Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Botânica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Av. da Engenharia, s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Centro de Formação de Professores, Rua Sérgio Moreira de Figueiredo s/n, Casas Populares, 58900-000 Cajazeiras, PB, Brazil.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2024 Sep 15;331:118304. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118304. Epub 2024 May 8.
Popularly known as "penicilina" and "terramicina", Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze belongs to the Amaranthaceae family and stands out for its ethnomedicinal uses in the treatment of infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms in some countries.
The present study aimed to carry out a literature review and analyze whether the scientific evidence really validates the numerous indications for the use of A. brasiliana in traditional medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases. Phytochemical and toxicological studies related to this species were also analyzed.
Scientific documents were retrieved from Google Scholar, PubMed®, ScienceDirect®, SciELO, SpringerLink®, Scopus®, and Web of Science™ databases. The literature was reviewed from the first report on the antimicrobial activity of A. brasiliana in 1994 until April 2024.
According to the scientific documents analyzed, it was observed that A. brasiliana is widely used as a natural antibiotic for the treatment of infectious diseases in Brazil, mainly in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso, and Minas Gerais. Its ethnomedicinal uses have also been reported in other countries such as Colombia and India. The leaves (78%) of A. brasiliana are the main parts used in the preparation of herbal medicines by traditional communities. Several A. brasiliana extracts showed low activity when evaluated against pathogens, including gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, parasitic protozoa, and fungi. Only two studies reported that extracts from this plant showed high activity against the herpes simplex virus, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Candida albicans. Phytochemicals belonging to the classes of phenolic compounds and flavonoid (52%), saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (33%), steroids and phytosterols (8%), terpenoids (5%), and fatty alcohol esters (2%) were identified in A. brasiliana. Toxicity (in vivo) and cytotoxicity (in vitro) studies of polar and non-polar extracts obtained from A. brasiliana leaves indicated that this plant is biologically safe.
Despite being widely used as a natural antibiotic by traditional communities, scientific investigations related to the antimicrobial potential of A. brasiliana extracts have indicated inactivity against several pathogens.
Alternanthera brasiliana（L.）Kuntze 俗称“青霉素”和“土霉素”，属于苋科，以其在一些国家用于治疗由致病微生物引起的感染的民间医学用途而闻名。
本研究旨在进行文献综述，分析科学证据是否真正验证了 A. brasiliana 在传统医学中用于治疗传染病的众多适应症。还分析了与该物种相关的植物化学和毒理学研究。
从 Google Scholar、PubMed®、ScienceDirect®、SciELO、SpringerLink®、Scopus®和 Web of Science™数据库中检索科学文献。文献综述从 1994 年首次报道 A. brasiliana 的抗菌活性开始，一直持续到 2024 年 4 月。
根据分析的科学文献，观察到 A. brasiliana 在巴西被广泛用作天然抗生素，用于治疗传染病，主要在南里奥格兰德州、马托格罗索州和米纳斯吉拉斯州。它的民间医学用途也在哥伦比亚和印度等其他国家得到报道。A. brasiliana 的叶子（78%）是传统社区制备草药的主要部分。几种 A. brasiliana 提取物在评估针对病原体时显示出低活性，包括革兰氏阳性菌、革兰氏阴性菌、寄生原生动物和真菌。只有两项研究报告称，这种植物的提取物对单纯疱疹病毒、耻垢分枝杆菌和白色念珠菌表现出高活性。在 A. brasiliana 中鉴定出属于酚类化合物和类黄酮（52%）、饱和和不饱和脂肪酸（33%）、类固醇和植物固醇（8%）、萜类（5%）和脂肪酸酯（2%）的植物化学物质。从 A. brasiliana 叶中获得的极性和非极性提取物的毒性（体内）和细胞毒性（体外）研究表明，该植物具有生物安全性。
尽管传统社区广泛将其用作天然抗生素，但与 A. brasiliana 提取物的抗菌潜力相关的科学研究表明，其对几种病原体无活性。
