Traditional plant use during lactation and postpartum recovery: Infant development and maternal health roles.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Evidence of phytochemical roles in infant development and maternal recovery offers insights into beneficial functions of traditional plant use during lactation and the postpartum period. Ethnopharmacological research has relevance to global priorities on maternal and child health, to understanding origins and determinants of human self-medication, and for reconciling traditional postpartum practices and mainstream healthcare. AIM OF THE STUDY: Present emerging evidence, within evolutionary and socio-cultural contexts, on the role of maternal consumption on transfer of phytochemicals into breast milk with impacts on maternal and child health, and on infant development. Establish current state of knowledge and an ethnopharmacological research agenda that is attentive to cross-cultural and regional differences in postpartum plant use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An extensive literature review using Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science focused on traditional and contemporary use and socio-cultural context, as well as physiological, pharmacological, toxicological, and behavioral activities of plants used medicinally by women during postpartum recovery and lactation. RESULTS: The most widely reported postpartum plants show antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunological, and neurophysiological activities, with low toxicity. Phytochemicals transfer from maternal consumption into breast milk in physiological concentrations, while animal studies demonstrate immunomodulation and other actions of medicinal plants during lactation. Reporting on the use and diverse traditional knowledge of women about plants during the postpartum period is obscured by the marginal place of obstetric issues and by gender biases in ethnobotanical research. In many contemporary contexts use is prejudiced by precautionary risk warnings in health literature and practice that confound lactation with pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Although systematic investigation of postpartum plant use is lacking, known pharmacological activities support potential benefits on infant development and maternal health with immediate and long-term consequences in relation to allergic, inflammatory, autoimmune, and other diseases. An ethnopharmacological agenda focused on the perinatal period requires directed methodologies and a regional approach in relation to culturally-specific knowledge and practices, traditional plant use, and local health needs. Testing the hypothesis that phytochemicals transferred from medicinal plants into breast milk impact the human immune system and other aspects of infant development requires extended analysis of phytochemicals in human milk and infant lumen and plasma, as well as effects on gastrointestinal and milk microbiome.

Global survey of medicinal plants during lactation and postpartum recovery: Evolutionary perspectives and contemporary health implications.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cross-cultural comparison of plants used during lactation and the postpartum period offers insight into a largely overlooked area of ethnopharmacological research. Potential roles of phytochemicals in emerging models of interaction among immunity, inflammation, microbiome and nervous system effects on perinatal development have relevance for the life-long health of individuals and of populations in both traditional and contemporary contexts. AIM OF THE STUDY: Delineate and interpret patterns of traditional and contemporary global use of medicinal plants ingested by mothers during the postpartum period relative to phytochemical activity on immune development and gastrointestinal microbiome of breastfed infants, and on maternal health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Published reviews and surveys on galactagogues and postpartum recovery practices plus ethnobotanical studies from around the world were used to identify and rank plants, and ascertain regional use patterns. Scientific literature for 20 most-cited plants based on frequency of publication was assessed for antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antidepressant, analgesic, galactagogic and safety properties. RESULTS: From compilation of 4418 use reports related to 1948 species, 105 plant taxa were recorded ≥7 times, with the most frequently cited species, Foeniculum vulgare, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Pimpinella anisum, Euphorbia hirta and Asparagus racemosus, 81, 64, 42, 40 and 38 times, respectively. Species and use vary globally, illustrated by the pattern of aromatic plants of culinary importance versus latex-producing plants utilized in North Africa/Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa with opposing predominance. For 18/20 of the plants a risk/benefit perspective supports assessment that positive immunomodulation and related potential exceed any safety concerns. Published evidence does not support a lactation-enhancing effect for nearly all the most-cited plants while antidepressant data for the majority of plants are predominately limited to animal studies. CONCLUSIONS: Within a biocultural context traditional postpartum plant use serves adaptive functions for the mother-infant dyad and contributes phytochemicals absent in most contemporary diets and patterns of ingestion, with potential impacts on allergic, inflammatory and other conditions. Polyphenolics and other phytochemicals are widely immunologically active, present in breast milk and predominately non-toxic. Systematic analysis of phytochemicals in human milk, infant lumen and plasma, and immunomodulatory studies that differentiate maternal ingestion during lactation from pregnancy, are needed. Potential herb-drug interaction and other adverse effects should remain central to obstetric advising, but unless a plant is specifically shown as harmful, considering potential contributions to health of individuals and populations, blanket advisories against postpartum herbal use during lactation appear empirically unwarranted.

