Medicinal plants used in Brazil Public Health System with neuroprotective potential – A systematic review

Current pharmacological therapies to treat neurological diseases are at best palliative and manage only the symptoms. Unfortunately, few therapies can affect diseases outcomes and alternative strategies such as stem cell therapy, neurotransplantation and deep brain stimulation are still in progress. Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease become major public health challenge worldwide. In this way, the interest in the development of neuroprotective drugs of natural origin grows. Hence, this systematic review has quantified the studies that refer neuroprotective potential of plants listed in the Brazilian National List of Medicinal Plants of Interest to the Unified Health System (RENISUS). Searches were performed in two scientific databases (PubMed and Science Direct) from 2010 to 2016. A total of 4.532 articles met the inclusion criteria. 445 studies were considered eligible and were reviewed as full text. Following full analysis, 63 studies were included in this review. The studies covered 12 of the 71 plants belonging to RENISUS. In addition, two species are currently available in the Brazilian public health system as herbal medicine. This review may encourage and contribute to the proper use of medicinal plants in public health system

Efeitos da capsaicina em c?lulas estreladas hep?ticas

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T14:51:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 442543.pdf: 1310049 bytes, checksum: b871097892a0a347db7e651a3cb4154d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-17Liver fibrosis is the wound healing response to repeated injury of the liver. It is characterized by disruption of the liver architecture associated with increased expression of extracellular matrix components. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a key role in the process of fibrogenesis. In normal liver, HSCs are quiescent and its main function is to store vitamin A. During liver injury, these cells undergo activation, become myofibroblasts and acquire fibrogenic properties. Capsaicin, the active ingredient of red pepper has been extensively studied in recent years for possessing a wide range of pharmacological properties, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and anticarcinogenic in a variety of cell types. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of capsaicin on deactivation, differentiation and proliferation of HSCs, besides studying the possible mechanisms involved. The results showed that capsaicin is capable of inducing the quiescent phenotype in HSCs via PPARγ activation and blockage of TGF-β signaling. Increased levels of antifibrotic cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-10) and the reduction of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators (COX-2, MCP-1, type I collagen) showed that capsaicin inhibits the activation and migration of these cells. Furthermore, the mechanism used by capsaicin to inhibit cell proliferation is via cell cycle arrest. These findings demonstrate that capsaicin has the potential to be a novel therapeutic agent in the treatment of liver fibrosis due to its antifibrogenic and antiproliferative actions.A fibrose hep?tica ? a resposta cicatricial do f?gado a les?es repetidas, caracterizada pelo rompimento da arquitetura hep?tica associada ao aumento da express?o dos componentes da matriz extracelular. As c?lulas estreladas hep?ticas (HSCs) desempenham um papel-chave no processo de fibrog?nese. No f?gado normal, as HSCs encontram-se em sua forma quiescente de dep?sito de vitamina A. Durante a les?o hep?tica, essas c?lulas passam por uma ativa??o fenot?pica, tornam-se miofibroblastos e adquirem propriedades fibrog?nicas. A capsaicina, princ?pio ativo da pimenta vermelha, tem sido muito estudada nos ?ltimos anos por possuir uma extensa gama de propriedades farmacol?gicas, que incluem efeitos analg?sicos, anti-inflamat?rios, antiproliferativos e anticarcinog?nicos em uma variedade de tipos celulares. Por essa raz?o, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os efeitos in vitro da capsaicina na inativa??o, diferencia??o e prolifera??o das HSCs, al?m de estudar os poss?veis mecanismos envolvidos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a capsaicina ? capaz de induzir o fen?tipo quiescente nas HSCs via ativa??o de PPARγ e bloqueio da sinaliza??o de TGF-β. O aumento nos n?veis de citocinas antifibr?ticas (IFN-γ e IL-10) e a diminui??o de mediadores pr?inflamat?rios e pr?-fibr?ticos (COX-2, MCP-1, col?geno tipo I) comprovaram que a capsaicina inibe a ativa??o e migra??o dessas c?lulas. Al?m disso, o mecanismo utilizado pela capsaicina para inibir a prolifera??o celular ? via parada do ciclo celular. Essas descobertas mostram que a capsaicina tem potencial para ser um novo agente terap?utico no tratamento da fibrose hep?tica devido a suas a??es antifibrog?nicas e antiproliferativas

Tratamento de estrias albas com galvanopuntura : ben?fico para a est?tica, estresse oxidativo e perfil lip?dico

