectively as “wormwood”, has aroused great interest in the scientific community, pharmaceutical and food industries, generating many studies on the most varied aspects of these plants. In this review, the most recent evidence on health effects of edible Artemisia species and some of its constituents are presented and discussed, based on studies published until 2020, available in the Scopus, Web of Sciences and PubMed databases, related to food applications, nutritional and sesquiterpene lactones composition, and their therapeutic effects supported by in vivo and clinical studies. The analysis of more than 300 selected articles highlights the beneficial effect on health and the high clinical relevance of several Artemisia species besides some sesquiterpene lactones constituents and their derivatives. From an integrated perspective, as it includes therapeutic and nutritional properties, without ignoring some adverse effects described in the literature, this review shows the great potential of Artemisia plants and some of their constituents as dietary supplements, functional foods and as the source of new, more efficient, and safe medicines. Despite all the benefits demonstrated, some gaps need to be filled, mainly related to the use of raw Artemisia extracts, such as its standardization and clinical trials on adverse effects and its health care efficacy.