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- Antibacterial and antimalarial activity of Angolan Cymbopogon citratus essential oilPublication . Pires, P.P. Catarino; Sekhoacha, M.; Matsabisa, M.; Tselanyane, M.; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Soares, M.O.Bacterial infections and malaria remain a major public health problem due to the emergence and spread of drug resistant strains. There is an urgent need to investigate new sources of antibacterial and antimalarial drugs, which are more effective. One of the potential sources of antibacterial and antimalarial drugs is traditional medicinal plants. Our ethnopharmacological studies, in several Angolan regions, showed that Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf., has high bioactivity against bacterial infections and malaria. The constituents of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (CCEO), obtained by hydro-distillation, were analysed by GC and GC-MS and identified from their retention indices and mass spectra. The antimicrobial activity of CCEO and major natural volatile compounds were tested against several bacterial strains. The antimalarial assays where performed in continuous in vitro cultures of asexual erythrocyte stages of P. falciparum using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay. CCEO exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Our results showed that multi-resistant Stafilococus aureus (MRSA) isolates were more sensitive to CCEO than non-MRSA. When tested against MRSA resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination, penicillin G and methicillin, CCEO shows a significant increase in bactericidal activity when compared with the commercial antibiotics. The same results were obtained using vancomycin resistant S. epidermidis and other strains. Regarding the anti-malaria activity, test samples where considered active for in vitro antimalarial activity exhibiting IC50 values of 5.34±1.01 μg/ml and 7.06±0.47 μg/ml. Our work shows that CCEO has higher antibacterial activity than commercial antibiotics against MRSA strains, as well as antimalarial activity. This offers opportunities for clinical treatments since preliminary in vivo studies showed no toxic effects and high antimalarial activity.
- Antimicrobial natural productsPublication . Soares, M.O.; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Coutinho, F.; Pires, P.C.Our ethnopharmacological studies, in several Angolan regions, showed that Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf., it´s applied in folk medicine to treat several diseases In order to validate antibacterial activity several studies were performed using 12 bacterial strains. The essencial oil samples of Cymbopogon citratus, obtained by hydro-distillation, were analysed by GC and GC-MS. Constituents were identified and tested for their antimicrobial activity by the disc agar diffusion technique and the dilution technique against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228) and other bacterial strains. Broad spectrum antibacterial activity was exhibited by the Cymbopogon citratus essential oil against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as for MRSA that exhibited more sensitive towards the test substance compared to the non-MRSA. Our work was the first to show that Cymbopogon citratus essential oil has higher antibacterial activity against MRSA strains, than commercial antibiotics. These discover opens a new hope to fight against nosocomial infection.
- Aspetos nutricionais e propriedades biológicas das sementes de papoila e de quinoaPublication . Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Silva, Carla Sousa e; Matos, Carla; Moutinho, CarlaA dieta alimentar permite ao indivíduo consumir diariamente substâncias nutritivas fundamentais para o seu desenvolvimento e sobrevivência. Contudo, quando a sua ingestão é nutricionalmente desequilibrada ou escassa, o metabolismo humano poderá atingir um estado de desnutrição e, consequentemente, promover o aparecimento de distúrbios metabólicos e/ou doenças crónicas. Com a consciencialização destes problemas verificou-se, nos últimos anos, uma crescente tendência para o consumo de alimentos funcionais ou substâncias nutracêuticas. Muitos destes alimentos e ingredientes são de origem vegetal, apresentando elevados teores de fibra, vitaminas, minerais, ácidos gordos polinsaturados, proteínas, compostos bioativos, entre outros. Consequentemente, uma maior atenção tem sido dada à utilização de sementes, as quais, na sua maioria, não são utilizadas pela indústria alimentar, nem pela população em geral. O aproveitamento das sementes traz maior valor económico à produção agrícola, além de contribuir para a formulação de novos produtos alimentares e diminuir o desperdício industrial. Neste artigo pretende-se efetuar uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o aporte nutricional e as propriedades biológicas de sementes de papoila e de quinoa, as quais têm tido elevada aceitação por parte do consumidor em geral, quer como ingredientes, quer como alimentos.
