The second session of the Brazil-France Symposium on Biodiversity, promoted by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) in partnership with the French Academy of Sciences, dealt with natural products of biodiversity with a medicinal capacity. In the theme “What is hidden in biodiversity?”, Presented the work by the Academicians Vanderlan Bolzani (Unesp), Eliezer Barreiro (UFRJ) and Elibio Rech (Embrapa), as well as the researchers Manoel Odorico de M. Filho (UFC) and Adrian Martin Pohlit (Inpa).
Biodiversity can contribute much to sustainable development
The professor of the Institute of Chemistry of Araraquara (Unesp) and vice-president of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), Vanderlan Bolzani, started by commenting on how rich the country is in biological diversity and also in chemical diversity. She then highlighted how important this is for the population, whether in the form of metabolites we can get through it, as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, or as an effective means of regulating the climate or aiding pollination, for example.
The researcher presented the timeline of how natural products have gained ground in research and have helped to revolutionize humanity. As an example, we have the discovery of morphine (1804), which is a substance extracted from the opium poppy, and also the discovery of captopril (1981), an important substance in the treatment of hypertension. In addition, in 2015, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was delivered to three scientists who researched therapies to combat parasites from the use of natural compounds.
From matter to drugs to cosmetics, Brazilian biodiversity can contribute a lot to sustainable development, bringing benefits to the population.
Source: Academia Brasileira de Ciências (Rayanne Azevedo e Juliana Salles para NABC / Foto capa: Wikicommons)
Link to to full article: http://www.abc.org.br/2018/06/25/biodiversidade-farmacologia-e-produtos-naturais/