Growth environment and organ specific variation in in-vitro cytoprotective activities of Picea mariana in PC12 cells exposed to glucose toxicity: a plant used for treatment of diabetes symptoms by the Cree of Eeyou Istchee (Quebec, Canada).

BACKGROUND: The Cree of Eeyou Istchee (James Bay area of northern Quebec) suffer from a high rate of diabetes and its complications partly due to the introduction of the western lifestyle within their culture. As part of a search for alternative medicine based on traditional practice, this project evaluates the biological activity of Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. needle, bark, and cone, in preventing glucose toxicity to PC12-AC cells in vitro (a diabetic neurophathy model) and whether habitat and growth environment influence this activity. METHODS: Three different organs (needle, bark, and cone) of P. mariana were collected at different geographical locations and ecological conditions and their 80% ethanolic extracts were prepared. Extracts were then tested for their ability to protect PC12-AC cells from hyperglycaemic challenge at physiologically relevant concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 µg/mL. Folin-Ciocalteu method was used to determine the total phenolic content of P. mariana extracts. RESULTS: All extracts were well-tolerated in vitro exhibiting LD50 of 25 µg/mL or higher. Extracts from all tested organs showed a cytoprotective concentration-dependent response. Furthermore, the cytoprotective activity was habitat- and growth environment-dependent with plants grown in bog or forest habitats in coastal or inland environments exhibiting different cytoprotective efficacies. These differences in activity correlated with total phenolic content but not with antioxidant activity. In addition, this paper provides the first complete Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight (UPLC-QTOF) mass spectrometry analysis of Picea mariana's bark, needles and cones. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results provide further understanding of the cytoprotective activity of Canadian boreal forest plants identified by the Cree healers of Eeyou Istchee in a cell model of diabetic neuropathy. Their activity is relevant to diabetic peripheral neuropathic complications and shows that their properties can be optimized by harvesting in optimal growth environments.

The determinants of dietary diversity and nutrition: ethnonutrition knowledge of local people in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Diet and nutrition-related behaviours are embedded in cultural and environmental contexts: adoption of new knowledge depends on how easily it can be integrated into existing knowledge systems. As dietary diversity promotion becomes an increasingly common component of nutrition education, understanding local nutrition knowledge systems and local concepts about dietary diversity is essential to formulate efficient messages. METHODS: This paper draws on in-depth qualitative ethnographic research conducted in small-scale agricultural communities in Tanzania. Data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation in the East Usambara Mountains, an area that is home primarily to the Shambaa and Bondei ethnic groups, but has a long history of ethnic diversity and ethnic intermixing. RESULTS: The data showed a high degree of consensus among participants who reported that dietary diversity is important because it maintains and enhances appetite across days, months and seasons. Local people reported that sufficient cash resources, agrobiodiversity, heterogeneity within the landscape, and livelihood diversity all supported their ability to consume a varied diet and achieve good nutritional status. Other variables affecting diet and dietary diversity included seasonality, household size, and gender. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that dietary diversity was perceived as something all people, both rich and poor, could achieve. There was significant overlap between local and scientific understandings of dietary diversity, suggesting that novel information on the importance of dietary diversity promoted through education will likely be easily integrated into the existing knowledge systems.

Phytogeographic and genetic variation in Sorbus, a traditional antidiabetic medicine-adaptation in action in both a plant and a discipline.