- Avocado and its by-products: natural sources of nutrients, phytochemical compounds and functional propertiesPublication . Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Silva, Carla Sousa e; Soares, Marta De Oliveira; Barreira, SérgioAvocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a tropical and subtropical fruit that is native to Mexico and Central America. This fruit is gaining increasing worldwide acceptance and has received extensive marketing and a wide distribution due to its relevant nutritional benefits for human health. This work presents relevant information on the production, composition and application of avocado, with an emphasis on its by-products, focusing on the proper use of waste and the possibility of monetizing waste for nutritional and environmental purposes. The entire avocado is rich in bioactive compounds (pulp, peel and seed) and presents several health benefits, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activities, as well as dermatological uses and others. Therefore, several food grade ingredients can be obtained from avocado wastes, particularly premium-grade fats or extracts with a high functional power. Studies should continue to identify the profiles and phytochemicals available to the business sector, which can also be implemented to valorize the nutritional and functional potential of avocado seeds and peels.
- Coffee industrial waste as a natural source of bioactive compounds with antibacterial and antifungal activitiesPublication . Silva, Carla Sousa e; Gabriel, Carla; Cerqueira, Fátima; Manso, M. Conceição; Vinha, A. F.Coffee is one of the most popular and consumed beverages in the world, which leads to a high contents of solid residue known as spent coffee grounds (SCG). As is known, coffee beans contain several classes of health related chemicals, including phenolic compounds, melanoidins, diterpenes, xanthines and carotenoids which are associated with therapeutic and pharmaceutical effects, due to antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-infectious and antitumour activities. Considering that this coffee industrial waste has no commercial value and are currently disposed as a solid waste or employed as fertilizers, we intend to highlight the use of SCG as a raw material with potential interest to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, this work seems to be valuable to promote the use of SCG as natural and an inexpensive food supplements or pharmaceutical additive. The phytochemical compounds content among the crude aqueous extracts of SCG followed this order: phenolics > flavonoids > carotenoids (mg/ g dry waste), respectively. Caffeine content found in SCG was ~ 0.82 g/100 g dry waste, 70 % lower than coffee roasting beans. Coffee ground extracts showed inhibition to S. aureus and E. coli growth for concentrations of 1.0 mg/ mL and a stronger inhibition was also observed against C. albicans, C. krusei and C. parapsilosis growth using lower concentration (0.5 mg/ mL).
- Cosmecêuticos e sustentabilidade: valorização de sub-produtos agro-alimentaresPublication . Silva, Carla Sousa e; Gomes, Diana; Ferreira da Vinha, AnaNos últimos anos tem havido um aumento substancial da produção de resíduos alimentares, maioritariamente por parte da indústria agroalimentar, contribuindo para os elevados níveis de poluição mundiais. Estes resíduos são principalmente utilizados para adubos ou para a alimentação direta dos animais sem sofrerem qualquer tipo de tratamento. Contudo, a partir destes subprodutos alimentares é possível extrair compostos de elevado valor, nomeadamente nutrientes e compostos bioativos, interessantes para a indústria cosmética e farmacêutica. Todavia, durante a extração destes subprodutos é necessário ter em consideração o meio ambiente e a utilização de métodos extrativos sustentáveis, de modo a contribuir para um desenvolvimento económico e social sustentável. Para tal, é necessário dar importância à reutilização, à reciclagem e à prevenção da produção de resíduos, de forma a incentivar a exploração de subprodutos alimentares com valor acrescentado e com potencial para comercialização e aplicação em formulações cosmecêuticas. Os cosmecêuticos surgiram da constante evolução da indústria cosmética e da procura pelos consumidores de produtos inovadores, levando ao aparecimento de novos conceitos, de que é exemplo o termo “cosmecêutico”, que teve origem na junção dos termos cosmético e fármaco, cujas características permitem a incorporação de compostos bioativos, como por exemplo vitaminas e compostos fenólicos, extraídos de subprodutos alimentares, e desta forma, contribuir para a sustentabilidade a nível mundial. Contudo, a regulamentação dos cosmecêuticos parece ainda não estar devidamente estabelecida, sendo um entrave à sua validação e comercialização.
