Determinação da atividade antiparasitária de plantas medicinais frente a parasitas gastrointestinais

RESUMO Introdução. As parasitoses representam um grave problema de saúde pública, nas comunidades mais carentes. Rotineiramente a comida acaba sendo veículo de disseminação de microrganismos como, Entamoeba sp e Giardia sp, também tem destaque a não acessibilidade a tratamentos medicamentosos. Buscou-se analisar a atividade antiparasitária e toxicidade dos extratos: Bidens pilosa, Cucurbita sp , Eucalyptus globulus, Mentha piperita L., Ocimum gratissimum, Petroselinum crispum, Allium sativum, Coriadrum sativum, Dysphania ambrosioide, Punica granatum. frente aos cistos da Giardia sp e Entamoeba sp, como potenciais antiprotozoários. Métodos Foram produzidos extratos brutos secos, hidro alcoólicos, por método maceração e posterior secagem. Os cistos de Ameba sp. e Giárdia sp., foram expostos em soluções dos extratos nas concentrações de 100%, 50%, 25% e 12,5%, com uma proporção de amostra/extrato (1:10). Foi utilizado a técnica de Artemia salina para observação da toxicidade dos mesmos. Resultados Os extratos de Eucalyptus globulus, Mentha crispa, Allium sativum, Coriadrum sativum e Punica granatum, demonstraram maior espectro de ação frente aos microrganismos. As principais alterações, evidenciadas nos cistos, foram retração da membrana e lise celular com extravasamento do citosol. Observou-se que a maioria dos extratos demonstraram-se praticamente atóxicos. Conclusão As plantas medicinais devem ser estudadas adotando ensaios in vitro e in vivo, para observar a ação antiprotozoária em ambas as situações. O estudo revelou um potencial para a produção de produtos com fins terapêuticos antiparasitários. ABSTRACT Introduction. Parasitosis represent a serious public health problem in poor communities. Routinely, food ends up being a vehicle for the dissemination of microorganisms such as Entamoeba sp and Giardia sp. We sought to analyze the antiparasitic activity and toxicity of the extracts: Bidens pilosa, Cucurbita sp, Eucalyptus globulus, Mentha piperita L., Ocimum gratissimum, Petroselinum crispum, Allium sativum, Coriadrum sativum, Dysphania ambrosioide, Punica granatum. against Giardia sp and Entamoeba sp cysts, as potential antiprotozoal agents. Methods Dry, hydroalcoholic crude extracts were produced by maceration method and subsequent drying. Ameba sp. and Giardia sp. cysts were exposed in solutions of the extracts at concentrations of 100%, 50%, 25% and 12.5%, with a sample/extract ratio (1:10). The Artemia salina technique was used to observe their toxicity. Results The extracts of Eucalyptus globulus, Mentha crispa, Allium sativum, Coriadrum sativum and Punica granatum, demonstrated a greater spectrum of action against microorganisms. The main alterations, evidenced in the cysts, were membrane retraction and cell lysis with cytosol extravasation. It was observed that most of the extracts were practically non-toxic. Conclusion Medicinal plants should be studied adopting in vitro and in vivo assays, to observe the antiprotozoal action in both situations. The study revealed a potential for the production of products with antiparasitic therapeutic purposes.

In vitro anticoagulant activity of selected medicinal plants: potential interactions with warfarin and development of new anticoagulants

Objectives Warfarin is the most widely used anticoagulant in the world, but it has several limitations including its narrow therapeutic range, need for dose adjustment and high potential for interactions. The simultaneous use of other drugs or even medicinal plants and certain foods could interfere with its therapeutic activity. In this context, this study aims to investigate the in vitro anticoagulant potential and phytochemical constitution of 17 plants selected from a previous clinical cross-sectional study (2014), that investigated the habits of plant utilization among patients taking warfarin. Methods Ethanol extracts and essential oils were evaluated, in vitro, as to their effect in the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) tests. Four species that presented aPTT >50 s were selected for phytochemical evaluation. Results Thirteen of the 17 plants selected demonstrated a significant anticoagulant effect in at least one of the evaluated parameters. Citrus sinensis (PT=14.75 and aPTT=53.15), Mentha crispa (aPTT=51.25), Mikania laevigata (PT=14.90 and aPTT=52.10), and Nasturtium officinale (aPTT=50.55) showed greater anticoagulant potential compared to normal plasma pool (PT=12.25 and aPTT=37.73). Chemical profiles of these four species were obtained, and certain compounds were identified: rosmarinic acid from M. crispa and isoorientin from N. officinale. Conclusions Thus, the results of this study could be a useful indicator for clinical practice towards the possibility of interaction between these plants and anticoagulants, although further clinical research is needed taking into consideration the limitations of in vitro studies. These findings also suggest that further research into the action of these plants could be of real clinical value in identifying potential alternative anticoagulant therapies.

