Phytochemical prospecting, physicochemical and biological activities of the ethanolic floral extract of Miconia chamissois Naudin (Melastomataceae)

Abstract

Miconia chamissois Naudin is one of the numerous plant species included in the Melastomataceae family, inhabiting areas of natural vegetation in the Cerrado domain. This species presents a typical seasonal event and regular annual cycle with white and aromatic flowers. The study aimed to evaluate the floral ethanol extract of M. chamissois as to its phytochemical composition, physicochemical and biological activities. The ethanol extract was produced by maceration and phytochemical, physicochemical and biological tests were carried out using different methodologies. The results presented in this study demonstrate that M. chamissois is a promising species in the search for biologically active compounds, where it presented considerable numbers of phytochemical classes, expressive total flavonoid and phenolic contents, as well as photoprotection, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. Future work should focus on the floral ethanol extract of M. chamissois to determine other biological actions in vitro and ex vitro.