Exploring the potential of omics technologies in medicinal plant research: a review in Colombia / Explorando el potencial de las tecnologías ómicas en la investigación de plantas medicinales: una revisión en Colombia

This review presents advances in the implementation of high - throughput se quencing and its application to the knowledge of medicinal plants. We conducted a bibliographic search of papers published in PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and analyzed the obtained data using VOSviewer (versi on 1.6.19). Given that medicinal plants are a source of specialized metabolites with immense therapeutic values and important pharmacological properties, plant researchers around the world have turned their attention toward them and have begun to examine t hem widely. Recent advances in sequencing technologies have reduced cost and time demands and accelerated medicinal plant research. Such research leverages full genome sequencing, as well as RNA (ribonucleic acid) sequencing and the analysis of the transcr iptome, to identify molecular markers of species and functional genes that control key biological traits, as well as to understand the biosynthetic pathways of bioactive metabolites and regulatory mechanisms of environmental responses. As such, the omics ( e.g., transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics, among others) have been widely applied within the study of medicinal plants, although their usage in Colombia is still few and, in some areas, scarce. (185)

El extracto de cloroformo (CE) y las fracciones obtenidas de las raíces de Aldama arenaria se evaluaron para determinar su actividad antiproliferativa in vitro contra 10 líneas ce lulares tumorales humanas [leucemia (K - 562), mama (MCF - 7), ovario que expresa un fenotipo resistente a múltiples fármacos (NCI/ADR - RES), melanoma (UACC - 62), pulmón (NCI - H460), próstata (PC - 3), colon (HT29), ovario (OVCAR - 3), glioma (U251) y riñón (786 - 0)]. CE presentó actividad antiproliferativa débil a moderada (log GI 50 medio 1.07), mientras que las fracciones 3 y 4, enriquecidas con diterpenos de tipo pimarane [ent - pimara - 8 (14), ácido 15 - dien - 19 - oico y ent - 8(14),15 - pimaradien - 3 ß - ol], presentaron activid ad moderada a potente para la mayoría de las líneas celulares, con un log GI 50 medio de 0.62 y 0.59, respectivamente. Los resultados mostraron una acción antiproliferativa in vitro prometedora de las muestras obtenidas de A. arenaria , con los mejores resul tados para NCI/ADR - RES, HT29 y OVCAR - 3, y valores de TGI que van desde 5.95 a 28.71 µg.mL - 1, demostrando que los compuestos de esta clase pueden ser prototipos potenciales para el descubrimiento de nuevos agentes terapéuticos

Structural and functional characterization of a multifunctional alanine-rich peptide analogue from Pleuronectes americanus.

Recently, defense peptides that are able to act against several targets have been characterized. The present work focuses on structural and functional evaluation of the peptide analogue Pa-MAP, previously isolated as an antifreeze peptide from Pleuronectes americanus. Pa-MAP showed activities against different targets such as tumoral cells in culture (CACO-2, MCF-7 and HCT-116), bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923), viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and fungi (Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019, Trichophyton mentagrophytes (28d&E) and T. rubrum (327)). This peptide did not show toxicity against mammalian cells such as erythrocytes, Vero and RAW 264.7 cells. Molecular mechanism of action was related to hydrophobic residues, since only the terminal amino group is charged at pH 7 as confirmed by potentiometric titration. In order to shed some light on its structure-function relations, in vitro and in silico assays were carried out using circular dichroism and molecular dynamics. Furthermore, Pa-MAP showed partial unfolding of the peptide changes in a wide pH (3 to 11) and temperature (25 to 95°C) ranges, although it might not reach complete unfolding at 95°C, suggesting a high conformational stability. This peptide also showed a conformational transition with a partial α-helical fold in water and a full α-helical core in SDS and TFE environments. These results were corroborated by spectral data measured at 222 nm and by 50 ns dynamic simulation. In conclusion, data reported here show that Pa-MAP is a potential candidate for drug design against pathogenic microorganisms due to its structural stability and wide activity against a range of targets.

