A Scoping Review of Genus Viscum: Biological and Chemical Aspects of Alcoholic Extracts.

The genus Viscum comprises a large number of semi-parasitic shrubs popularly known as Mistletoe. The Viscum species grow in many countries of Europe, Africa and Asia with different popular uses in ornamentation, foods and medicine. Many studies about Viscum have been done over the last years focusing on biological activities and chemical composition of the aqueous extracts, mainly related to anthroposophical medicines. However, it is known that non-aqueous preparations, as alcoholic extracts, have demonstrated different biological activities that are species-and host tree-dependent. Considering the potential of these alcoholic extracts, a scoping review was conducted using data from three online databases: PubMed, Scopus and Embase. Inclusion criteria consisted of the in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, clinical and chemical studies of alcoholic extracts from Viscum species. The present review summarized 124 original publications about fourteen Viscum species. Viscum album, Viscum articulatum and Viscum coloratum were the main studied species. Alcoholic extracts demonstrated hypotensive, anticancer, antimicrobial, analgesic and anti-inflammatory capabilities, among other biological activities. Flavonoids, phenolic acids and terpenoids represented 48%, 24% and 11% of the total identified compounds, respectively. This review contributes to the knowledge of alcoholic preparations of the Viscum species and points out the lack of clinical studies concerning these different extracts.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity of Ampelozizyphus amazonicus (Saracura-Mirá): Focus on the Modulation of the Spike-ACE2 Interaction by Chemically Characterized Bark Extracts by LC-DAD-APCI-MS/MS.

Traditional medicine shows several treatment protocols for COVID-19 based on natural products, revealing its potential as a possible source of anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Ampelozizyphus amazonicus is popularly used in the Brazilian Amazon as a fortifier and tonic, and recently, it has been reported to relieve COVID-19 symptoms. This work aimed to investigate the antiviral potential of A. amazonicus, focusing on the inhibition of spike and ACE2 receptor interaction, a key step in successful infection. Although saponins are the major compounds of this plant and often reported as its active principles, a polyphenol-rich extract was the best inhibitor of the spike and ACE2 interaction. Chemical characterization of A. amazonicus bark extracts by LC-DAD-APCI-MS/MS before and after clean-up steps for polyphenol removal showed that the latter play an essential role in maintaining this activity. The effects of the extracts on viral replication were also assessed, and all samples (aqueous and ethanol extracts) demonstrated in vitro activity, inhibiting viral titers in the supernatant of Calu-3 cells after 24 hpi. By acting both in the SARS-CoV-2 cell entry process and its replication, A. amazonicus bark extracts stand out as a multitarget agent, highlighting the species as a promising candidate in the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.

Medicinal Plants in Peru as a Source of Immunomodulatory Drugs Potentially Useful Against COVID-19.

The current COVID-19 pandemic, characterized by a highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome, led us to look for medicinal plants as an alternative to obtain new drugs, especially those with immunomodulatory abilities, capable of acting against the pulmonary infection caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite medical advances with COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, plant-based compounds could provide an array of suitable candidates to test against this virus, or at the very least, to alleviate some symptoms. Therefore, this review explores some plants widely used in Peru that show immunomodulatory properties or, even more, contain phytoconstituents potentially useful to prevent or alleviate the COVID-19 infection. More interestingly, the present review highlights relevant information from those plants to support the development of new drugs to boost the immune system. We used three criteria to choose nine vegetal species, and a descriptive search was then conducted from 1978 to 2021 on different databases, using keywords focused on the immune system that included information such as pharmacological properties, phytochemical, botanical, ethnobotanical uses, and some clinical trials. From these literature data, our results displayed considerable immunomodulation activity along with anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and antitumoral activities. Noticeably, these pharmacological activities are related with a wide variety of bioactive phytoconstituents (mixtures or isolated compounds) which may be beneficial in modulating the overt inflammatory response in severe COVID-19. Further scientific research on the pharmacological activities and clinical utilization of these potential plants are warranted. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43450-023-00367-w.

Metabolomics by UHPLC-Q-TOF Reveals Host Tree-Dependent Phytochemical Variation in Viscum album L.

Viscum album L., commonly known as European mistletoe, is a hemi-parasitic plant of the Santalaceae family. The in vitro and in vivo effects of V. album differ, according to its host tree. However, little is known about the host-dependent phytochemical diversity in V. album. In this study, the metabolic profiles of V. album ssp. album from Malus domestica Bork., Quercus robur L., and Ulmus carpinifolia Gled were compared. Leaves, stems, and berries were collected in Switzerland, by the same procedure, in September 2016 and 2017. The methanolic extracts were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography, coupled to electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in positive ionization mode. The data were submitted to partial-least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and the results showed that the V. album ssp. album samples were clustered into three groups, according to the three distinct host trees. Seven compounds, with high VIP scores (variable importance in projection), were responsible for this differentiation. The following four compounds were detected in both the harvest years: arginine, pipecolic acid or lysine, dimethoxycoumarin, and sinapyl alcohol, suggesting their use as host specific V. album biomarkers. The present work highlights the importance of standardized harvest and analytical procedures for the reproducibility of the chemical results of herbal materials.