Mountain ash (Sorbus decora and S. americana) is used by the Cree Nation of the James Bay region of Quebec (Eeyou Istchee) as traditional medicine. Its potential as an antidiabetic medicine is thought to vary across its geographical range, yet little is known about the factors that affect its antioxidant capacity. Here, we examined metabolite gene expression in relation to antioxidant activity, linking phytochemistry and medicinal potential. Samples of leaf and bark from S. decora and S. americana were collected from 20 populations at four different latitudes. Two genes known to produce antidiabetic substances, flavonol synthase and squalene synthase, were analyzed using quantitative real time PCR. Gene expression was significantly higher for flavonol synthase compared to squalene synthase and increased in the most Northern latitude. Corresponding differences observed in the antioxidant capacity of ethanolic extracts from the bark of Sorbus spp. confirm that plants at higher latitudes increase production of stress-induced secondary metabolites and support Aboriginal perceptions of their higher medicinal potential. Modern genetic techniques such as quantitative real time PCR offer unprecedented resolution to substantiate and scrutinise Aboriginal medicinal plant perception. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights into how environmental stress can trigger an adaptive response resulting in the accumulation of secondary metabolites with human medicinal properties.

An HPLC-ELSD Method for the Determination of Triterpenes in Sorbus decora and Sorbus americana Bark Used by the Eeyou Istchee Cree First Nation.

Sorbus decora and Sorbus americana are used traditionally as medicine by the Eeyou Istchee Cree First Nation of the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada. Because the ethanol extracts of the bark and the isolated terpenes of these plants have shown promising in vivo antidiabetic effects, an analytical method was developed and validated by RP-HPLC-ELSD for the identification and quantification of eight lupane- and ursane-type terpenes. The extraction method reproducibly recovered the compounds above 70 % and the chromatographic separation of betulin, 23-hydroxy-betulin, 23,28-dihydroxylupan-20(29)-ene-3ß-caffeate, betulinic acid, α-amyrin, uvaol, 3ß,23,28-trihydroxy-12-ursene, and 23,28-dihydroxyursan-12-ene-3ß-caffeate was achieved within 27 min by linear gradient. The method produced highly reproducible quantitative data at interday and intraday levels. The limits of detection were in the ng level on-column with remarkable range and linearity. The target compounds were present at mg levels in the populations, collected from inland (Mistissini and Nemaska) and costal (Waskagnish and Chisasibi) Cree communities of northern Quebec. A triterpene, 23-hydroxybetulin, was the most abundant, while betulinic acid and uvaol were minor constituents. Overall, HPLC-ELSD analyses produced very similar profiles and contents of the eight compounds in the plants collected from four geographic locations. The developed HPLC-ELSD method can be used as a targeted analysis of triterpenes in these medicinal plants.

Wild leafy vegetable use and knowledge across multiple sites in Morocco: a case study for transmission of local knowledge?

BACKGROUND: There are few publications on the use and diversity of wild leafy vegetables (WLVs) in Morocco. In order to address this gap, we conducted ethnobotanical field work in Taounate, Azilal and El House regions. METHODS: Ethnobotanical collections, free listing, qualitative interviews and a 7 day food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: More than 30 species in 23 genera of WLV were identified. Of these 4 had not previously recorded as WLVs used in Morocco in the literature. WLVs were used by 84% of households surveyed in Taounate (N = 61, in March 2005), and were used up to 4 times a week. Qualitative data revealed both positive and negative perceptions of WLVs and detailed knowledge about preparation among women. The greatest diversity of WLV knowledge and use was in the Rif Mountains (Taounate). There was significant variation in nomenclature and salience of WLVs, not only between regions, but also between villages in the same region. Within the same region (or even village) different local names were used for a given species or genus, and different species were identified by the same local name (including species from different botanical families). Data showed greater overlap in knowledge among villages using the same market. CONCLUSION: We believe the results suggest that markets are important sites for WLV knowledge transmission.

Investigating wild berries as a dietary approach to reducing the formation of advanced glycation endproducts: chemical correlates of in vitro antiglycation activity.

