Planta medica
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The study analyzes the chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the leaves of Ugni myricoides (Kunth) O. Berg (U. myricoides EO). The composition of the essential oil was characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS analysis, showing at least six major constituents: α-pinene (52.1%), 1,8-cineole (11.9%), α-humulene (4.6%), caryophyllene oxide + globulol (4.5%), humulene epoxide II (4.2%) and β-caryophyllene (2.9%). ⋯ Repeated treatment with U. myricoides EO (5-25 mg/kg, p.o.), α-pinene (5-50 mg/kg, p.o.), or gabapentin (70 mg/kg, p.o.) also abolished the mechanical sensitization induced by CFA, or following the partial ligation of the sciatic nerve (PLSN). The present results indicate that U. myricoides EO produces marked anti-hypernociceptive effects in carrageenan and CFA mechanical sensitization models, and also inhibited neuropathic pain-like behavior after PLSN with efficacy similar to that observed for indomethacin or gabapentin. The relevant effects shown by U. myricoides EO are related, at least in part, to the presence of α-pinene and may be of potential interest for the management of inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
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Traditional Chinese medicine-based herbal medicines have gained increasing acceptance worldwide in recent years and are being pursued by pharmaceutical companies as rich resources for drug discovery. For many years, traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have been applied for the treatment of cancers in China and beyond. Herbal medicines are generally low in cost, plentiful, and show very little toxicity or side effects in clinical practice. ⋯ This review of TCM specifically used in the treatment of cancer is divided into two parts. Part one provides an overview of the philosophy, approaches and progress in TCM-based cancer therapy. Part two summarizes the current understanding of how TCM-derived compounds function as anticancer drugs.
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Preparations from Uncaria tomentosa, a South American Rubiaceae, have been used in the Peruvian traditional medicine for the treatment of infective, inflammatory and tumoral processes. In this study, the pentacyclic oxindole alkaloid mitraphylline was isolated from the dried inner bark of this plant species, and its structure elucidated by analysis of NMR spectroscopic data. Mitraphylline was differentially identified from its stereoisomeric pair isomitraphylline by (15)N-NMR. ⋯ Micromolar concentrations of mitraphylline (5 microM to 40 microM) inhibited the growth of both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. The IC (50) +/- SE values were 17.15 +/- 0.82 microM for MHH-ES-1 and 11.80 +/- 1.03 microM for MT-3 for 30 hours, smaller than those obtained for the reference compounds. This action suggests that the pentacyclic oxindole alkaloid mitraphylline might be a new promising agent in the treatment of both human sarcoma and breast cancer.
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We have investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of madecassic acid and madecassoside isolated from Centella asiatica (Umbelliferae) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. Both madecassic acid and madecassoside inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), and IL-6. ⋯ Furthermore, madecassic acid suppressed the LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), and this was associated with the abrogation of inhibitory kappa B-alpha (IkappaB-alpha) degradation and with the subsequent blocking of p65 protein translocation to the nucleus. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of madecassic acid are caused by iNOS, COX-2, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6 inhibition via the downregulation of NF-kappaB activation in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.
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Malaria is a global health problem that threatens 300-500 million people and kills more than one million people annually. Artemisinin is highly effective against multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and it has been widely used as part of the artemisinin-based combination therapies against malaria. To elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin and to clone related genes in Artemisia annua, differentially expressed genes between blooming flowers and flower buds were isolated and characterized by a combined approach of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and metabolite analysis. ⋯ In addition, 2 putative transcript factors transparenta testa glabra 1 (TTG1) and ENHANCER OF GLABRA3 (GL3), which promote trichome initiation, were presented in the library. Finally, this study demonstrated that the increase of expression level of the putative TTG1 gene correlated with the improvement of glandular trichome density and artemisinin production in A. annua leaves. The subtractive cDNA library described in the present study provides important candidate genes for future research in order to increase the artemisinin content in A. annua.