Uptake of Seeds Secondary Metabolites by Virola surinamensis Seedlings

The major secondary metabolites and fatty acids occurring in the seeds of Virola surinamensis were monitored by GC-MS during germination and seedling development. The role as carbon source for seedling development was indicated considering that both classes of compounds were similarly consumed in the seeds and that no selective consumption of compounds could be detected

Tannins possessing bacteriostatic effect impair pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesion and biofilm formation

Plants produce many compounds that are biologically active, either as part of their normal program of growth and development or in response to pathogen attack or stress. Traditionally, Anadenanthera colubrina, Commiphora leptophloeos and Myracrodruon urundeuva have been used by communities in the Brazilian Caatinga to treat several infectious diseases. The ability to impair bacterial adhesion represents an ideal strategy to combat bacterial pathogenesis, because of its importance in the early stages of the infectious process; thus, the search for anti-adherent compounds in plants is a very promising alternative. This study investigated the ability of stem-bark extracts from these three species to control the growth and prevent biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important opportunistic pathogen that adheres to surfaces and forms protective biofilms. A kinetic study (0–72 h) demonstrated that the growth of extract-treated bacteria was inhibited up to 9 h after incubation, suggesting a bacteriostatic activity. Transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy showed both viable and nonviable cells, indicating bacterial membrane damage; crystal violet assay and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that treatment strongly inhibited biofilm formation during 6 and 24 h and that matrix production remained impaired even after growth was restored, at 24 and 48 h of incubation. Herein, we propose that the identified (condensed and hydrolyzable) tannins are able to inhibit biofilm formation via bacteriostatic properties, damaging the bacterial membrane and hindering matrix production. Our findings demonstrate the importance of this abundant class of Natural Products in higher plants against one of the most challenging issues in the hospital setting: biofilm resilience

Trichomonicidal and parasite membrane damaging activity of bidesmosic saponins from Manilkara rufula

The infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common but overlooked nonviral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Treatment relies on one class of drugs, the 5- nitroimidazoles, but resistance is widespread. New drugs are urgently needed. We reported the effect of crude and purified saponin fractions of Manilkara rufula against Trichomonas vaginalis. The compound responsible for antitrichomonal activity was isolated and identified as an uncommon bidesmosic saponin, Mi-saponin C. This saponin eliminated parasite viability without toxicity against the human vaginal epithelial line (HMVII). In addition, the isolated saponin fraction improved the metronidazole effect against a metronidazole-resistant isolate and dramatically reduced the cytoadherence of T. vaginalis to human cells. Investigation of the mechanism of death showed that the saponin fraction induced the parasite death due to profound membrane damage, inducing a disturbance of intracellular content without nuclear damage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antitrichomonal activity in the bidesmosic saponins of Manilkara rufula

Trichomonicidal and parasite membrane damaging activity of bidesmosic saponins from Manilkara rufula

The infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common but overlooked nonviral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Treatment relies on one class of drugs, the 5nitroimidazoles, but resistance is widespread. New drugs are urgently needed. We reported the effect of crude and purified saponin fractions of Manilkara rufula against Trichomonas vaginalis. The compound responsible for antitrichomonal activity was isolated and identified as an uncommon bidesmosic saponin, Mi-saponin C. This saponin eliminated parasite viability without toxicity against the human vaginal epithelial line (HMVII). In addition, the isolated saponin fraction improved the metronidazole effect against a metronidazole-resistant isolate and dramatically reduced the cytoadherence of T. vaginalis to human cells. Investigation of the mechanism of death showed that the saponin fraction induced the parasite death due to profound membrane damage, inducing a disturbance of intracellular content without nuclear damage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antitrichomonal activity in the bidesmosic saponins of Manilkara rufula

Chemical profile and antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and antimicrobial activities of geopropolis from the stingless bee Melipona orbignyi

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Geopropolis is a resin mixed with mud, produced only by stingless bees. Despite being popularly known for its medicinal properties, few scientific studies have proven its biological activities. In this context, the objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition and antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and antimicrobial activities of the Melipona orbignyi geopropolis. The hydroalcoholic extract of geopropolis (HEGP) was prepared and its chemical composition determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS). The antioxidant activity was determined by the capture of free radicals and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in human erythrocytes. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by the inhibition of the hyaluronidase enzyme and the antimutagenic action was investigated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae colonies. The antimicrobial activities were determined against bacteria and yeasts, isolated from reference strains and hospital origin. The chemical composition of HEGP included flavonoids, derivatives of glycosylated phenolic acids and terpenoids. HEGP showed high antioxidant activity, it inhibited the activity of the inflammatory enzyme hyaluronidase and reduced the mutagenic effects in S. cerevisiae. In relation to the antimicrobial activity, it promoted the death of all microorganisms evaluated. In conclusion, this study reveals for the first time the chemical composition of the HEGP of M. orbignyi and demonstrates its pharmacological properties.This work was supported by grants from Foundation to Support to Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT, Brazil), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brazil), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil) and PRODER, (24.073 – Â, Portugal).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and antioxidant activities of the hydromethanolic fraction from Annona nutans leaves

