Banca de DEFESA: FRANCISCO AYRTON SENNA DOMINGOS PINHEIRO

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : FRANCISCO AYRTON SENNA DOMINGOS PINHEIRO
DATE: 29/05/2026
TIME: 08:30
LOCAL: HÍBRIDO (AUDITÓRIO DA FACULDADE DE FARMÁCIA E VIDEOCONFERÊNCIA)
TITLE:

BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL AND METABOLOMIC PROFILING OF 16 CAATINGA

SPECIES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NATIVE AND REFORESTED ENVIRONMENTS.

KEY WORDS:

Caatinga. metabolomics. Cochlospermum vitifolium; antifungal activity; Cochlospermum sp. metabolites; reforestation.

PAGES: 200
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Farmácia
SUMMARY:

The Caatinga, a domain exclusive to Brazil, harbors a unique flora with

considerable biological and pharmacological potential. Nevertheless, approximately

43% of its original vegetation cover has been lost, making forest restoration strategies

urgently needed. In this context, the BrazilDry experiment employs 16 native Caatinga

species planted at the Floresta Nacional de Assú (FLONA), in Rio Grande do Norte

state. This thesis evaluates the biological potential and metabolomic profile of these

species across three chapters. Chapter 1 investigated the antifungal activity of

hydroethanolic extracts from the leaves of 16 species against reference strains and

clinical isolates of Candida spp., along with antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS

assays), total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Also in this chapter, the chemical

composition characterization by UHPLC-MS/MS of the 3 species with highest

biological activities was added, highlighting for Cochlospermum vitifolium. After the

results present in chapter 1, chapter 2 presents a systematic review of the

Cochlospermum genus, encompassing analysis of 103 articles retrieved from major

scientific databases. More than 500 compounds have been reported from species of

this genus, including flavonoids, tannins, terpenes and terpenoids. The most frequently

reported pharmacological activities were antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, anti

inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic. Chapter 3 characterized the

metabolomic profiles by UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS of leaves from all 16 BrazilDry species

cultivated in monocultures and 16-species polycultures. Trees in polyculture plots

showed significantly greater height and crown diameter compared to monocultures

(linear mixed model; p < 0.05). Principal component analysis revealed species-specific

metabolomic signatures, with the clearest separations observed for Combretum

leprosum, Sarcomphalus joazeiro, Amburana cearensis, Piptadenia retusa, and

Sebastiania macrocarpa. Volcano plot analysis showed consistent upregulation of O

methylated flavonoids in polyculture plots across 12 of 16 species, whereas triterpenes

and saponins were predominantly upregulated in monocultures for six species. These

findings suggest that interspecific interactions drive the reallocation of specialized

metabolites, with potential implications for allelopathic signaling, antimicrobial defense,

and communication with soil microbiota. Collectively, the data generated in this thesis

contribute to the chemical and pharmacological knowledge of Caatinga species,

reinforce the therapeutic potential of C. vitifolium, and provide the first metabolomic evidence that plant diversity shapes specialized metabolism in a semi-arid tropical

restoration context.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - DANIELA APARECIDA CHAGAS DE PAULA - UFJF
Presidente - 2276354 - LEANDRO DE SANTIS FERREIRA
Externo à Instituição - NORBERTO PEPORINE LOPES - USP
Interna - 1871916 - RAQUEL BRANDT GIORDANI
Interna - 1490222 - SILVANA MARIA ZUCOLOTTO LANGASSNER