- CosmeticsPublication . Rodrigues, Francisca; Cádiz-Gurrea, María de la Luz; Nunes, M. Antónia; Pinto, Diana; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Borrás Linares, Isabel; Oliveira, M. Beatriz P.P.; Segura Carretero, AntonioThe cosmetic industry is a prosperous global business. According to the Cosmetics Europe—The Personal Care Association, 450 million of Europeans daily use a wide variety of cosmetic products, such as soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, skincare, perfume, or make-up. Innovation is one of the basic principles in this field. Over the past 20 years, the innovation in cosmetic industry is enormous, resulting in a wide range of products to protect and moisturize skin as well as to combat inflammation and age signals. Also, consumers are more concerned about their appearance, trying to accept the new society paradigms. On the other hand, the demand for natural cosmetics is stronger than ever, being now widely considered a serious threat to the worldwide economy and society. These new concepts had improved the use of natural extracts as active ingredients in cosmetics, leading to the reuse of old-style active ingredients obtained from natural sources, as well as to new green compounds obtained considering sustainable principles.
- Cymbopogon citratus EO antimicrobial activity against multi-drug resistant Gram-positive strains and non-albicans-Candida speciesPublication . Soares, M.O.; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Barreira, Sérgio; Coutinho, F.; Aires-Gonçalves, S.; Oliveira, M.B.P.P.; Pires, P.C.; Castro, A.We studied the antibacterial and antifungal activity of Cymbopogon citratus. These properties were studied on hospital isolated multidrug resistant strains Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and their respective ATCC control strains. Pathogenic Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida tropicalis were also tested. Results of the present investigation provide evidence that the EO of Cymbopogon citratus could have a potential application in the treatment and prevention of diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant strains and by vancomicin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. Cymbopogon citratus EO is also effective against Candida albicans as well as the emerging Candida parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis pointing to its usefulness as an antifungal agent.
- Desperdícios da vinicultura: potenciais aplicações e sustentabilidade - subprodutos da produção vinícolaPublication . Silva, Carla Sousa e; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Nunes, AnaAtualmente, a União Europeia encoraja o uso de subprodutos agroalimentares como forma de diminuir desperdícios alimentares, promovendo simultaneamente o aproveitamento dos recursos biológicos e a inovação. Portugal é um importante produtor de vinho, com as exportações a aumentar, o que demonstra o dinamismo do setor. O vinho e a vinha têm, na sua constituição, compostos fortemente antioxidantes e com um amplo espetro de propriedades biológicas passíveis de serem extraídas. Os polifenóis são um exemplo de compostos bioativos de grande relevância, apresentando diferentes propriedades fisiológicas, tais como antioxidante, cardioprotetora, anticancerígena, anti-inflamatória, antimicrobiana, entre outras. Como tal, os subprodutos e desperdícios da produção vinícola têm potenciais aplicações diversas, de que são exemplo, alimentos funcionais, suplementos dietéticos, produtos farmacêuticos e cosméticos. O benefício do consumo de vinho tinto é já reconhecido, sendo este associado à presença de certos compostos polifenólicos, tais como resveratrol, quercetina e catequina, no entanto, estes não são suficientes para caracterizar o vinho como alimento funcional. Por esse motivo, o interesse por ingredientes funcionais com base em extratos de vinho de uva e de videira tem vindo a aumentar, fomentando o conceito de sustentabilidade.
- Determination of heavy metals and other indicators in waters, soils and medicinal plants from Ave valley, in Portugal, and its correlation to urban and industrial pollutionPublication . Pinto, D.; Fernandes, A.; Fernandes, R.; Mendes, I.; Pereira, S.; Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Herdeiro, T.; Santos, E.; Machado, M.The aim of this study was to evaluate pollution indicators on Rio Ave and surrounding environment, namely water, soil and medicinal plants in order to identify areas where contamination could cause ecosystem degradation. Plants, soil, surface water and ground water samples were collected seasonally at five different sampling sites along the Ave valley. Conductivity, pH, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate contents were evaluated. Cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc were measured in the water, soil and plants by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Results showed an increase on conductivity in waters from the origin to the mouth of the river. Nitrite levels were also higher than expected, especially in areas of wide industrialization and agricultural practices, where fertilizers widely used. Moreover, heavy metals in plants presented higher values when compared to those found in soils revealing that increased levels of heavy metals on soils are reflected similarly in plants. Levels of the analyzed parameters were often close or above to those legally acceptable in water and soils.
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