Evidence supports the health promoting benefits of berries, particularly with regard to the prevention and management of chronic diseases such cardio- and cerebrovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Two related pathophysiological features common to many of these conditions are oxidative stress and the accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). Whereas antioxidant properties are well-established in several species of berries and are believed central to their protective mechanisms, few studies have investigated the effects of berries on AGE formation. Here, employing a series of complementary in vitro assays, we evaluated a collection of wild berry extracts for 1) inhibitory effects on fluorescent-AGE and Nε- (carboxymethyl)lysine-albumin adduct formation, 2) radical scavenging activity and 3) total phenolic and anthocyanin content. All samples reduced AGE formation in a concentration-dependent manner that correlated positively with each extract's total phenolic content and, to a lesser degree, total anthocyanin content. Inhibition of AGE formation was similarly related to radical scavenging activities. Adding antiglycation activity to the list of established functional properties ascribed to berries and their phenolic metabolites, our data provide further insight into the active compounds and protective mechanisms through which berry consumption may aid in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases associated with AGE accumulation and toxicity. As widely available, safe and nutritious foods, berries represent a promising dietary intervention worthy of further investigation.

Agricultural biodiversity as a link between traditional food systems and contemporary development, social integrity and ecological health.

Traditional food systems offer a key link between the social and economic resilience of smallholder farmers and pastoralists and the sustainable food and nutrition security of global populations. This paper addresses issues related to socio-cultural diversity and the continuing complex engagement of traditional and modern communities with the plants and animals that sustain them. In light of some of the unhealthful consequences of the 'nutrition transition' to globalized modern diets, the authors define and propose a process for a more successful food system transition that balances agro-biodiversity and processed commodities to support diet diversity, health and social equity alongside sustainable economic growth. We review empirical research in support of practice and policy changes in agriculture, economic development and health domains as well as cross-sectoral and community-based innovation. High-value food crops within domestic and global value chains can be an entry point for smallholders' participation as contributors and beneficiaries of development, while sustainable small farms, as purveyors of environmental and public health services, diversify global options for long-term adaptation in the face of environmental uncertainty.

Ecology- and bioassay-guided drug discovery for treatments of tropical parasitic disease: 5alpha,8alpha-epidioxycholest-6-en-3beta-ol isolated from the mollusk Dolabrifera dolabrifera shows significant activity against Leishmania donovani.

An ecology- and bioassay-guided search employed to discover compounds with activity against tropical parasitic diseases and cancer from the opisthobranch mollusk, Dolabrifera dolabrifera, led to the discovery of antileishmanial properties in the known compound, 5alpha,8alpha-epidioxycholest-6-en-3beta-ol (1). Compound 1 was identified through nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H, 13C) and mass spectrometry. The compound was concentrated in the digestive gland of D. dolabrifera, but was not detected in other body parts, fecal matter or mucus. Compound 1 showed an IC50 of 4.9 microM towards the amastigote form of Leishmania donovani compared with an IC50 of 281 microM towards the control Vero cell line, a 57.3-fold difference, and demonstrated no measurable activity against Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma cruzi, and the breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.

Comprehensive evidence-based assessment and prioritization of potential antidiabetic medicinal plants: a case study from canadian eastern james bay cree traditional medicine.

Canadian Aboriginals, like others globally, suffer from disproportionately high rates of diabetes. A comprehensive evidence-based approach was therefore developed to study potential antidiabetic medicinal plants stemming from Canadian Aboriginal Traditional Medicine to provide culturally adapted complementary and alternative treatment options. Key elements of pathophysiology of diabetes and of related contemporary drug therapy are presented to highlight relevant cellular and molecular targets for medicinal plants. Potential antidiabetic plants were identified using a novel ethnobotanical method based on a set of diabetes symptoms. The most promising species were screened for primary (glucose-lowering) and secondary (toxicity, drug interactions, complications) antidiabetic activity by using a comprehensive platform of in vitro cell-based and cell-free bioassays. The most active species were studied further for their mechanism of action and their active principles identified though bioassay-guided fractionation. Biological activity of key species was confirmed in animal models of diabetes. These in vitro and in vivo findings are the basis for evidence-based prioritization of antidiabetic plants. In parallel, plants were also prioritized by Cree Elders and healers according to their Traditional Medicine paradigm. This case study highlights the convergence of modern science and Traditional Medicine while providing a model that can be adapted to other Aboriginal realities worldwide.

Bridging the "two cultures" in ethnopharmacology: barriers against interdisciplinarity in postgraduate education.

