Chamaecyparis lawsoniana and Its Active Compound Quercetin as Ca2+ Inhibitors in the Contraction of Airway Smooth Muscle.

The Cupressaceae family includes species considered to be medicinal. Their essential oil is used for headaches, colds, cough, and bronchitis. Cedar trees like Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (C. lawsoniana) are commonly found in urban areas. We investigated whether C. lawsoniana exerts some of its effects by modifying airway smooth muscle (ASM) contractility. The leaves of C. lawsoniana (363 g) were pulverized mechanically, and extracts were obtained by successive maceration 1:10 (w:w) with methanol/CHCl3. Guinea pig tracheal rings were contracted with KCl, tetraethylammonium (TEA), histamine (HIS), or carbachol (Cch) in organ baths. In the Cch experiments, tissues were pre-incubated with D-600, an antagonist of L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (L-VDCC) before the addition of C. lawsoniana. Interestingly, at different concentrations, C. lawsoniana diminished the tracheal contractions induced by KCl, TEA, HIS, and Cch. In ASM cells, C. lawsoniana significantly diminished L-type Ca2+ currents. ASM cells stimulated with Cch produced a transient Ca2+ peak followed by a sustained plateau maintained by L-VDCC and store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCC). C. lawsoniana almost abolished this last response. These results show that C. lawsoniana, and its active metabolite quercetin, relax the ASM by inhibiting the L-VDCC and SOCC; further studies must be performed to obtain the complete set of metabolites of the extract and study at length their pharmacological properties.

Evaluation of the ovicidal activity and fasciolicidal activity of the extract of ethyl acetate from Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt. spp. mexicana and of artemisinin against adult parasites of Fasciola hepatica.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the ethyl acetate extract from A. ludoviciana (EALM) and artemisinin against adult parasites and eggs of F. hepatica. For the ovicidal assay, cell culture plates with 24 wells were used, and 90 to 110 F. hepatica eggs were placed in each well. The eggs were exposed to concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mg/L EALM and incubated for 16 days. Additionally, triclabendazole (TCBZ) was used as a reference drug at concentrations of 10 and 50 mg, and the response of artemisinin at concentrations of 10 and 20 mg was simultaneously assessed. Adult flukes were exposed to concentrations of 125, 250, 375, and 500 mg/L EALM. The results of the ovicidal action of EALM on the eggs showed that concentrations greater than 300 mg/L were significant, with ovicidal percentages greater than 60% observed on day 16 of incubation (p < 0.05). The maximum efficiency of EALM on adult flukes was reached 72 h post-exposure at a concentration of 125 mg/L (p < 0.05).

Hydroxytyrosol inhibits MAO isoforms and prevents neurotoxicity inducible by MPP+ invivo.

Parkinson's disease is considered to be due to an increase in the catabolism of dopamine by the action of monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzymes which leads to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and loss of dopaminergic neurons. Here, in a model of neurotoxicity inducible by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), we tested the effect of hydroxytyrosol (HTy), a potent antioxidant, on generation of ROS. Five minutes after a single intravenous administration of 1.5 mg/Kg of Hty, Wistar rats received an intrastriatal micro-injection of 10 micrograms of MPP+ while control animals received saline solution. Six days later, all animals were treated with apomorphine (1 mg/Kg), subcutaneously and ipsilateral rotations were assessed within an hour. Then, the rats were sacrificed, striatal tissues were removed and their catecholamines and MAO-A and B activities were quantitated. Pretreatment with HTy significantly diminished the number of ipsilateral rotations. This recovery correlated with significant preservation of striatal dopamine and significant inhibition of of the MAO activity. These results are consistent with the inhibitory effect of HTy on the MAO isoforms and form a basis for the neuroprotective mechanism of this phenylpropanoid in MPP+ induced Parkinson's disease.

Chemoprotective and antiobesity effects of tocols from seed oil of Maqui-berry: Their antioxidative and digestive enzyme inhibition potential.

Maqui-berry (Aristotelia chilensis) is the emerging Chilean superfruit with high nutraceutical value. Until now, the research on this commodity was focused on the formulations enriched with polyphenols from the pulp. Herein, contents of tocols were compared in the seed oil of Maqui-berry obtained through three different extraction methods followed by determining their antioxidative and enzyme inhibitions in-vitro. Firstly, oilseed was extracted with n-hexane (Soxhlet method), chloroform/methanol/water (Bligh and Dyer method) and pressing (industrial). These samples were used to access their effects against DPPH, HORAC, ORAC, FRAP, Lipid-peroxidation (TBARS), α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase. All the isomers of tocopherol and tocotrienol were identified, and ß-sitosterol was the only sterol found in higher amounts than other vegetable oils. The Bligh and Dyer method could lead to the highest antioxidative capacity compared to Soxhlet and press methods likely because the latter have a higher amount of tocopherols. Further, seed oil from Maqui berry and their tocols (α, ß, γ, δ-tocopherols, tocotrienols, and ß-sitosterol) warrant clinical investigation for their antioxidative and antiobesity potential. Taken together, these findings provide relevant and suitable conditions for the industrial processing of Maqui-berry.