Bioatividade e potencial antioxidante da espécie Capsicum chinense na Amazônia Setentrional

Abstract

From the ancient peoples to the present day Capsicum peppers are used worldwide, considered one of the most important spices, have become indispensable in the cooking of some cultures. In addition to enhancing flavor and providing spice to various dishes, they also present utilities in traditional human medicine, confirming its importance for health, since it is a good source of bioactive. Thus, the proposal of this work was to evaluate the pharmacological properties from microbiological and chemical tests in hexanic and methanolic extracts in the species Capsicum chinense. The peppers (fruits) were selected and purchased at the fair of the rural producer of Roraima and their semen seeded in a greenhouse of the Center of Agrarian Sciences / UFRR. The botanical confirmation of the species was carried out by researchers from the UFRR Botany Laboratory. The hexane extracts were prepared from the dried fruit by continuous extraction in Soxhlet apparatus at the Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry of UFRR and mature fruits with methanol solvent. The extract samples were tested in bioassays with pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Subsequently, a test was performed for total phenols and antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibition test. The present study demonstrated its effectiveness against pathogens that affect the health of the human being and certainly presents chemical assets that help in the prevention of diseases. The research demonstrated the effectiveness of Capsicum chinense as a natural antioxidant and the presence of active substances whose bioprospecting may result in molecules capable of interfering positively with diseases that compromise the human nervous system. However, further studies are still needed to consolidate its use and application in the pharmaceutical field.