背景：植物科（Lamiales目）可能包含191属4900种，具有广泛的形态学，习惯和栖息地的多样性。该家庭在世界各地分布广泛，但在热带和亚热带地区尤为丰富。它的许多物种具有很大的观赏性，并在亚洲和非洲的几个国家广泛用于医疗目的。巴西是家庭多元化的主要中心，它们分布在所有的生物群落中，主要在草本灌木地层中。关于巴西物种的医学调查很少，唯一的例外是单一的本地物种，胸肌Jacq。,被广泛使用和化学研究。
目的：这项工作汇编了表明民间药用的研究，调查生物活性，或评估巴西棘科物种的化学成分。
方法：药物用途，通过书目调查收集和总结了生物活性和化学数据的调查。编制表格以标准化信息，并为每个物种收集适当的参考文献。强调了用于治疗疾病和保持健康的化学成分的注册，目的是刺激未来的研究。
结果：家庭的栖息地和形态的宽度与其化学多样性直接相关，正如巴西物种在这里证实的那样。尽管所调查的物种占巴西家庭总丰富度的不到9％，它们包含了各种各样的化学物质。数据表明26种的民间药用和23种的生物学测试，而化学研究了30种。Ruellia和Justicia是研究最多的属，有12和11种，分别占每个属的巴西物种的14％和7％，分别。两个物种原产于其他国家，但在巴西归化。在世界各地的不同国家进行了本地物种的研究，有许多关于医药用途和生物试验的报道。用途的例子包括抗癌和抗抑郁作用，以及针对呼吸系统问题和其他疾病的活动。
结论：这项工作突出了所研究的巴西棘科物种的化学和生物多样性，这强调了扩大巴西本土物种研究的必要性。
BACKGROUND: The botanical family Acanthaceae (order Lamiales) potentially comprises 4900 species in 191 genera with extensive morphological, habit and habitat diversity. The family is widely distributed throughout the world but is especially rich in tropical and subtropical regions. Many of its species have great ornamental importance and are broadly used for medicinal purposes in several countries of Asia and Africa. Brazil is a main center of diversity of the family, where they are distributed across all its biomes, mainly in the herbaceous-shrub stratum. Medicinal investigations about Brazilian species are scarce, the exception being a single native species, Justicia pectoralis Jacq., that is widely used and studied chemically.
OBJECTIVE: This work compiled studies that indicated folk medicinal use, investigated biological activity, or evaluated the chemical composition of Brazilian species of Acanthaceae.
METHODS: Medicinal uses, investigations of biological activities and chemical data were collected and summarized through bibliographic surveys. Tables were compiled to standardize the information and the appropriate references were gathered for each species. Registration of chemical components used in the treatment of ailments and in preserving health were emphasized with the aim of stimulating future investigations.
RESULTS: The breadths of habitats and morphologies of the family are directly related to its chemical diversity, as confirmed here for Brazilian species. Although the investigated species represent less than 9% of the total richness of the family in Brazil, they encompass a great diversity of chemical substances. The data indicated folk medicinal uses for 26 species and biological tests for 23, while 30 species were investigated chemically.
Ruellia and Justicia were the most researched genera with 12 and 11 species, representing approximately 14% and 7% of Brazilian species of each genus, respectively. Two species are native to other countries but become naturalized in Brazil. Studies of native species were carried out in different countries around the world, with many reports of medicinal uses and biological tests. Examples of uses include anticancer and antidepressant actions, as well as activities against respiratory problems and other diseases.
CONCLUSIONS: This work highlights the chemical and biological diversity of the studied Brazilian species of Acanthaceae, which emphasizes the need to expand studies with native Brazilian species.
