Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Bryophytes Extracts in LPS-Stimulated RAW264.7 Murine Macrophages.

Bryophytes produce rare and bioactive compounds with a broad range of therapeutic potential, and many species are reported in ethnomedicinal uses. However, only a few studies have investigated their potential as natural anti-inflammatory drug candidate compounds. The present study investigates the anti-inflammatory effects of thirty-two species of bryophytes, including mosses and liverworts, on Raw 264.7 murine macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or recombinant human peroxiredoxin (hPrx1). The 70% ethanol extracts of bryophytes were screened for their potential to reduce the production of nitric oxide (NO), an important pro-inflammatory mediator. Among the analyzed extracts, two moss species significantly inhibited LPS-induced NO production without cytotoxic effects. The bioactive extracts of Dicranum majus and Thuidium delicatulum inhibited NO production in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 values of 1.04 and 1.54 µg/mL, respectively. The crude 70% ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts were then partitioned with different solvents in increasing order of polarity (n-hexane, diethyl ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol). The fractions were screened for their inhibitory effects on NO production stimulated with LPS at 1 ng/mL or 10 ng/mL. The NO production levels were significantly affected by the fractions of decreasing polarity such as n-hexane and diethyl ether ones. Therefore, the potential of these extracts to inhibit the LPS-induced NO pathway suggests their effective properties in attenuating inflammation and could represent a perspective for the development of innovative therapeutic agents.

Monitoring Air Quality with Transplanted Bryophytes in a Neotropical Andean City.

Air pollution is one of the main global environmental problems, where bryophytes, due to their high capacity to retain metals and other pollutants, have been widely used in active air quality monitoring studies in temperate and tropical zones. Thus, in this study, we analyzed for the first time the concentrations of eight metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, aluminum, iron, manganese, lead and zinc) in three species of transplanted mosses (Rhacocarpus purpurascens (Brid.) Paris, Sphagnum sp. and Thuidium delicatulum (Hedw.) Schimp.) from Ecuador. Significant differences were found for the three species in the concentrations of Al, Mn, Fe and Zn between urban and control areas, pointing to the Central zone as the main source of contamination with the highest concentrations of Al, Fe, Mn and Zn, related to vehicular traffic. Lead did not differ between zones for Rhacocarpus purpurascens and Sphagnum sp.; however, Thuidium delicatulum accumulated different concentrations between urban areas and the control areas. The three species of mosses provided valuable information on the contamination of Al, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn in the urban area of the city of Loja, and therefore can be used in future air quality monitoring programs over time in tropical cities.