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T14:51:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 394311.pdf: 1832578 bytes, checksum: 91146fdf9a4b7bd5db10cdc2e07c965f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-28As estrias representam um problema muito comum e desagrad?vel na maioria das mulheres saud?veis. Essa les?o d?rmica ? freq?entemente encontrada em regi?es que sofrem estiramento excessivo e progressivo da pele como coxas, gl?teos e seios. As estrias s?o classificadas inicialmente como estrias rubras e posteriormente como estrias albas. O tratamento das estrias inclui muitas modalidades, por?m os resultados t?m sido frustrantes para estrias albas. O presente estudo descreve o uso da galvanopuntura como uma alternativa para o tratamento da estria alba. Este m?todo provoca uma inflama??o local, que estimula a prolifera??o celular e a s?ntese de col?geno. Inflama??es locais podem ser acompanhadas de uma resposta sist?mica. Sabe-se que h? uma rela??o significativa entre a inflama??o, estresse oxidativo e o perfil lip?dico. Por isso, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os efeitos inflamat?rios sist?micos da galvanopuntura no tratamento da estria alba; e examinar se o m?todo aumenta o estresse oxidativo ou altera o perfil lip?dico. Trinta e duas mulheres, entre 20 e 30 anos, com estrias albas em gl?teos foram selecionadas para o estudo. Todas as pacientes receberam o tratamento uma vez por semana durante dez semanas. Foram analisadas as concentra??es plasm?ticas de PCR, TNF-α, NO, TBARS, LDL-C oxidada, HDL-C, colesterol total, CAT e ?cido ?rico. As an?lises bioqu?micas das amostras de sangue mostraram que a galvanopuntura n?o induz nenhum processo inflamat?rio sist?mico, diminui consideravelmente o estresse oxidativo e melhora o perfil lip?dico. A galvanopuntura parece ser uma t?cnica promissora no tratamento de estrias alba

Neuromodulatory effects of Calyptranthes grandifolia extracts against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's diseases are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive neuronal dysfunction. Previous studies revealed that some natural products have neuroprotective properties, including species of the Myrtaceae family. However, the neuromodulatory potential of Calyptranthes grandifolia is not clear. In the present study, we examined the ability of the ethanol and hexane leaf extracts of C. grandifolia to prevent 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced neurotoxicity in vitro. Initially, we investigated the potential of the extracts to inhibit the neurodegenerative-related enzymes c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In addition, SH-SY5Y cell viability was assessed by MTT assay after 100 mM 6-OHDA-induced cell damage. In order to verify the possible effects of both extracts on 6-OHDA-induced cell death, hydrogen peroxide generation, mitochondrial potential and caspases-3 activity were assessed. Our findings revealed that ethanol extract exhibited inhibitory activity against JNK3 and AChE. In addition, when co-treating SH-SY5Y cells with 6-OHDA and the extracts, oxidative stress was inhibited by both extracts through a decrease of mitochondrial depolarization and caspases-3 activity. In summary, ethanol and hexane extracts of C. grandifolia have some suppressive property against neurotoxicity induced by 6-OHDA.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Adjunctive role of Calyptranthes tricona extract with probiotic Kluyveromyces marxianus on colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells

The composition of microbiota may influence the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). In addition, probiotics can decrease the chance of developing cancer or its progress. For that reason, it is encouraging to assess the influence of plant extracts as adjuvants of the health-promoting effects of probiotics. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the in vitro beneficial properties of Calyptranthes tricona leaf ethanol extract in association or not with the lactic yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus on colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells. C. tricona extract inhibited the in vitro p38α MAPK activity and exhibited immunomodulation on isolated human lymphocytes. Further, the extract did not induce cytotoxicity towards K. marxianus or Caco-2 cells; leading to an increased yeast adhesion to cells in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, this preliminary study demonstrates that C. tricona extract has effects on enzyme inhibition and immune function. In addition, when associated with K. marxianus, C. tricona may possess beneficial properties for application as enhancer of probiotic’s protective role on CRC cells. However, further studies are necessary in order to elucidate the mechanisms involved.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lymphocyte genotoxicity and protective effect of Calyptranthes tricona (Myrtaceae) against H 2 O 2-induced cell death in MCF-7 cells

Calyptranthes tricona is a species (Myrtaceae) native to South Brazil. Plants belonging to this family are folkloric used for analgesia, inflammation, and infectious diseases. However, little is known about the toxic potential of C. tricona. The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of C. tricona ethanol and hexane leaf extracts, as well as verify their effect on human lymphocytes and MCF-7 cells. The extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity using DPPH and ORAC methods. Genotoxic and mutagenic effects in cultured human lymphocytes were assessed using the comet assay and the micronucleus assay, respectively. In addition, cell viability by MTT assay and fluorometric analysis of mitochondrial potential and caspases-9 activity were performed in order to verify the possible effects of both extracts on H2O2-induced cell death of MCF-7 cells. Our findings revealed that the phenol content and the antioxidant activity were only present in the ethanol extract. Also, the phytochemical screening presented steroids, triterpenoids, condensed tannins, and flavones as the main compounds. However, both extracts were capable of inducing concentration-dependent DNA damage in human lymphocytes. When treating MCF-7 cells with the extracts, both of them inhibited MCF-7 cell death in response to oxidative stress through a decrease of mitochondrial depolarization and caspases-9 activity. Thus, our results need to be considered in future in vitro and in vivo studies of C. tricona effects. In the meanwhile, we recommend caution in the acute/chronic use of this homemade preparation for medicinal purpose.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio