A new species of Quararibea (Malvaceae) from Costa Rica

Algunas colecciones previas de Quararibea nigrescens, han sido mal identificadas, confundidas o tentativamente asignadas a Quararibea costaricensis. Ambas especies se distinguen consistentemente porque Q. nigrescens siempre tiene ramitas, hojas y flores (cáliz) con una pubescencia plateada o grisácea lepidota o estrellado-peltada conspicua, mientras en Q. costaricensis las ramitas y hojas tienen una pubescencia densa o esparcida diminuta con tricomas pardo-oscuro fasciculados o pardo-rojizo estrellado o estrellado-peltados, llegando a ser casi glabras con la edad, excepto, el cáliz que está cubierto densamente con tricomas dorados o pardo-verdoso granulado-lepidotos. El nombre propuesto, Q. nigrescens, obedece al color peculiar, único y consistente, gris oscuro, negruzco o casi negro de las hojas (principalmente) después del secado, mientras que en Q. costaricensis las hojas secas siempre se tornan conspicuamente verdoso-amarillentas o pardo-amarillentas después de secas. Este carácter (color de las hojas de Q. nigrescens después del secado) es único entre todas las especies de Quararibea de Costa Rica; otras diferencias morfológicas entre ambas especies se mencionan.Some previous collections of Quararibea nigrescens have been misidentified, confused or tentatively assigned to Quararibea costaricensis. Both species, however, can be consistently distinguished because Q. nigrescens has always twigs, leaves and calyx conspicuously silvery or grayish lepidote or stellate-peltate pubescent, while in Q. costaricensis twigs and leaves are sparsely diminute tomentulose with dark brown fasciculate or rufous-brown stellate or stellate-peltate pubescent, becoming essentially glabrate with age, except, the calyx which possesses a dense pubescence of granuliferous-lepidote golden or greenish-brown trichomes. The proposed species name, Q. nigrescens, refers to the peculiar, unique and consistent dark gray, blackish to almost black color of leaves (mainly) that is noticeable upon drying, while in Q. costaricensis dried leaves are always conspicuously yellowish-green or yellowish-brown. This character (leaves color upon drying of Q. nigrescens) is unique among all Costa Rican species of Quararibea; additional morphological differences between both species are included.Vicerrectoría de Investigación of the Universidad de Costa RicaThe Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF)Korean governmentKunming Institute of Botany-(KIB)China Academy of SciencesUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biologí

Bone regenerative effect of aqueous Cynanchum wilfordii extract in receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand-induced osteoclast differentiation and estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis

Osteoporosis increases with age, most frequently in postmenopausal women because of reduced ovarian hormone levels. Furthermore, estrogen deficiency impairs trabecular metaphyseal bone. Although efficacious, long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has estrogen-like side effects including breast and endometrial cancers, and non-hormonal or herbal therapies may be safer alternatives. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aqueous extracts of Cynanchum wilfordii (CWW) on receptor activator of nuclear factor-κ B (NF-κ B) ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation in vitro and ovariectomy-mediated osteoporosis in vivo. CWW inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast formation and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity in primary mouse bone marrow-derived cells. We investigated the osteoprotective effect of CWW in an ovariectomized (OVX) Sprague-Dawley rat model treated with vehicle (OVX/vehicle), 17β-estradiol (OVX/E2), or three CWW doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg). After a 24-week treatment, the body and uterus weights were not affected except in the OVX/E2 group. Additionally, bone mineral density (BMD) and histological analyses showed that the BMD of the femurs of CWW400-treated rats was significantly higher than that of the OVX/vehicle rats, and comparable to that of the OVX/E2 group rats. Serum levels of bone turnover markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin, collagen type I C-telopeptide, and TRAP significantly decreased in the CWW400 group. Our results show that compared to the vehicle, CWW had a significant anti-osteoporotic effect in the OVX model. Taken together, CWW exhibited inhibitory effects on osteoclastogenesis in vitro, and we confirmed its in vivo efficacy in the prevention of osteoporosis

Cynanchum wilfordii Ameliorates Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Regulating 5α-Reductase and Androgen Receptor Activities in a Rat Model

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of the prostate gland. Cynanchum wilfordii has been reported to improve sexual behavior in male rats. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of an aqueous extract of C. wilfordii (CWW) against BPH development in a testosterone-induced BPH rat model. The rats were divided into the following six groups: sham/vehicle; BPH/vehicle; BPH/finasteride; and three CWW doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg). After a 4-week treatment with CWW, the rats were euthanized at scheduled times, and their prostates were weighed, followed by a histopathological examination. Prostate growth inhibition rates in rats administered CWW 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg were 54.5%, 51.8%, and 50.1%, respectively. The BPH/CWW group showed decreased serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels compared to the BPH/vehicle group. Furthermore, the BPH/CWW group showed reduced prostate testosterone and DHT levels compared to the BPH/vehicle group. Mechanistically, the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed downregulated mRNA expression levels of the androgen receptor, 5α-reductase, and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in the BPH/CWW200 group compared with those in the testosterone-induced groups. In conclusion, these findings show the effectiveness of CWW in slowing the progression of testosterone-induced BPH in rats

Inclusion body myositis-like phenotype induced by transgenic overexpression of βAPP in skeletal muscle

Inclusion body myositis (IBM), the most common age-related muscle disease in the elderly population, is an incurable disorder leading to severe disability. Sporadic IBM has an unknown etiology, although affected muscle fibers are characterized by many of the pathobiochemical alterations traditionally associated with neurodegenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Accumulation of the amyloid-β peptide, which is derived from proteolysis of the larger amyloid-β precursor protein (βAPP), seems to be an early pathological event in Alzheimer's disease and also in IBM, where in the latter, it predominantly occurs intracellularly within affected myofibers. To elucidate the possible role of βAPP mismetabolism in the pathogenesis of IBM, transgenic mice were derived in which we selectively targeted βAPP overexpression to skeletal muscle by using the muscle creatine kinase promoter. Here we report that older (>10 months) transgenic mice exhibit intracellular immunoreactivity to βAPP and its proteolytic derivatives in skeletal muscle. In this transgenic model, selective overexpression of βAPP leads to the development of a subset of other histopathological and clinical features characteristic of IBM, including centric nuclei, inflammation, and deficiencies in motor performance. These results are consistent with a pathogenic role for βAPP mismetabolism in human IBM