ANTI-INFLUENZA ACTIVITY OF PLANT EXTRACTS OF THE LAMIACEAE FAMILY

In this work, it was revealed that water and ethanol extracts of the plants Nepeta cataria, Nepeta sibirica, Scutellaria baicalensis, Hyssopus officinalis, Betonica officinalis, and water extracts of Dracocephalum moldavica, Glechoma hederacea, Mentha arvensis, Prunella vulgaris, Melissa officinalis ethanol extracts of Mentha piperita, Mentha crispa, Origanum vulgare, Hyssopus officinalis, Salvia verticillata showed antiviral activity against the influenza virus subtype H5N1. Aqueous extracts of Nepeta cataria and Glechoma hederacea (NI 3.75) showed the highest antiviral effect against the H5N1 subtype. It was revealed the antiviral activity against influenza virus subtype H3N2 of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis, Mentha piperita, Mentha arvensis, Mentha crispa, aqueous extract of Dracocephalum moldavica and ethanol extracts of Glechoma hederacea, Origanum vulgare, Prunella vulgaris, Hyssopus officinalis, Betonica officinalis, Salvia verticillata. Ethanolic extract of Betonica officinalis (NI 4.25) showed the highest virus neutralizing activity against the H3N2 subtype. It was carried out chemical analysis of the aerial parts of plants of the Lamiaceae family. It was shown that the highest content of flavonols was observed in Dracocephalum nutans (4.47±0.04%), the highest content of tannins was found in Mentha arvensis (17.62 ± 0.78%), and the highest content catechins were found in Nepeta cataria (0.43 ± 0.007%). Thus, plant extracts of the Lamiaceae family are promising sources for further studies to develop new antiviral drugs.

Levantamento etnobotânico na Comunidade Rural de Santa Marta, Município de Corrente, Estado do Piauí, Nordeste do Brasil

O Brasil é um país bastante rico em biodiversidade e com isso as comunidades tradicionais e agricultores fazem o cultivo dessa ampla diversidade de espécies e de variedades vegetais. Este fator agrega grande relevância aos estudos etnobotânicos, onde busca-se resgatar o conhecimento sobre as plantas nas comunidades rurais, visando manter a interrelação entre a utilização de plantas medicinais e o conhecimento das pessoas. O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar o perfil socioeconômico e a percepção das pessoas sobre o conhecimento botânico do uso e apropriação das plantas medicinais utilizadas na comunidade rural de Santa Marta, Município de Corrente, Estado do Piauí. A pesquisa foi realizada no período de julho de 2018 a março de 2019, na Comunidade Rural de Santa Marta, sendo ela destinada às pessoas com idade igual ou superior a 40 anos, em virtude de possuírem mais conhecimento sobre o uso de plantas medicinais. Para isso, foi realizada uma caminhada transversal com alguns moradores e a aplicação de um questionário semiestruturado de caráter quali-quantitavo. Foi registrado um total de 90 espécies de plantas medicinais utilizadas pelos moradores da Comunidade Rural de Santa Marta. Após identificar as espécies juntamente com os moradores e ainda com a realização de levantamentos bibliográficos, verificou-se que muitas destas espécies são típicas do Cerrado, mas existem a ocorrência de algumas predominantes da Caatinga e Mata Atlântica. As espécies mais usadas pelos entrevistados são a erva-doce Pimpinella anisum L. e o hortelã Mentha crispa L., mencionadas por cerca de 36,36% dos entrevistados, a melancia-da-praia Solanum agrarium Sendtn. (27,27%), a erva-cidreira Lippia alba Mill. N.E.Br. (18,18%), seguido do alecrim Rosmarinus officinalis L., do gengibre Zingiber officinale Roscoe, da imburana Amburana cearensis A.C. Smith e do limão Citrus limon L. Burm. (13,64%) e do pequi Caryocar coriaceum Wittm (4,54%). Dentre as espécies identificadas muitas delas são utilizadas para o tratamento de enfermidades que acometem a vida das pessoas como, diarreia, hipertensão, infecção no sistema urinário, colesterol, entre outros. Quanto à parte vegetal utilizada nas preparações dos remédios caseiros, observou-se uma frequência maior de uso das folhas, seguido de caule e fruta, raízes, flores e óleo. Por meio das informações obtidas foi possível realizar o levantamento etnobotânico das plantas medicinais utilizadas na Comunidade Rural de Santa Marta e, além disso, do uso e do conhecimento que as pessoas possuem. Ao construir essa relação entre comunidade e o conhecimento sobre uso das plantas medicinais, torna-se de grande valia para a vida das pessoas, propiciando a contribuição para a conservação da cultura regional, contribuindo assim na sua valorização.