[Rotavirus A infections and reinfections: genotyping and vaccine implications]. / Infecções e reinfecções por Rotavirus A: genotipagem e implicações vacinais.

OBJECTIVE: To identify rotavirus A and the most prevalent G and P genotypes in children with acute diarrhea, and to the describe the occurrence of rotavirus infection and reinfection. METHODS: Group A rotavirus specimens were obtained from fecal samples from children with acute diarrhea in Goiânia, state of Goiás, Brazil from July 2000 to October 2002. Rotavirus A positive children and a control group (children of the same age and sex, without diarrhea and with no evidence of rotavirus in the first fecal samples) were followed prospectively during one year. All rotavirus A positive samples were genotyped using RT-PCR/nested-PCR. RESULTS: A total of 77 group A rotavirus strains (37.2%) were identified in the diarrheic samples of 207 children. The following G genotypes were identified: G1 (62.3%), G9 (34.4%) and G4 (3.3%). With regard to P genotyping, 59% were characterized as P[8], 7.7% as P[6], 23.1% as P[6]+P[8], 7.7% as P[4]+P[8] and 2.6% as P[4]+P[8]. The following associations were observed: G1P[8] (77.8%), G9P[8] (11.1%), G4P[8] (5.6%) and G1P[6] (5.6%). No reinfection was observed in the 40 rotavirus A (+) children. However, but two of 40 children who were initially negative for this agent developed rotavirus infection during the same period. CONCLUSIONS: The predominant G and P genotypes observed were similar to those found in new vaccines. No reinfection occurred during one-year of follow-up for any of the genotypes identified.

Infecções e reinfecções por Rotavirus A: genotipagem e implicações vacinais / Rotavirus A infections and reinfections: genotyping and vaccine implications

OBJETIVOS: Identificar Rotavirus A em crianças com diarréia aguda, determinando os genótipos G e P prevalentes e avaliar a ocorrência de infecções e reinfecções por rotavírus do grupo A em crianças. MÉTODOS: Foram estudadas, prospectivamente, crianças com doença diarréica aguda e identificação de Rotavirus A em Goiânia (GO), durante o período de julho de 2000 a outubro de 2002. Igual número de crianças, pareadas por idade e sexo, que não apresentavam diarréia aguda e sem identificação de rotavírus nas amostras fecais à admissão ao estudo, representou o grupo controle. Foram analisadas a ocorrência de infecções ou reinfecções sintomáticas ou assintomáticas por rotavírus durante o período de estudo, durante um ano de seguimento em ambos os grupos. Todas as amostras positivas foram submetidas a genotipagem G e P através das reações de RT-PCR e Nested PCR. RESULTADOS: A infecção por rotavírus ocorreu em 37,2 por cento (77 de 207 amostras fecais) das crianças com diarréia aguda durante o período do estudo. Os genótipos G e P identificados foram, simultaneamente: G1 (62,3 por cento), G9 (34,4 por cento) e G4 (3,3 por cento) e P[8] (59 por cento), P[6] (7,7 por cento), P[6]+P[8] (23,1 por cento), P[4]+P[8] (7,7 por cento) e P[4]+P[6] (2,6 por cento). As associações de genótipos G e P identificados durante o estudo foram: G1P[8] (77,8 por cento), G9P[8] (11,1 por cento), G4P[8] (5,6 por cento) e G1P[6] (5,6 por cento). Não houve reinfecção por rotavírus nos pacientes do grupo Rotavirus A (+) durante o período de seguimento, enquanto duas crianças do grupo controle apresentaram infecções sintomáticas por rotavírus durante o mesmo período. CONCLUSÕES: Os genótipos G e P predominantes correspondem aos das candidatas atuais à vacina contra rotavírus. Não houve reinfecção por rotavírus pelo período de um ano em relação a todos os genótipos identificados.