Comprehensive Metabolome Analysis of Fermented Aqueous Extracts of Viscum album L. by Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Fermented aqueous extracts of Viscum album L. are widely used for cancer treatment in complementary medicine. The high molecular weight compounds viscotoxins and lectins are considered to be the main active substances in the extracts. However, a vast number of small molecules (≤1500 Da) is also expected to be present, and few studies have investigated their identities. In this study, a comprehensive metabolome analysis of samples of fermented aqueous extracts of V. album from two host tree species (Malus domestica and Pinus sylvestris), both prepared by two pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, was performed by liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). A total of 212 metabolites were putatively annotated, including primary metabolites (e.g., amino acids, organic acids, etc.) and secondary metabolites (mostly phenolic compounds). A clear separation between V. album samples according to the host tree species, but not due to manufacturing processes, was observed by principal component analysis. The biomarkers responsible for this discrimination were assessed by partial least squares-discriminant analysis. Because V. album extracts from different host trees have different clinical applications, the present work highlights the possibility of characterizing the metabolome for identification and traceability of V. album fermented aqueous extracts.

Catálogo y estudio farmacognóstico de plantas medicinales del distrito de Llacanora, provincia de Cajamarca, departamento de Cajamarca / Catalog and pharmacognostic study of medicinal plants of the district of Llacanora, province of Cajamarca, department of Cajamarca

Llacanora, en la provincia de Cajamarca es un distrito turístico de típico ambiente andino, poseedor de un valle fértil y pintorescos paisajes, uno de los menos poblados de la provincia, en su mayoría rural. Recurren en gran número a la medicina tradicional para la cura de sus males, por ello el consumo de plantas medicinales es amplio y muy variado para las diferentes enfermedades. La conocedora del saber tradicional del lugar llamada "la curandera", es la encargada de diagnosticar, preparar y administrar las plantas medicinales utilizando la sabiduría popular adquirida a lo largo de su experiencia. No existe documentación científica que recopile y revalore el uso, lo que podría perderse con el paso de los años. La forma de transmisión del conocimiento es netamente oral, lo que sería perjudicial por poseer especies potenciales en su mayoría para la búsqueda de nuevas terapias y fármacos. El objetivo del trabajo fue recolectar y estudiar las plantas medicinales utilizadas en el distrito de Llacanora, seleccionar aquellas de mayor uso a las que se les realizó el estudio farmacognóstico, cortes histológicos de la(s) droga(s) que permitieron determinar los constituyentes químicos; plasmar en los escritos gran parte de la sabiduría y cosmovisión del lugar. Todo ello con el fin de obtener datos de campo y laboratorio que servirán para posteriores estudios que validen los usos tradicionales atribuidos en la comunidad. Fueron realizadas 58 entrevistas semi-estructuradas dirigidas a la curandera del lugar y reconocida por la comunidad; así mismo se participó de vivencias durante la cura de pacientes, actividades familiares y comunitarias. Fueron colectadas, herborizadas y clasificadas taxonómicamente 53 plantas. Las especies fueron colectadas en los viajes al interior del lugar, guiadas por la curandera y miembros de su familia, del mismo modo aquellas que se encontraban en zonas muy alejadas y de difícil acceso fueron proporcionadas por lugareños. Las familias botánicas más citadas fueron Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae y Solanaceae. Los metabolitos secundarios más representativos fueron compuestos fenólicos, triterpenoides, esteroides, y alcaloides. Los cortes histológicos fueron realizados a la parte de la planta que es utilizada para las preparaciones medicinales (droga), siendo en su mayoría las hojas. En el catálogo se recopiló la información obtenida, resaltando el uso medicinal atribuido en el lugar, forma de preparación, dosis, botánica, hábitat y ubicación geográfica, entre otros puntos por cada especie. Así mismo, a partir de las entrevistas y vivencias se mostró la solidaridad, respeto mutuo entre la ciencia y tradición, confianza, amistad y necesidad de crear conciencia del cuidado de la biodiversidad entre los habitantes. Todo ello como contribución a la comunidad, para que el conocimiento tradicional y sus especies se mantengan vivas y se continúen usando a través del tiempo.