The medicinal plant Luffa operculata (L.) Cogn. has therapeutic properties in the treatment of sinusitis, rhinitis and abortifacient conditions. Ethnopharmacological studies report that the antitumor potential can be attributed to the presence of cucurbitacin-like compounds in the plant. This study consisted of measuring cucurbitacin in different L. operculata extracts, evaluating the antiproliferative and genotoxic activity of the extracts and the isolated substance in gastric cancer cells line, and evaluating the possible mechanism of action. The extracts were obtained by maceration, and both the acquisition of the chemical profile of the extracts and the determination of cucurbitacin were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For the isolation of cucurbitacin B, column chromatography was used, and molecular identification was carried out by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay evaluated the antiproliferative activity, and the genotoxic activity was determined by the micronucleus method with cytokinesis blocking. The investigation of the possible mechanism of action was carried out by molecular docking. All tested samples caused cell death in a dose-dependent manner, but the fruit extracts were more selective for the ACP02 gastric cancer cells line than the isolated substance. The micronucleus results did not show that genomic instability reflects the greater cytotoxicity of the fruit ethanoic extract (EEF). In addition, the EEF proved to be the most selective for ACP02. The docking results showed that the isolated substance favorably inhibited the Janus kinase family proteins JAK1 and JAK2. The present work demonstrated that the use of ethanol extract can be a good alternative to fight gastric cancer.

• Ethanol extract of Eleutherine plicata showed low in vitro and in vivo cytotoxic potential. • The dichloromethane fraction was cytotoxic to HepG2 and caused DNA. However, no toxicity was observed in vivo. • Isoeleutherin caused DNA damage by the comet method and activated caspase-8 in the in silico study.

A Literature Review was carried out from 2011 to 2021 through Bibliographic Research aiming to update the state of the art on self-medication of the elderly population and the role of the pharmacist. The research was carried out in the PubMed/Medline, SciELO, LILACS and Google Scholar databases, using the following health descriptors: self-medication, self-administration, adverse effects, medication consumption habits, medicines, pharmacist, pharmaceutical care, elderly and people old woman. In general, it was possible to perceive that the research found in the initial searches, had as objective the investigation of self-medication in a very comprehensive way, in the most diverse strata of the Brazilian population, however, the present research was restricted to the elderly population that indiscriminately uses medicines for the relief of symptoms, their pain and in the search for a cure for their age-related comorbidities, as well as, culturally, they share medicines with the family or circle of friends, uses the leftovers of medicines found at home that often fail to comply professional prescription. Therefore, it can be said that self-medication is a practice considered to be avoidable, so it is believed that programs aimed at the education of the elderly can contribute to actions aimed at clarifying the elderly population in relation to the rational use of medicines, thus highlighting the importance of the role of pharmacists who are responsible for the control, guidance and prevention of self-medication, the risks and benefits of the elderly in indiscriminately consuming any medication, especially those exempt from prescription.

The use bulbs of Eleutherine bulbosa for treatament of diseases caused by malaria, amoeba and bacteria. This study accomplished the botanical and phytochemical characterization, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxic of E. bulbosa. For the anatomical studies, the studied material was fixed in formaldehyde – acetic acid and ethanol and it was dyed in safranin and in astra blue. For histochemistry, was fixed in buffered neutral formalin and in ferrous sulphate in formalina. Ethanolic Extract (EE) was submitted to fractionation in a chromatographic column and four (4) fractions were obtained from it. The Dichloromethane Fraction (DF) was submitted to a new fractionation. The biological activity was evalueted by diffusion in agar, microdilution and celular viability MTT. The bulb of E. bulbosa is characterized by a reduced caulinar axis and by succulent amiliferous cataphylls, epidermis with the presence of anthocyanins, homogeneous mesophyll with idioblasts of prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate and phenolic compounds. In agar diffusion it was observed that EE, DF and ethyl acetate fraction (ACF) were active for Staphylococcus aureus. In microdilution, DF (Inhibitory minimum concentration= 125 µg/ mL) was more active. For all samples the Minimous Bactericidal Concentration was >1000 µg/ mL. The fractionation contributes positively with the citotoxicity, being subfractions S1 and S2 the most citotoxic ones. The Fraction Dichloromethane was the most active one for S. aureus and more citotoxicity to VERO cells. Probably the less citotoxicity of EE is related to the presence of anthocyanins that are present on bulbs epidermis.

A saúde mental é uma das áreas mais negligenciadas da saúde pública. Devido ao acesso limitado, poucas pessoas em todo o mundo têm acesso à serviços de saúde mental de qualidade. O uso de plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos para tratamento, cura e prevenção de doenças, é uma das mais antigas formas de terapia. O uso destas terapêuticas para o tratamento de transtornos da ansiedade possui grande destaque atual na pandemia da COVID-19, ocasionando uma procura por tais métodos alternativos. A atenção farmacêutica (AF) no âmbito da fitoterapia deve ocorrer de forma ativa, fazendo parte na concepção das plantas medicinais e dos fitoterápicos, na promoção do seu uso racional. O estudo visou apresentar as principais plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos utilizados no tratamento do transtorno de ansiedade e avaliar a importância da AF no seu uso seguro e racional, com ênfase na promoção à saúde, envolvendo AF e educação dos usuários. Foi realizado uma Revisão Bibliográfica no Google Scholar e BVS, indexados nas bases de dados LILACS, MEDLINE e SciELO, no período de 2010 a 2021, no idioma português. Nesta revisão observamos que as plantas medicinais como a P. methysticum L., V. officinalis e P. incarnata, foram as espécies mais investigadas nos estudos anteriores. As plantas medicinais são de grande interesse para população, pois seu uso é uma prática cultural. Portanto, é necessário estudos futuros com análises pré-clínicas e mais diagnósticos voltados a pessoas com transtorno de ansiedade que utilizam plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos como tratamento.

O cloridato de metilfenidato [(dl-treo-metil-2-fenil-2- (2-piperidil) acetato], conhecido como Ritalina é um psicofármaco usado geralmente por pessoas com Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH) e com narcolepsia, para o seu tratamento. Por se tratar de um medicamento que age no sistema nervoso liberando noradrenalina e dopamina nas fendas sinápticas, incidindo uma excitação nos receptores pós-sinápticos e altera as funções cognitivas do usuário, o uso off label para melhorar o desempenho cognitivo está sendo cada vez mais comum. Este tipo de medicamento deve ser usado de forma racional, bem como qualquer outra medicação, pois podem causar efeitos adversos e dependência. Em vista do exposto, este estudo objetivou avaliar, por meio da literatura, a forma correta de uso do metilfenidato, o uso indiscriminado, off label e os problemas de saúde que o uso prolongado pode desencadear no usuário, assim como a importância da atenção farmacêutica para um tratamento eficaz com metilfenidato. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão integrativa da literatura e os artigos para esta revisão foram coletados nos seguintes portais de pesquisa: SciELO, BVS e Lilacs. Após a coleta, foram selecionados 21 estudos para compor os resultados. Foi possível perceber que o uso indiscriminado do cloridrato de metilfenidato tem sido realizado com frequência por muitas pessoas, principalmente por estudantes, podendo levar a complicações sérias e o aparecimento de efeitos adversos graves, principalmente eventos cardiovasculares como taquicardia e hipertensão, transtornos psiquiátricos como depressão, psicose e dependência química, bem como do sistema neurológico como discinesia, contrações musculares involuntárias e espasmos, entre outros.