Antinociceptive Effect of an Aqueous Extract and Essential Oil from Baccharis heterophylla

Infusions and poultices prepared from the aerial parts of Baccharis heterophylla Kunth (Asteraceae) are widely used in Oaxaca (Mexico) for relieving painful and inflammatory complaints. Therefore, the antinociceptive potential of an aqueous extract (31.6–316 mg/kg, p.o.) and essential oil (30–177 µg/paw, i.pl.) of the plant was assessed using the formalin test. Both preparations inhibited the formalin-induced nociception response (100–316 mg/kg and 100–177 µg/paw, respectively) during the test’s second phase. Chemical analysis of the aqueous extract revealed that the major active components were chlorogenic acid (1), 3,4-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid (2), 3,5-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid (3), 4,5-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid (4), 3,5-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid methyl ester (5), apigenin (6), genkwanin (7), acacetin (8). Compounds 1–5 and 8 are new for B. heterophylla. A high-pressure liquid chromatographic method for quantifying chlorogenic acid (1) and di-caffeoylquinic acids 2–4 in the plant was developed and validated. Analyses of the essential oil and the headspace solid-phase microextraction products, via gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealed that the major volatiles were β-pinene, myrcene, D-limonene, β-caryophyllene, and α-caryophyllene, which have demonstrated antinociceptive properties

Microbiota composition in the lower respiratory tract is associated with severity in patients with acute respiratory distress by influenza

Abstract Several factors are associated with the severity of the respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus. Although viral factors are one of the most studied, in recent years the role of the microbiota and co-infections in severe and fatal outcomes has been recognized. However, most of the work has focused on the microbiota of the upper respiratory tract (URT), hindering potential insights from the lower respiratory tract (LRT) that may help to understand the role of the microbiota in Influenza disease. In this work, we characterized the microbiota of the LRT of patients with Influenza A using 16S rRNA sequencing. We tested if patients with different outcomes (deceased/recovered) and use of antibiotics differ in their microbial community composition. We found important differences in the diversity and composition of the microbiota between deceased and recovered patients. In particular, we detected a high abundance of opportunistic pathogens such as Granulicatella, in patients either deceased or with antibiotic treatment. Also, we found antibiotic treatment correlated with lower diversity of microbial communities and with lower probability of survival in Influenza A patients. Altogether, the loss of microbial diversity could generate a disequilibrium in the community, potentially compromising the immune response increasing viral infectivity, promoting the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria that, together with altered biochemical parameters, can be leading to severe forms of the disease. Overall, the present study gives one of the first characterizations of the diversity and composition of microbial communities in the LRT of Influenza patients and its relationship with clinical variables and disease severity