As significant contributors to the generation, dissemination and publication of scientific knowledge, graduate students have considerable leverage on publication trends and the future direction of ethnopharmacology. The rigid discipline-oriented framework of academia is often cited as responsible for impeding interdisciplinarity, particularly for fields such as ethnopharmacology which span both the natural and social science domains. Funding opportunities, funding eligibility periods, time-to-degree patterns and departmental expectations and requirements for graduate students enrolled in the natural sciences are considerably different than for those in the social sciences. Consequently, adequate acquisition of ethnographic data is often compromised. Encouraging students to think across disciplines, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and flexibility in regards to the time and financial constraints imposed by departments and funding agencies would increase the likelihood of contextualizing bioscientific data with adequate traditional empirical knowledge, and ultimately embrace the core objectives on which the JEP was conceived.

Inhibition of advanced glycation end product formation by medicinal plant extracts correlates with phenolic metabolites and antioxidant activity.

Nonenzymatic formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is accelerated under hyperglycemic conditions characteristic of type 2 diabetes mellitus and contributes to the development of vascular complications. As such, inhibition of AGE formation represents a potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications. In the present study, ethanolic extracts of 17 medicinal plants were assessed for inhibitory effects on in vitro AGE formation through fluorometric and immunochemical detection of fluorescent AGEs and N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine adducts of albumin (CML-BSA), respectively. Most extracts inhibited fluorescent AGE formation with IC (50) values ranging from 0.4 to 38.6 µg/mL and all extracts reduced CML-BSA formation but to differing degrees. Results obtained through both methods were highly correlated. Antiglycation activities were positively correlated with total phenolic content, free radical scavenging activity and reduction in malonyldiadehyde levels following oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, but negatively correlated with lag time to formation of conjugated dienes. Together, these results provide evidence that antioxidant phenolic metabolites mediate the antiglycation activity of our medicinal plant collection, a relationship that likely extends to other medicinal and food plants.

Evaluation of the antidiabetic potential of selected medicinal plant extracts from the Canadian boreal forest used to treat symptoms of diabetes: part II.

Among the Cree of northern Quebec, the disproportionately high rate of diabetic complications is largely due to the cultural inadequacy of modern therapies for type 2 diabetes. To establish culturally adapted antidiabetic treatments, our team identified several candidate plant species used by the Cree to treat symptoms of diabetes. An initial study focused on 8 species and revealed that most possess significant in vitro antidiabetic activity. The purpose of the present study was to assess a further 9 species identified through the ethnobotanical survey. Crude plant extracts were screened for (i) potentiation of basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by skeletal muscle cells (C2C12) and adipocytes (3T3-L1); (ii) potentiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells (betaTC); (iii) potentiation of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells; (iv) protection against glucose toxicity and glucose deprivation in PC12-AC neuronal precursor cells; and (v) diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) oxygen free radical scavenging. Four species potentiated basal glucose uptake in muscle cells or adipocytes, one species being as potent as metformin. Adipogenesis was accelerated by 4 species with a potency roughly half that of rosiglitazone. Five species protected PC12-AC cells against glucose toxicity and 4 protected against glucose deprivation. Five species exhibited antioxidant activity comparable to ascorbic acid. However, no species increased insulin secretion. The present study revealed that Gaultheria hispidula, Rhododendron tomentosum, and Vaccinium vitis-idaea exhibit a promising profile of antidiabetic potential and are good candidates for more in-depth evaluation.

Perceived health and medicinal properties of six species of wild edible plants in north-east Lebanon.

OBJECTIVES: Wild edible plants (WEP) play the dual role of securing food diversity and promoting health in traditional societies. Current simplified dietary habits contribute to increasing population health risks. Since WEP are integral to the diet of traditional communities, identifying their significance as foods to people provides further evidence to conserve them and promote their consumption. Six species of WEP were identified as integral to the diet of rural Lebanese communities. We investigated their patterns of consumption and knowledge regarding their health and medicinal properties. DESIGN: An ethnobotanical survey, employing a qualitative questionnaire, was conducted among thirty informants. The identified species were Cichorium intybus, Eryngium creticum, Foeniculum vulgare, Malva sylvestris, Thymus syriacus and Gundelia tournifortii. RESULTS: Most informants consumed the six plants as a regular part of their diet. Seasonal variability in consumption was evident. C. intybus was renowned for its digestive and blood strengthening properties. F. vulgare was used as a digestive stimulant. M. sylvestris was distinguished for its anti-inflammatory qualities. T. syriacus was popular for its digestive and anti-poisonous properties. E. creticum was attributed less pronounced health benefits. G. tournifortii was considered a nutritious food. CONCLUSIONS: All six species were popular for their edible uses as well as their health and/or medicinal benefits. These properties are supported by scientific evidence. Our results highlight the importance of these plants for local people and support efforts for their conservation. However, we noticed a decline in indigenous knowledge. We encourage efforts to record it for other plants and in other communities.

