RESUMO
Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are horticultural crops with socio-economic significance in the Caribbean. People of the Caribbean maintain the tradition of making 'bush (herb) teas' as part of their daily activity. 'Bush tea' is made with a variety of herbs that are combined for their culinary and medicinal properties. Cultivating these plants complements conventional fruit and vegetable production in the Virgin Islands and enhance small-farm productivity. This study was initiated to evaluate the agronomic and economic potential of agroforestry systems involving MAPs with focus on alley cropping. Field experiments were conducted to determine yield and productivity of popular species of medicinal plants and aromatic herbs commonly used in the Virgin Islands. Medicinal plants included 'inflammation bush' (Verbesina alata), 'worrywine' (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) and 'japana' (Eupatorium triplinerve) ... Data were collected on fresh and dry matter yield ... Results indicated yield of intercropped medicinal plants and herbs were not significantly reduced during the first harvest, but yield tended to decrease in subsequent harvest suggesting that tree-crop competition was minimal during the early establishment stage
Assuntos
Humanos , Região do Caribe , Comércio , Fitoterapia , Plantas Medicinais , Ilhas Virgens AmericanasRESUMO
BACKGROUND: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)) plays an important role in regulating immune responses, in addition to its effects on bone metabolism. The cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) regulates diverse biological processes, including cellular proliferation and differentiation, immune modulation, and modulation of extracellular matrix deposition. 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) interacts in vitro with Smad proteins, important regulators of TGF-beta signal transduction. We hypothesized that exogenous 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) would alter levels of TGF-beta(1) and TGF-beta(1) signaling proteins in renal tissue. METHODS: C57BL6 mice and Lewis rats were placed on diets with or without 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) for 14 days. Renal lysates were examined for TGF-beta(1), vitamin D receptor (VDR), and Smad3 protein levels using a cell proliferation assay and Western blot analysis. Coimmunoprecipitation was used to determine if any interaction between VDR and Smad3 proteins occurs in vivo. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to assess messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for all of these molecules. RESULTS: Vitamin D supplementation decreased VDR and Smad3 protein levels. Coimmunoprecipitation of VDR and Smad3 revealed a Smad3-VDR interaction in vivo. Vitamin D-treated rats had a significant (P = 0.001) reduction in bioactive renal TGF-beta(1). RT-PCR demonstrated no difference in mRNA expression for either VDR or TGF-beta(1). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that vitamin D has a significant effect in regulating levels of bioactive TGF-beta(1) and appears to affect aspects of the TGF-beta(1) signaling system. These effects, in combination with the immunomodulatory actions of vitamin D, may alter the evolution of chronic rejection in renal transplants.
Assuntos
Calcitriol/farmacologia , Agonistas dos Canais de Cálcio/farmacologia , Rim/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Fator de Crescimento Transformador beta/metabolismo , Animais , Western Blotting , Divisão Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/análise , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Regulação para Baixo/efeitos dos fármacos , Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Rejeição de Enxerto/tratamento farmacológico , Rim/efeitos dos fármacos , Transplante de Rim , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Vison , Testes de Precipitina , Ratos , Ratos Endogâmicos Lew , Receptores de Calcitriol/análise , Receptores de Calcitriol/genética , Receptores de Calcitriol/metabolismo , Mucosa Respiratória/citologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Proteína Smad3 , Transativadores/análise , Transativadores/genética , Transativadores/metabolismo , Fator de Crescimento Transformador beta/genética , Transplante HomólogoRESUMO
Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are horticultural crops with socio-economic significance in the Caribbean. People of the Caribbean maintain the tradition of making 'bush (herb) teas' as part of their daily activity. 'Bush tea' is made with a variety of herbs that are combined for their culinary and medicinal properties. Cultivating these plants complements conventional fruit and vegetable production in the Virgin Islands and enhance small-farm productivity. This study was initiated to evaluate the agronomic and economic potential of agroforestry systems involving MAPs with focus on alley cropping. Field experiments were conducted to determine yield and productivity of popular species of medicinal plants and aromatic herbs commonly used in the Virgin Islands. Medicinal plants included 'inflammation bush' (Verbesina alata), 'worrywine' (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) and 'japana' (Eupatorium triplinerve) ... Data were collected on fresh and dry matter yield ... Results indicated yield of intercropped medicinal plants and herbs were not significantly reduced during the first harvest, but yield tended to decrease in subsequent harvest suggesting that tree-crop competition was minimal during the early establishment stage (AU)