ABSTRACT
The Caatinga biome (semiarid vegetation) is a highly threatened biome covering a vast area in northeastern Brazil and is the source of few studied natural resources. Many medicinal plant species from Caatinga are widely known and used in folk medicine and for the commercial manufacturing of phytotherapeutic products. Few ethnobotanical and pharmacological studies have been undertaken in this region despite the great cultural and biological diversity to be found there. The purpose of this chapter is to present the research carried out at the Federal University of Vale do São Francisco with the species Hymenaea martiana and Passiflora cincinnata, typical species from the Caatinga biome. The main chemical constituents identified in extracts of these species will be presented. Regarding pharmacological activity, results will be presented on the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. The exact mechanism involved in the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities is not completely understood, but, at least in part, there is the participation of opioid receptors and the inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzymes. Docking studies confirm this hypothesis. Pharmacological and chemical studies are continuing in order to characterize the mechanism responsible for these effects.