Consumption of guava (Psidium guajava L) and noni (Morinda citrifolia L) may protect betel quid-chewing Papua New Guineans against diabetes.

Rapid increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes (DM2) in Papua New Guinea, coupled with compelling epidemiological evidence supporting a diabetogenic association with betel quid (BQ) chewing has lead us to investigate dietary strategies that might offer protection from developing DM2. We investigated the dietary habits of Kalo residents from coastal Central Province who are avid BQ chewers yet have a relatively low incidence of DM2 compared to the ethnically similar and adjacent Wanigelans who abstain from BQ yet have an unusually high incidence of DM2. In Kalo, guava bud (Psidium guajava L) and noni (Morinda citrifolia L) were consumed much more frequently than in Wanigela, whereas the inverse was observed for mangrove bean (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L) Lam.). These plants, along with BQ and its component ingredients areca nut (Areca catechu L) and Piper betle L inflorescence, were assessed for their ability to mediate insulin-dependent and insulin-independent glucose transport in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes. A dose-dependent inhibition of glucose uptake from methanolic extracts of BQ, areca nut and P. betle inflorescence supports previous reports of prodiabetic activity. Conversely, guava bud extract displayed significant insulin-mimetic and potentiating activity. Noni fruit, noni leaf, commercial noni juice and mangrove bean all displayed insulin-like activity but had little or no effect on insulin action. Habitual intake of guava and noni is proposed to offer better protection against DM2 development and/or betel quid diabetogenicity than cooked mangrove bean. These findings provide empirical support that DM2 risk reduction can be accomplished using traditional foods and medicines.

Medicinal plants of Cree communities (Québec, Canada): antioxidant activity of plants used to treat type 2 diabetes symptoms.

Traditional medicines (TM) used to treat symptoms of diabetes by two Cree communities were assessed for their free radical scavenging activity using the stable 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, and their ability to protect human low-density lipoprotein from Cu2+-mediated oxidation by measuring lag time before the appearance of conjugated dienes and formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Water-soluble phenolic content was also measured. A total of 20 medicinal plants from Whapmagoostui and 16 from Mistissini were compared with 16 extracts of plants that were not used medicinally. Medicinal plant extracts, particularly those from Larix laricina, displayed high antioxidant activity, comparable with ascorbic acid, Trolox, and the known antioxidant flavonoids quercetin, epicatechin, catechin. Extracts of Pinaceae and Ericaceae contained the highest levels of phenolics. Factors such as season and area of plant collection, as well as the plant part from which the extract was derived, affected antioxidant activity. Positive correlations were found between the established traditional knowledge of Cree Elders and Healers and the antioxidant activity for medicinal plants used in Mistissini (r = 0.3134; p = 0.058) and in Whapmagoostui (r = 0.5165; p = 0.001). Significant correlations between phenolic content were also seen with the existing ethnobotanical data (r = 0.5015; p = 0.003) and bioassays (r = 0.4178; p = 0.003). These results indicate that a clear majority of plants used by the Cree are excellent sources of antioxidants.

Endothelial cytoprotection from oxidized LDL by some crude Melanesian plant extracts is not related to their antioxidant capacity.

