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Abstracts. PHYTOPHARM 2017
Our groups recently identified several new anti-mycobacterial metabolites from Mangrove endophytes that include unusual halogenated flavonoids and gallic acid esters. These metabolites inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis at low micromolar concentrations and show a favourable therapeutic index when tested
against human cells. The molecular targets of the respective fungal compounds were identified through whole genome sequencing of susceptible wild type strains and of resistant mutants. Current efforts aim at structural optimization of the active compounds guided by molecular modelling.
SCREENING OF MEXICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS FOR THE EFFECTS ON THE GROWTH OF TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI EPIMASTIGOTES
© Ramiro Quintanilla-Licea1, Isvar Kavim Ángeles Hernández1,
Sergio Arturo Galindo-Rodriguez1, Zinnia Judith Molina-Garza2, Lucio Galaviz-Silva2
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Ave. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, México;
1 Laboratorio de Fitoquímica;
2 Laboratorio de Patología Molecular
Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. This disease is also known as American trypanosomiasis, and approximately 6-7 million people are currently infected [1]. Nifurtimox has been used for over 40 years to treat Chagas disease. However, this drug is only effective during the acute phase of infection, and certain protozoan strains have developed resistance to treatment with it. The aim of this study was to screen the trypanocidal activity of 21 plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases related to parasitic infections.
Cultured T. cruzi epimastigotes were incubated for 96 h with different concentrations of aqueous and methanol extracts obtained from A. vera, C. obtusifolia, C. sativum, C. longa, G. glutinosum, I. sonorae, L. tridentata, N. cochenillifera, O. europea, O. ficus-indica, P. marginatus, P. bustamanta, S. aristolochiifolia, S. hispida, S. marginatum, S. rebaudiana, T. officinale, T. Astans, T. foenum-graecum, T. diffusa and U. dioica. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined for each extract via a colorimetric method [2].
Of the 21 plants studied, only 12 plants showed inhibitory activity against T. cruzi above 30%. For eight plants both aqueous and methanol extracts showed inhibitory activity. The most active extracts in this study were the methanol extracts of Gymnosperma glutinosum (95.81% inhibition, IC50 16.98 |ig/mL), Trigonella foenum-graecum (95.99% inh ibition, IC50 18.52 ^g/mL) and Larrea tridentata (98.96% inhibition, IC50 35.68 ^g/mL). The IC„ values of the most active extracts are far
50
less effective than Nifurtimox (IC50 10 ^g/mL), but these medicinal plants may represent a valuable source of new bioactive compounds for the treatment of trypanosomiasis.
References:
1. WHO (World Health Organization), 2017. Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis). In: Fact Sheet No 340, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/ fs340/en/.
2. Molina-Garza ZJ. Bazaldúa-Rodríguez AF, Quint-anilla-Licea R, Galaviz-Silva L. 2014. Acta Tropica. 136: 14-18.
ONLINE RETRIEVAL OF DOCUMENTS ON MEDICINAL PLANTS FOR DIABETES THERAPY
© Arno RiederFabiana Aparecida Caidart Rodrigues2
University of the State of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Brazil
Many people in the world, at some point, can not afford online access to information. Free access, even limited, is welcome; Prevents cyber exclusion. An electronic retrieval of documents (DOC) about plants in diabetes therapy is presented [1]. These DOCs, in free access, are searched via the internet. DOCs are retrieved on
the computer screen, by operating the search box [BOX] of the online tools (in this case, Google-GA). The BOX is instructed by commands and terms. This defines the target (universe, sets, elements = DOC). In the [BOX] of GA, three keywords (KW), placed between "quotation marks": "scientific name"(nc),"dia
Obzory po kliniceskoj farmacologii i lekarstvennoj terapii [Reviews of clinical pharmacology and drug therapy]
vol. 15/2017/suppLeMEnT 1