Effects of medicinal plants on radiolabeling and biodistribution of diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals: A systematic review

Radiopharmaceuticals are drugs that contain radioisotopes used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. There are evidences that medicinal herbs and their constituents can modify the radiolabeling, biodistribution, and pharmacokinetics of radiopharmaceuticals through drug interaction. To have an overview of the effects and the underlying mechanisms of medicinal plants on the radiolabeling and bioavailability of radiopharmaceuticals, we conducted this study to summarize the current findings in this field. The scientific literature was systematically collected from databases and analyzed. Studies showed that medicinal plants and their constituents can alter radiolabeling and biodistribution via several mechanisms. Interactions with proteins in red blood cells at the same sites, chelating action of stannous and pertechnetate ions, antioxidant action impeding or decreasing stannous ion oxidation, direct oxidation of stannous ions, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which oxidize stannous ions and damage induced in the cell membrane. Most the medicinal plants can decrease the radioactivity of radiopharmaceuticals, but some of them like Peumus boldus, Punica granatum, Nectandra membranacea, Mentha crispa, Rosmarinus officinalis and derivatives such as eugenol and epigallocatechin gallate have increasing effects. In addition, altering feature in some of them is tissue dependent.

A Comparative Evaluation of the Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Activity of Mentha crispa Essential Oil, Its Major Constituent Rotundifolone, and Analogues on Human Glioblastoma

Cancer is a major public health problem around the globe. This disorder is affected by alterations in multiple physiological processes, and oxidative stress has been etiologically implicated in its pathogenesis. Glioblastoma (GBM) is considered the most common and aggressive brain tumor with poor prognosis despite recent improvements in surgical, radiation, and chemotherapy-based treatment approaches. The purpose of this study was to evaluate antitumor activity from Mentha crispa essential oil (MCEO), its major constituent rotundifolone (ROT), and a series of six analogues on the human U87MG glioblastoma cell line. Cytotoxic effects of the compounds on the human U87MG-GBM cell line were assessed using in vitro cell viability and oxidative and molecular genetic assays. In addition, biosafety assessment tests were performed on cultured human blood cells. Our findings revealed that MCEO, 1,2-perillaldehyde epoxide (EPER1), and perillaldehyde (PALD) were the most cytotoxic compounds against U87MG cells, with IC50 values of 16.263, 15.087, and 14.888 μg/mL, respectively. Further, these compounds increased the expressions of BRAF, EGFR, KRAS, NFκB1, NFκB1A, NFκB2, PIK3CA, PIK3R, PTEN, and TP53 genes at different degrees and decreased the expression of some genes such as AKT1, AKT2, FOS, and RAF1. Finally, treatment with MCEO, EPER1, and PALD did not lead to genotoxic damage in blood cells. Taken together, our findings reveal antiproliferative potential of MCEO, its major component ROT, and its tested analogues. Some of these chemical analogues may be useful as prototypes for the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents for treating human brain cancer and/or other cancers due to their promising activities as well as nonmutagenic property and safety.