Habitual consumption of some Melanesian medicinal and food plants may influence atherosclerosis development via their antioxidant capacity at the endothelial level. Areca nut (AN; Areca catechu), piper inflorescence (PBI; Piper betle), betel quid (BQ), guava buds (GB; Psidium guajava), the leaves (NL), juice (NJ), fruit (NF), and root (NR) of noni (Morinda citrifolia), the propagules of raw (MBR), and cooked (MBC) mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza) were evaluated for their ability to scavenge the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyle (DPPH) radical, to protect human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from Cu2+-catalyzed oxidation and to protect cultured bovine aortal endothelial cells (BAEC) from oxidized LDL (oxLDL)-induced cytotoxicity. Polyphenol-rich extracts AN, PBI, and BQ were potent DPPH scavengers, having similar activity to quercetin and able to protect LDL from oxidation in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations higher than 10 microg/mL, but were pro-oxidants at lower concentrations. These extracts were cytotoxic to BAEC at concentrations above 10 microg/mL and were unable to prevent oxLDL endotheliopathy. GB and NR at 10 mug/mL displayed both the ability to delay LDL oxidation and prevent oxLDL cytotoxicity, although the latter lacked the ability to scavenge the DPPH radical. At higher concentrations, however, both were cytotoxic in themselves. The remaining noni extracts NF, NJ, NL, and both mangrove extracts MBC and MBR were unable to protect LDL from oxidation at all tested concentrations, but were effective cytoprotective agents at 50 microg/mL. All extracts were able to prevent an oxLDL-mediated increase in intracellular aldehyde generation but had little effect on extracellular peroxidation as measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). On the basis of this model system, we conclude that the antioxidant benefits of AN, PBI, and BQ may be offset by their enhancement of their cytotoxic effects of oxLDL toward BAEC, whereas GB and low concentrations of noni and mangrove may be considered antiatherogenic. The discrepancies between our in vitro and cellular culture experiments emphasize the importance of experimental conditions in evaluating the antioxidant potential of crude plant extracts.

Traditional dietary additives of the Maasai are antiviral against the measles virus.

Although ethnopharmacological investigations emphasize the importance of medicinal plants in developing countries, species used regularly with diet are under-investigated and potentially make greater contributions to health. Thirteen traditional plants most commonly added to milk/soups by the Maasai for perceived health benefits were tested for activity against measles virus (MV) using non-medicinal plants as controls. Antiviral effects of plant extracts were sought using a modified neutralization assay. Methanolic extracts of medicinal species exhibited significantly greater activity neutralizing MV in vitro in comparison to non-medicinal extracts (p<0.02). Four of 13 (31%) medicinal species versus 0/13 controls had measurable effects against MV in vitro. Olinia rochetiana (Olkirenyi) and Warburgia ugandensis (Osokonoi) extracts were most potent with the number of plaque forming units reduced 37- and 34-fold, respectively. Given the importance of monocytes in the dissemination of MV, we assessed the capacity of a subset of plant extracts to inhibit MV growth in monocytoid cell line, U937. MV output from U937 cells was significantly reduced by four of seven medicinal plant extracts (mean reduction 48 h: 39.0+/-26.0%, range 3.5-87%; 72 h: 56.4+/-29.5%, range 14.1-103.1%) (p<0.05). This study provides evidence that medicinal plants added to the Maasai diet may contribute to the modulation of viral infections.

Antioxidant activity relates to plant part, life form and growing condition in some diabetes remedies.

Selection, collection and preparation of 35 plant species used by traditional healers in the boreal regions of Canada for treatment of the symptoms of diabetes were supported empirically by antioxidant activity of the plants. Because antioxidants fluctuate with growth parameters and environmental factors, these remedies were evaluated in relation to the affect of plant part, life form and growing condition on the level of activity. The parts used here more frequently as medicines were roots and bark. Activity (IC(50)) of the bark extracts used medicinally averaged to 21.38+/-3.84 ppm while root extracts used medicinally had an IC(50) of 185.11+/-32.18 ppm in a free radical DPPH assay. In contrast the analysis of extracts of overall parts (medicinal or not) in these species found leaves and bark to have the least activity (112.22+/-30.63 ppm and 123.02+/-21.13 ppm, respectively). The highest activity was found in tree extracts (24.88+/-3.32 ppm) as compared to herbs and shrubs, and increased activity was found in plant extracts from growing conditions of decreased water/fertility. The antioxidant activity of these traditional plant remedies have the potential to be partially deduced through environment signals interpreted by the traditional herbalist.