Alviano D S, Alviano C S
Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Prof. Paulo de Góes, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2009 Jan;10(1):106-21. doi: 10.2174/138920109787048607.
Medicinal plants constitute the base of health care systems in many societies. The recovery of the knowledge and practices associated with these plant resources are part of an important strategy linked to the conservation of biodiversity, discovery of new medicines, and the bettering of the quality of life of poor rural communities. Research in phytosciences, an emerging multidisciplinary science, is almost unlimited, with several aspects to be discussed. Therefore, the focus of the present review is mainly on the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of bioactive phytocompounds resultant of our research with crude plant extracts and essential oils of medicinal plants belonging to different families, used in various infectious disorders. The results obtained in the last years warrant the present review, discussing not only the use of several medicinal plants against bacteria, yeast, filamentous fungi and protozoa, but also their mechanisms of action, interactions with macromolecules and potential for toxicity in mammalian cells. Problems related to the efficacy of the isolation techniques and stability of bioactive compounds are also commented on. In addition, this review aims to emphasize the greatest importance to investigate plant species that have not been the subject of pharmacological studies, although their popular uses have been reported.
药用植物是许多社会医疗保健系统的基础。恢复与这些植物资源相关的知识和实践，是与生物多样性保护、新药发现以及改善农村贫困社区生活质量相关的一项重要战略的一部分。植物科学是一门新兴的多学科科学，其研究几乎是无限的，有几个方面需要探讨。因此，本综述的重点主要是我们对不同科药用植物的粗提物和精油进行研究所得到的生物活性植物化合物的抗菌和抗氧化特性，这些植物用于各种感染性疾病。过去几年取得的结果证明了本综述的合理性，不仅讨论了几种药用植物对细菌、酵母、丝状真菌和原生动物的作用，还讨论了它们的作用机制、与大分子的相互作用以及在哺乳动物细胞中的潜在毒性。还对与分离技术的有效性和生物活性化合物的稳定性相关的问题进行了评论。此外，本综述旨在强调研究虽有民间使用报道但尚未成为药理学研究对象的植物物种的重要性。
