Sambucus australis Modulates Inflammatory Response via Inhibition of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-kB) in vitro.

Medicinal plants have long been used as an alternative to traditional drugs for the treatment of inflammatory conditions due to the classical side effects and restricted access of various commercially available drugs, such as steroids (GCs) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Sambucus australis is a Brazilian herb that is commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases; however, few studies have examined the use of this species in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. The present study aims to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory activity of S. australis in vitro. We established spleen cell cultures stimulated with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) to evaluate the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-5, IFN-y, and IL-10 (by ELISA), and the expression of the transcription factor NF-kB (by RT-PCR). In addition, we evaluated the levels of nitric oxide in macrophage cultures and the membrane-stabilizing activity of S. australis methanolic extract (EMSA). Treatment with EMSA at concentrations of 100, 50, 25 and 12.5 µg/ml significantly decreased IL-4 (p<0.001) and IL-5 (p<0.001) levels. Treatment with 100 µg/ml EMSA reduced IFN-у (p<0.001) levels. Moreover, at 100 mg/ml, EMSA also increased IL-10 production and reduced NF-kB expression (p<0.01). In macrophage cultures stimulated with LPS, EMSA decreased nitric oxide levels (p<0.001) at all concentrations tested (100, 50, 25 and 12.5 µg/ml). Additionally, EMSA had a protective effect in the erythrocyte membrane stabilization assay. Taken together, these results suggest that S. australis has anti-inflammatory potential in vitro, characterized by the reduction of both inflammatory cytokines and the expression of NF-kB along with the up-regulation of IL-10.

Solanum paniculatum L. decreases levels of inflammatory cytokines by reducing NFKB, TBET and GATA3 gene expression in vitro.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Solanum paniculatum L., popularly known as jurubeba, is a common subtropical plant from Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, that is used in folk medicine for the treatment of anemia, gastrointestinal disorders and inflammatory conditions in general. In addition to that, an ethnobotanical survey in "Todos os Santos" Bay have pointed out S. paniculatum as an herb to treat asthma. Previous publications have shown that S. paniculatum possesses antibiotic, antioxidant and modulatory effects on gastric acid secretion; however, its anti-inflammatory potential remains unexplored. AIM OF THE STUDY: Herein, we analyzed the S. paniculatum fruits hexane extract (SpE) for the presence of stigmasterol and ß-sitosterol and investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of SpE in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SpE was subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for standardization and quantification of stigmasterol and ß-sitosterol. Spleen cells from BALB/c mice were cultivated and stimulated with pokeweed mitogen and also exposed to 15, 30 and 60µg/mL of SpE. Following treatment, levels of IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 in the culture supernatants were assessed by ELISA. We also evaluated nitric oxide (NO) production by murine LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophages using the Griess technique. In addition, the ability of SpE to stabilize membranes was assessed using a model of hemolysis induced by heat on murine erythrocytes. Gene expression of Th1-cell-specific Tbx21 transcription factor (TBET), zinc-finger transcription factor-3 (GATA3), and nuclear factor-κB (NFKB) in murine spleen cells were assessed by quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: SpE at 15, 30 and 60µg/mL significantly attenuated cell proliferation, decreased IL-4 release, reduced NO production and improved erythrocyte membrane stabilization in a concentration-dependent manner. SpE was also able to decrease the release of IFN-γ without altering IL-10 levels. The mechanism whereby SpE decreased inflammatory markers may be related to the reduction of NFKB, TBET and GATA3 gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to test the anti-inflammatory action of S. paniculatum. Herein, we provided evidence for the popular use of S. paniculatum in inflammatory conditions. Additional studies must be conducted to further explore the anti-inflammatory potential of SpE and to elucidate possible clinical applications.

Distribution of metabolites in galled and non-galled leaves of Clusia lanceolata and its antioxidant activity

Essential oils of galled and non-galled leaves of Clusia lanceolata Cambess., Clusiaceae, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The chemical composition of both oils was similar, with a predominance of sesquiterpene caryophyllenes. The extracts from the leaves were evaluated regarding total phenols, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins. Galled leaves showed higher levels of phenolics and proanthocyanidins, since the content of flavonoids was higher in non-galled leaves. The chromatographic profiles of extracts were obtained by using HPLC/DAD and LC-ESI-MS. Electrospray ionisation (ESI) in positive and negative ion mode was used to identify four flavones C-glycosides in both extracts. The study constitutes a first report on the chemical research of C. lanceolata. The extract from galled leaves had a higher antioxidant activity.

Circadian variation of essential oil from Piper marginatum Jacq / Variaciones circadiana de aceite esencial de Piper marginatum Jacq

The composition of the essential oil from the leaves of Piper marginatum (Piperaceae) shows circadian variation and a higher yield during high solar incidence. The essential oils samples were investigated by GC-FID and GC-MS, which allowed identification of 29 compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) showed a significant quantitative variability in the chemical composition of the studied samples as well as a correlation between the oil profiles and the collection time. Two main groups were observed, with predominance of phenylpropanoids or sesquiterpenes. The predominant chemical compounds were phenylpropanoids, having as main representative (Z)-asarone and (E)-asarone.

La composición del aceite esencial de hojas de Piper marginatum (Piperaceae) muestra una variación circadiana y un mayor rendimiento durante la mayor incidencia solar. Las muestras de aceites esenciales se investigaron por GC-FID y GC-MS, lo que permitió la identificación de 29 compuestos. El análisis de componentes principales y el análisis de conglomerados mostraron una variación cuantitativa significativa en la composición química de las muestras estudiadas, así como una correlación entre los perfiles del aceite esencial y el tiempo de recolección. Se observaron dos grupos principales, con predominio de fenilpropanoides o sesquiterpenos. Los compuestos predominantes fueron los fenilpropanoides, (Z)-asarona y (E)-asarona.