ABSTRACT
Resumen: El "Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis" (Librito de las Hierbas Medicinales de los Indios) fue elaborado por los sabios indígenas Martín De la Cruz y Juan Badiano, 31 años después de la caída del imperio azteca. El primero es su autor, el segundo tradujo el manuscrito del Náhuatl al latín. Contiene numerosas recetas para tratar enfermedades humanas y 185 dibujos a color de las plantas utilizadas. En 1939 se publicó por primera vez como "Un Herbario Azteca". Empero, también contiene enfermedades y prácticas médicas europeas del siglo XVI. Presentamos una revisión actualizada de este hermoso códice, su historia, concepción, creadores y botánica; además, la química y farmacología de cinco plantas ahí citadas. El Libellus es una ventana en el tiempo que permite la investigación científica del antiguo conocimiento etnofarmacológico en Mesoamérica y documentar su persistencia, desaparición o transformación. Sin embargo, esto requiere superar desafíos lingüísticos, pero también derivados de su contexto histórico, antropológico, cultural, botánico y médico.
Abstract: The "Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis" (Little Book of Indian Medicinal Plants) was composed by the indigenous sages Martín De la Cruz and Juan Badiano, 31 years after the Aztec Empire fall. The former was the author, and the latter translated the manuscript from the Nahuatl language to Latin. It contains numerous recipes for treating human diseases and 185 colored drawings of the prescribed plants. In 1939 it was first published as "An Aztec Herbarium". However, it also contains XVI century European diseases and medical practices. We present an updated review of this beautiful codex, its history, conception, creators, and botany; as well as, the chemistry and pharmacology of five plants therein cited. The Libellus is a window in the time that allows the scientific research of ancient ethnopharmacological knowledge in Mesoamerica and document its persistence, disappearance, or transformation. However, this requires overcoming linguistic defies, but also derived from its historical, anthropological, cultural, botanical, and medical context.
Subject(s)
History, 16th Century , Plants, Medicinal , Science/history , Americas , Ethnopharmacology , MexicoABSTRACT
The propolis produced by bees are used in alternative medicine for treating inflammation, and infections, presumably due to its antioxidant properties. In this context, five propolis from México were investigated to determine their inhibitory lipid peroxidation properties. The ethyl acetate extract from a red propolis from Chiapas State (4-EAEP) was the most potent (IC50 = 1.42 ± 0.07 µg/mL) in the TBARS assay, and selected for further studies. This extract afforded two new compounds, epoxypinocembrin chalcone (6), and an ε-caprolactone derivative (10), as well as pinostrobin (1), izalpinin (2), cinnamic acid (3), pinocembrin (4), kaempherol (5), 3,3-dimethylallyl caffeate in mixture with isopent-3-enyl caffeate (7a + 7b), 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid (8), rhamnetin (9) and caffeic acid (11). The HPLC profile, anti-mycobacterial, and antioxidant properties of this extract was also determined. Most of the isolated compounds were also tested by inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in challenged mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs), and DPPH. Their anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by TPA, and MPO (myeloperoxidase) activity by ear edema test in mice. The most potent compounds were 7a + 7b in the TBARS assay (IC50 = 0.49 ± 0.06 µM), and 2 which restored the ROS baseline (3.5 µM). Our results indicate that 4-EAEP has anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties due to its active compounds, suggesting it has anti-allergy and anti-asthma potential.
