Anti HSV-1 activity of five strawberry cultivars

Five strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) cultivars harvested in Passo Fundo (State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) were quantified for their total flavonoids (TF) and total anthocyanins contents (TA) and the extracts were evaluated for their in vitro antiherpes (anti-HSV-1, KOS strain) activity. The cultivars Camarosa and Aromas presented the highest TF (149.1 and 129.4 mg RE/100g FF), respectively; and TA (92.8 and 84.4 mg CGE/100 g FF), respectively. On the other hand, Camino Real cultivar showed the lowest TF (69.9 mg RE/100 g FF) and TA (46.2 mg CGE/100 g FF). With regard to the antiherpes activity, Camarosa and Aromas cultivars also displayed the highest activity detected (IC50 = 1.68 mg/mL and 1.80 mg/mL, respectively) and Camino Real the lowest (IC50 = 2.69 mg/mL). A relationship between the presence of flavonoids and anthocyanins and the detected anti-HSV-1 activity might be suggested for the strawberry cultivars studied.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Seasonal variations in the amount of isoorientin and isovitexin in cecropia glaziovii sneth. leaves over a two-year period

Cecropia glaziovii Sneth (Urticaceae) is a common tree from Southeast and South of Brazil, being widely used in traditional medicine to treat heart and respiratory conditions. C-glycosylflavonoids have being described as the major compounds for this genus, however, no seasonality studies of individual flavonoids was conducted for any Cecropia specie. In this work, the content of isoorientin and isovitexin in aqueous extract from the leaves of C glaziovii during a two-year period was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (hplc-dad). Seasonal alterations in the content of these two majority C-glycosylflavonoids as well its possible correlation with the pluviosity in the period of January/2008 to January/2010 were determined. Isoorientin presented higher content in November/09 (6.04 mg/g of extract) and lower content in May/08 (1.01 mg/g of extract). The higher content of isovitexin was observed in March/09 and the lower in September/08 (11.42 and 4.47 mg/g of extract, respectively). Although they have distinct behaviors, it was not observed correlation between the values of pluviosity and the production of these C-glycosylflavonoids

Steroidal and triterpenoidal glucosides from Passiflora alata

Five glycosides were isolated from leaves of P. alata. The structures 1-5 were obtained through extensive spectral analyses as 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-stigmasterol (1), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolic acid (2), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->3)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolic acid (3), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolic acid (4) and 9,19-cyclolanost-24Z-en-3beta,21,26-trihydroxy-3,26-di-O-gentiobiose (5). Comparison of the TLC profiles of the hydroethanolic extracts from leaves of other Passiflora species found in the south of Brazil (P. actinia, P. caerulea, P. edulis var. flavicarpa, P. elegans, P. foetida, P. misera and P. tenuifila) showed that only P. alata presented saponin accumulation

The influence of leaf age on methylxanthines, total phenolic content, and free radical scavenging capacity of Ilex paraguariensisaqueous extracts

Yerba-mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil., Aquifoliaceae) is a South American native species that is widely used for its industrial potential in the preparation of drinks, teas and cosmetics. Its properties are directly related to the presence of its chemical constituents, such as saponins, methylxanthines and phenolic compounds. This study aimed to investigate the influence of leaf age on methylxanthine and total phenolic contents by High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Ultraviolet Spectroscopy, as well as on free radical scavenging capacity, of aqueous extracts of I. paraguariensis leaves. The results showed great variability in all the metabolites measured. Leaf ageing significantly increased the methylxanthine content and total phenolic content of the extracts. Free radical scavenging capacity was also significantly affected (p < 0.05) by leaf age. A positive correlation was observed, between the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content

Involvement of GABAergic pathway in the sedative activity of apigenin, the main flavonoid from Passiflora quadrangularis pericarp

AbstractIn the current study we showed that oral administration of an aqueous extract of Passiflora quadrangularis L., Passifloraceae, pericarp results in a significant prolongation of the sleep duration in mice evaluated in the ethyl ether-induced hypnosis test which indicates sedative effects. Apigenin, the main flavonoid of the extract, induced a similar sedative response when applied alone, at a dose equivalent to that found in the extract, suggesting that apigenin is mediating the sedative effects of P. quadrangularis extract. In addition, the sedative effect of apigenin was blocked by pretreatment with the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil (1mg/kg), suggesting an interaction of apigenin with gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors. However, apigenin at concentrations 0.1–50μM failed to enhance GABA-induced currents through GABAA receptors (α1β2γ2S) expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Nevertheless, based on our results, we suggest that the in vivo sedative effect of the P. quadrangularis extract and its main flavonoid apigenin maybe be due to an enhancement of the GABAergic system

Beneficial effects of banana leaves (Musa x paradisiaca) on glucose homeostasis: multiple sites of action

The acute effect of crude extract, n-butanol and aqueous residual fractions of Musa x paradisiaca L., Musaceae, leaves on glycemia, serum insulin secretion and glycogen content in an in vivo approach was evaluated. In addition, the in vitro effect on disaccharidases activity and albumin glycation was studied. The crude extract and fractions, n-butanol and aqueous residual, reduced glycemia and increased liver glycogen content in hyperglycemic rats, inhibited maltase activity and the formation of advanced glycation end-products in vitro. Also, a significant increase in insulin secretion and muscle glycogen content in hyperglycemic rats was observed with oral administration of the n-butanol fraction. Phytochemical analysis demonstrated the presence of rutin in crude extract and fractions of M. x paradisiaca leaves as the major compound. These beneficial effects on the regulation of glucose homeostasis observed for M. x paradisiaca leaves and the presence of rutin as the major compound indicate potential anti-diabetic properties, since previous studies have been reported that rutin can modulate glucose homeostasis