Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015, 16, 23881-23904; doi:10.3390/ijms161023881 OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Molecular Sciences ISSN 1422-0067 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms Review Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Myrcia (Myrtaceae): A Review of an Aromatic and Medicinal Group of Plants Márcia Moraes Cascaes 1, Giselle Maria Skelding Pinheiro Guilhon 1,*, Eloisa Helena de Aguiar Andrade 1, Maria das Graças Bichara Zoghbi 2 and Lourivaldo da Silva Santos 1 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Química, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, Brazil; E-Mails:
[email protected] (M.M.C.);
[email protected] (E.H.A.A.);
[email protected] (L.S.S.) 2 Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém 66040-170, PA, Brazil; E-Mail:
[email protected] * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +5591-3201-8099; Fax: +5591-3201-7635. Academic Editor: Marcello Iriti Received: 13 August 2015 / Accepted: 25 September 2015 / Published: 9 October 2015 Abstract: Myrcia is one of the largest genera of the economically important family Myrtaceae. Some of the species are used in folk medicine, such as a group known as “pedra-hume-caá” or “pedra-ume-caá” or “insulina vegetal” (insulin plant) that it is used for the treatment of diabetes. The species are an important source of essential oils, and most of the chemical studies on Myrcia describe the chemical composition of the essential oils, in which mono- and sesquiterpenes are predominant. The non-volatile compounds isolated from Myrcia are usually flavonoids, tannins, acetophenone derivatives and triterpenes. Anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antioxidant, antimicrobial activities have been described to Myrcia essential oils, while hypoglycemic, anti-hemorrhagic and antioxidant activities were attributed to the extracts.