RESUMO
1. Ginkgo biloba is one of the most popular herbal medicines worldwide due to its memory-enhancing and cognition-improving effects. The current study was designed to investigate the effects of five major constituents (bilobalide, ginkgolide A, B, quercetin, and kaempferol) in the standardized G. biloba extract EGb 761 on various cytochrome P450s (CYPs) in rats. 2. The activity of CYP450 was measured by the quantification of six metabolites from multiple cytochrome P450 probe substrates using a validated liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS) method. The levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein of various CYPs were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting analysis, respectively. 3. Bilobalide significantly induced the activity, protein, and mRNA expression of CYP3A1 and 1A2, and increased CYP2E1 activity and CYP2B1/2 protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. 4. Ginkgolide A, B, quercetin, and kaempferol did not affect CYP3A1, but induced CYP1A2 in a dose-dependent manner. EGb 761 and the five individual constituents had no effects on rat CYP2D2, 2C11 and 2C7. 5. The results indicate that bilobalide, and to a lesser extent ginkgolide A, B, quercetin, and kaempferol, play a key role in the effects of EGb 761 on CYP induction. Further study is needed to elucidate the mechanism of CYP3A induction by EGb 761 and bilobalide.
Assuntos
Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/biossíntese , Flavonoides/farmacologia , Ginkgo biloba/química , Ginkgolídeos/farmacologia , Animais , Ciclopentanos/farmacologia , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/genética , Indução Enzimática/efeitos dos fármacos , Flavonoides/química , Furanos/farmacologia , Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Ginkgolídeos/química , Quempferóis/farmacologia , Lactonas/farmacologia , Masculino , Microssomos Hepáticos/efeitos dos fármacos , Microssomos Hepáticos/enzimologia , Extratos Vegetais/química , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Quercetina/farmacologia , RNA Mensageiro/genética , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase ReversaRESUMO
Coccidioides is a fungal pathogen of humans which can cause a life-threatening respiratory disease in immunocompetent individuals. Recurrent epidemics of coccidioidal infections in Southwestern United States has raised the specter of awareness of this soil-borne microbe, particularly among residents of Arizona and Southern California, and has galvanized research efforts to develop a human vaccine against coccidioidomycosis. In this review, we discuss the rationale for such a vaccine, examine the features of host innate and acquired immune response to Coccidioides infection, describe strategies used to identify and evaluate vaccine candidates, and provide an update on progress toward development of a vaccine against this endemic pathogen.