International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Copaifera of the Neotropics: A Review of the Phytochemistry and Pharmacology Rafaela da Trindade 1, Joyce Kelly da Silva 1,2 ID and William N. Setzer 3,4,* ID 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil;
[email protected] (R.d.T.);
[email protected] (J.K.d.S.) 2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil 3 Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA 4 Aromatic Plant Research Center, 615 St. George Square Court, Suite 300, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA * Correspondence:
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[email protected]; Tel.: +1-256-824-6519 Received: 25 April 2018; Accepted: 15 May 2018; Published: 18 May 2018 Abstract: The oleoresin of Copaifera trees has been widely used as a traditional medicine in Neotropical regions for thousands of years and remains a popular treatment for a variety of ailments. The copaiba resins are generally composed of a volatile oil made up largely of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, such as β-caryophyllene, α-copaene, β-elemene, α-humulene, and germacrene D. In addition, the oleoresin is also made up of several biologically active diterpene acids, including copalic acid, kaurenoic acid, alepterolic acid, and polyalthic acid. This review presents a summary of the ecology and distribution of Copaifera species, the traditional uses, the biological activities, and the phytochemistry of copaiba oleoresins. In addition, several biomolecular targets relevant to the bioactivities have been implicated by molecular docking methods. Keywords: copaiba; oleoresin; essential oil; sesquiterpenoids; diterpenoids; biological activity; molecular targets 1.