ABREU, G. L.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/1104829227028886; ABREU, Gabriela de Lima.
Abstract:
Crescentia cujete (Cuité) is a Bignoniaceae family tree has medium sized
(approx. 12 meters). It is a native of tropical America and grows wild in Mexico
in several Central American. Like many other species of plants that are used in
folk medicine, it has also aroused great interest as a source of new biologically
active compounds and the possible structures which could provide the
development of new drugs.Dengue is characterized as an acute infectious
disease, and may take severe and lethal forms, which is worrying the health
authorities around the world and is considered a serious public health problem.
It is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes aegypti, specifically by the
bite of infected female mosquito and are currently known four serotypes,
antigenically distinct: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. Therefore the study
aims to analyze the larvicidal activity of Crescentia cujete against dengue
mosquito larvae, which proves to be an alternative to control this pest, which is
considered a public health problem. The extraction process of the present
compounds in the leaves, bark and fruit Cuité was performed employing the
hydrodistillation method, using the Clevenger apparatus and gas
chromatography-mass spectrometry for the analysis of chemical constituents of
essential oil study. The sheet presented as the major constituent Phytol
(54.54%) and 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid (13.79%). The bark had as the
major compound hexadecanoic acid (57.59%). In the present study the Cuité
showed no larvicidal activity in any of its constituents, which was not expected,
since Crescentia cujete is known to have toxic characteristics of and could be
an alternative to combat the larvae. Further studies assigned to the essential oil
chemical composition of Crescentia cujete and a new research larvicidal action
of the fruit at different stages of maturity should be performed.