Annona nutans (Annonaceae) is a plant species found in Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and the Brazilian Cerrado, specifically in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil). Its common names are Araticû-Mi and Araticû-Ñu. The research contributions regarding the chemical composition and biological activities of extracts from A. nutans are rare, with only four articles being found in the literature. Therefore, the present study evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the hydromethanolic fraction (FHMeOH) using carrageenan-induced paw edema and hot-plate tests. In addition, the antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging, total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin content assays and quantification of the major metabolites by LC-MS were performed. Oral treatment with the FHMeOH (at a dose of 300 mg.kg-1) significantly reduced paw edema 2 h and 4 h after the inflammatory stimulus. The intraperitoneal (i.p.) treatment with the FHMeOH (50 and 100 mg.kg-1) proved to be most effective, and the inhibition of acute inflammation was still visible 6 h after carrageenan injection. At doses of 50 and 100 mg.kg-1 (i.p.), FHMeOH exhibits central antinociceptive effects by increasing the latency of the reaction in the hot-plate model. The FHMeOH showed antioxidant potential, and the metabolites quercetin-3-O-galactoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-galactoside, quercetin-3-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)-galactopyranoside, and chlorogenic acid were identified and quantified by LC-MS. Our results indicate, for the first time, that FHMeOH has anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and antioxidant potential, and it is a promising source of studies for new herbal medicine

Application of electron ionization mass spectrometry for mulungu alkaloid analysis

Erythrina verna is a medicinal plant used to calm agitation popularly known as mulungu. We purchased the barks of E. verna from a commercial producer and analyzed the alkaloid fraction of the bark by CG-MS and HRESI-MS. Five erythrinian alkaloids were identified: erysotrine, erythratidine, erythratidinone, epimer, and 11-hydroxieritratidinone. Here we report the compound 11-hydroxieritratidinone for the first time as a natural product

Microbiological quality, chemical profile as well as antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi

Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, commonly known as Brazilian peppertree, is a plant species widely used in Brazilian traditional medicine for various purposes. The objective of this study was to assess the microbiological quality, safety, chemical profile as well as antioxidant and antidiabetic potentials of different parts of S. terebinthifolius. Microbiological analysis of the methanolic extracts of the roots (MESR), stem bark (MESB) and leaves (MESL) of S. terebinthifolius showed no microbial growth. The concentrations of phenolic compounds, phenolic acids and flavonoids were determined by spectrophotometry. The phenolic compounds of the MESL were identified by liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector and mass spectrometer (LC-DAD-MS). The antioxidant activities of the extracts were analyzed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl radical (DPPH[rad]), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical (ABTS[rad] + ), fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), reducing power, β-carotene bleaching and malondialdehyde (MDA) assays in human erythrocytes. The antidiabetic properties of the extracts were demonstrated in vitro by their inhibition of the α-glucosidase enzyme and their anti-glycation activity via fructose and glyoxal. After showing no acute toxicity in vivo, MESL was able to lower postprandial glycemia after glucose overload in normoglycemic mice as well as the water and feed intake, liver weight, glycemia and serum levels of glycated hemoglobin, aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) in diabetic mice. Overall, S. terebinthifolius extracts showed microbiological safety along with antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, likely mediated by its chemical constituents, such as gallic acid, gallotannins and glycosylated flavonolsThis work was supported by grants from Foundation to Support to Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Preservation of phenolic compounds on dried leaf infusion of Bauhinia forficata Link

Bauhinia forficata Link aqueous extract is usually recommended as a phytomedicine to reduce blood glucose levels and its biological activity has been linked to the presence of phenolic compounds from B. forficata preparations. Several drying processes are used in the production of dry herbal extracts, which may influence the chemical composition and efficacy of final herbal medicines. Due to significant chemical changes, defining appropriate drying processes is essential for phytopharmaceutical drug development. In view of this, we analyzed dried B. forficata leaf infusion (BFLI) extracts by HPLC-UV-MSn, followed by molecular networking analysis to evaluate the chemical profiles from dried extracts yielded by freeze-and spray-drying processes. The main metabolites detected included 11 ferulic/isoferulic acid derivatives and 13 glycosylated flavonoids. The qualitative chemical profiles were alike for both drying processes, whereas the relative abundance of some flavonoids was higher using spray-drying. Taken together, our results showed that freeze-and spray-drying preserved the phenolic profile of BFLI and suggested that spray-drying may be the most suitable to obtain its dried products. Along with studying the chemical profiles of dried herbal extracts, evaluating the influence of drying processes on the quality and chemical profiles of final products is pivotal and may benefit future research

In vitro metabolism studies of erythraline, the major spiroalkaloid from Erythrina verna

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud \ud Erythrina verna, popularly known as “mulungu”, is a Brazilian medicinal plant used to treat anxiety. Erythrina alkaloids have been described in several species of Erythrina, which have biological and therapeutic properties well known that include anxiolytic and sedative effects.\ud \ud \ud Methods\ud In this work, in vitro metabolism of erythraline (1), the major spirocyclic alkaloid of Erythrina verna, was studied in the pig cecum model and by biomimetic phase I reactions. The biomimetic reactions were performed with Jacobsen catalyst to produce oxidative metabolites and one metabolite was isolated and evaluated against cancer cells, as HL-60 (promyelocytic leukemia), SF-295 (Glioblastoma) and OVCAR-8 (ovarian carcinoma).\ud \ud \ud Results\ud Erythraline exhibited no metabolization by the pig microbiota and a main putative metabolite was formed in a biomimetic model using Jacobsen catalyst. This metabolite was isolated and identified as 8-oxo-erythraline (2). Finally, erythraline and the putative metabolite were tested in MTT model and both compounds showed no important cytotoxic activity against tumor cells.\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud The alkaloid erythraline was not metabolized by intestinal microbiota, but it was possible to identify its oxidative metabolite from biomimetic reactions. So these data are interesting and stimulate other studies involving this alkaloid, since it is present in phytomedicine products and there are not reported data about the metabolism of erythrina alkaloids.The authors gratefully acknowledge FAPESP (Process: 2010/07413-0, 2011/\ud 13281-2, 2012/18031-7), CAPES, CNPq (201691/2011-6) and INCT-if for financial\ud support. The authors also thanks Kurzen family (farmers) for the ceca supplying