Information on the knowledge, uses, and abundance of natural resources in local communities can provide insight on conservation status and conservation strategies in these locations. The aim of this research was to evaluate the uses, knowledge and conservation status of plants in two Quilombolas (descendants of slaves of African origin) communities in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil, São Sebastião da Boa Vista (SSBV) and São Bento (SB). We used a combination of ethnobotanical and ecological survey methods to ask: 1) What ethnobotanical knowledge do the communities hold? 2) What native species are most valuable to them? 3) What is the conservation status of the native species used? Thirteen local experts described the names and uses of 212 species in SSBV (105 native species) and 221 in SB (96 native species). Shannon Wiener diversity and Pielou’s Equitability indices of ethnobotanical knowledge of species were very high (5.27/0.96 and 5.28/0.96, respectively). Species with the highest cultural significance and use-value indexes in SSBV were Dalbergia hortensis (26/2.14), Eremanthus erythropappus (6.88/1), and Tibouchina granulosa (6.02/1); while Piptadenia gonoacantha (3.32/1), Sparattosperma leucanthum (3.32/1) and Cecropia glaziovii (3.32/0.67) were the highest in SB. Thirty-three native species ranked in the highest conservation priority category at SSBV and 31 at SB. D. hortensis was noteworthy because of its extremely high cultural importance at SSBV, and its categorization as a conservation priority in both communities. This information can be used towards generating sustainable use and conservation plans that are appropriate for the local communities.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the ten most common types of cancer worldwide. Plants of the genusPiper are used in traditional medicine to treat cancer, and they have a vast diversity of phytochemicals with cytotoxic potential. Purpose and Study Design: In this work, we analyzed the cytotoxic and selective potential of extracts and semipurified fractions of Piper mollicomum (PM), Piper truncatum (PT), Piper cernuum (PC), Piper arboreum (PA), and Piper cabralanum (PCa) using three different OSCC cell lines (SCC4, SCC9 and SCC25), and we measured their in vivo toxicities and conducted chemical analyses of their active fractions. The dichloromethane fractions of the crude methanolic extracts of the leaves of PM(-L-D), PC(-L-D) and PCa(-L-D) exhibited notable IC50 values of 94.2, 47.2 and 47.5 μg/mL, respectively, and all three of these extracts were more active than carboplatin (172.3 μg/mL). The most selective fraction was PC-L-D, which exhibited SI > 4.5; less than 5% hemolysis; and no significant alterations in in vivo acute toxicology. The major constituents in active fractions were lignans (PC-L-D and PCa-L-D) and chromenes (PM-L-D). PC-L-D demonstrated great potential for further development as an anticancer drug and could be the key to developing more effective and less toxic therapies against oral cancer.

The genus Piper L. has the shikimic acid pathway predominantly expressed, biosynthesizing many cinnamic acid derivatives (CAD). Neolignans comprise an important class of CAD that exhibit a wide range of pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antitumor, insecticidal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, smooth muscle relaxant, neuroprotective, antiprotozoal and against platelet aggregation factor. These substances have been extracted and isolated from Piper species using different technics. The present review aims to summarize extraction and isolation methods and biological activities of the different types of neolignans covering the period from 1968 to January 2016.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that affects more than 250 million people. The treatment is limited to praziquantel and the control of the intermediate host with the highly toxic molluscicidal niclosamide. Marine algae are a poorly explored and promising alternative that can provide lead compounds, and the use of multivariate analysis could contribute to quicker discovery. As part of our search for new natural compounds with which to control schistosomiasis, we screened 45 crude extracts obtained from 37 Brazilian seaweed species for their molluscicidal activity against Biomphalaria glabrata embryos and schistosomicidal activities against Schistosoma mansoni. Two sets of extracts were taxonomically grouped for metabolomic analysis. The extracts were analyzed by GC–MS, and the data were subjected to Pattern Hunter and Pearson correlation tests. Overall, 22 species (60%) showed activity in at least one of the two models. Multivariate analysis pointed towards 3 hits against B. glabrata veliger embryos in the Laurencia/Laurenciella set, 5 hits against B. glabrata blastula embryos, and 31 against S. mansoni in the Ochrophyta set. Preliminary annotations suggested some compounds such as triquinane alcohols, prenylated guaianes, dichotomanes, and xenianes. Despite the putative identification, this work presents potential candidates and can guide future isolation and identification.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a worldwide public health problem, with high morbidity and mortality rates. The development of new drugs to treat OSCC is paramount. Piper plant species have shown many biological activities. In the present study, we show that dichloromethane partition of Piper cernuum (PCLd) is nontoxic in chronic treatment in mice, reduces the amount of atypia in tongues of chemically induced OSCC, and significantly increases animal survival. To identify the main active compounds, chromatographic purification of PCLd was performed, where fractions 09.07 and 14.05 were the most active and selective. These fractions promoted cell death by apoptosis characterized by phosphatidyl serine exposition, DNA fragmentation, and activation of effector caspase-3/7 and were nonhemolytic. LC–DAD–MS/MS analysis did not propose matching spectra for the 09.07 fraction, suggesting compounds not yet known. However, aporphine alkaloids were annotated in fraction 14.05, which are being described for the first time in P. cernuum and corroborate the observed cytotoxic activity. Putative molecular targets were determined for these alkaloids, in silico, where the androgen receptor (AR), CHK1, CK2, DYRK1A, EHMT2, LXRβ, and VEGFR2 were the most relevant. The results obtained from P. cernuum fractions point to promising compounds as new preclinical anticancer candidates.