Bioactive compounds associated with medicinal infusions and phytochemical preparations from Brazilian Cerrado plants: phytochemical diversity and structural elucidation

Abstract The Brazilian Cerrado represents one of the world’s most biodiverse savanna ecosystems and harbors a rich reservoir of medicinal plant species traditionally used in the preparation of aqueous infusions and decoctions. This review provides a critical and comparative assessment of traditional aqueous preparations and complementary phytochemical studies involving four emblematic Cerrado species: Dipteryx alata Vogel, Hancornia speciosa Gomes, Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth, and Eugenia dysenterica DC. The available evidence derives from heterogeneous preparation systems, including traditional aqueous infusions, hydroethanolic and methanolic extracts, chromatographically fractionated preparations, isolated compounds, formulation-based systems, and metabolomics-oriented analytical approaches. Across these systems, more than 80 metabolites have been reported, including flavonoids, isoflavonoids, phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, galloylated derivatives, and prenylated chalcones, characterized using LC–MS/MS, HPLC–DAD, GC–MS, PS-MS, and one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The reviewed studies suggest antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, cytoprotective, antinociceptive, and neuropharmacological potential associated with proposed modulation of pathways involving NF-κB, AMPK, COX-related mediators, α-glucosidase, oxidative stress responses, and inflammatory signaling. Comparative structure–activity interpretations further suggest that prenylated and galloylated substituents may contribute to enhanced lipophilicity, membrane interaction, and biological responsiveness. However, the current evidence remains fragmented due to heterogeneous extraction methodologies, limited pharmacokinetic and toxicological characterization, insufficient standardization of preparations, and the scarcity of clinically relevant validation studies. This review highlights the importance of integrating ethnobotanically realistic aqueous preparations with metabolomics, bioassay-guided fractionation, and advanced analytical platforms to better understand which metabolites are genuinely associated with the traditional medicinal use of Cerrado species and their potential biotechnological applications.