Maria completed a degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN (1976), a Master's in Toxicological Analysis from the University of São Paulo (1981), and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of São Paulo (1990). She was a postdoctoral fellow in the field of experimental toxicology at the University of São Paulo - USP (1994). She was a volunteer associate professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, as well as a professor emeritus at the same university. Her expertise is in pharmacy, with emphasis on clinical and toxicological analysis, working mainly on the following topics: experimental toxicology, oxidative stress–antioxidant supplementation, and antioxidant activity in plant extracts.