HPLC-based activity profiling for antiplasmodial compounds in the traditional Indonesian medicinal plant Carica papaya L

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Leaf decoctions of Carica papaya have been traditionally used in some parts of Indonesia to treat and prevent malaria. Leaf extracts and fraction have been previously shown to possess antiplasmodial activity in vitro and in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Antiplasmodial activity of extracts was confirmed and the active fractions in the extract were identified by HPLC-based activity profiling, a gradient HPLC fractionation of a single injection of the extract, followed by offline bioassay of the obtained microfractions. For preparative isolation of compounds, an alkaloidal fraction was obtained via adsorption on cationic ion exchange resin. Active compounds were purified by HPLC-MS and MPLC-ELSD. Structures were established by HR-ESI-MS and NMR spectroscopy. For compounds 5 and 7 absolute configuration was confirmed by comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy data, and by X-ray crystallography. Compounds were tested for bioactivity in vitro against four parasites (Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania donovani, and Plasmodium falciparum), and in the Plasmodium berghei mouse model.

RESULTS

Profiling indicated flavonoids and alkaloids in the active time windows. A total of nine compounds were isolated. Four were known flavonols--manghaslin, clitorin, rutin, and nicotiflorin. Five compounds isolated from the alkaloidal fraction were piperidine alkaloids. Compounds 5 and 6 were inactive carpamic acid and methyl carpamate, while three alkaloids 7-9 showed high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity. When tested in the Plasmodium berghei mouse model, carpaine (7) did not increase the survival time of animals.

CONCLUSIONS

The antiplasmodial activity of papaya leaves could be linked to alkaloids. Among these, carpaine was highly active and selective in vitro. The high in vitro activity could not be substantiated with the in vivo murine model. Further investigations are needed to clarify the divergence between our negative in vivo results for carpaine, and previous reports of in vivo activity with papaya leaf extracts.

Naturally occurring polyphenolic inhibitors of amyloid beta aggregation

Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease and is one of the main causes of death in developed countries. Consumption of foods rich in polyphenolics is strongly correlated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Our study has investigated the biological activity of previously untested polyphenolic compounds in preventing amyloid β aggregation. The anti-aggregatory potential of these compounds was assessed using the Thioflavin-T assay, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and size exclusion chromatography. Two structurally related compounds, luteolin and transilitin were identified as potent inhibitors of Aβ fibril formation. Computational docking studies with an X-ray derived oligomeric structure offer a rationale for the inhibitory activity observed and may facilitate development of improved inhibitors of Aβ aggregation and toxicity.

In vitro anti-HIV-1 activities of kaempferol and kaempferol-7-O-glucoside isolated from Securigera securidaca

Previously, we reported that the kaempferol and kaempferol-7-O-glucoside isolated from Securigera securidaca showed potent anti-HSV activity. In the present study the anti-HIV-1 activities of kaempferol and kaempferol-7-O-glucoside are investigated at different concentrations (100, 50, 25 and 10 μg/ml) using HIV-1 p24 Antigen kit. Real-time Polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was also used for quantification of full range of virus load observed in treated and untreated cells. According to the results of RT- PCR, tested compounds at a concentration of 100 μg/ml exerted potent inhibitory effect. Time of drug addition experiments demonstrated that these compounds exerted their inhibitory effects on the early stage of HIV infection. The results also showed potent anti-HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity. Antiviral activity of kaempferol-7-O-glucoside was more pronounced than that of kaempferol. These findings demonstrate that kaempferol-7-O-glucoside could be considered as a new potential drug candidate for the treatment of HIV infection which requires further assessments.

Spectroscopic investigation on the interaction of 3,7-dihydroxyflavone with different isomers of human serum albumin

The interaction mechanism of 3,7-dihydroxyflavone (3,7-diHF) and human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by fluorescence quenching, fluorescence enhancement, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence emission and UV-vis absorption spectrometry. The binding site of 3,7-diHF on protein was determined by investigating the spectroscopic properties of 3,7-diHF-HSA complex at pH 7.4 and pH 3.5 individually, and confirmed by the site marker competitive experiments. The binding parameters of 3,7-diHF-HSA complex were estimated by fluorescence quenching experiments, and the data were in good agreement with the results obtained from fluorescence enhancement measurements. A remarkable increase in the fluorescence anisotropy values suggested that 3,7-diHF bound at a motional restricted pocket on HSA. The results indicated that 3,7-diHF, in anionic form, was bound within the hydrophobic pockets of the subdomain IIA of HSA (site I), and stabilised mainly by electrostatic force and ionic interactions. The binding mode of drug-protein was discussed based on above experimental results.

Concordance between antioxidant activities and flavonol contents in different extracts and fractions of Cuscuta chinensis

Chinese herbs employed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been used for centuries in the practice of medicated diet and dietetic therapy. The seed of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. (Convolvulaceae), a commonly used traditional Chinese herb, is frequently added in Chinese cooking and preparation of refreshments, including porridge and alcoholic beverages, to nourish the human body. In the present study, we compared the antioxidant activities of water and ethanol extracts from the seeds C. chinensis and also of its different organic fractions, including n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and organic water, by assessing their DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazine) free radical-scavenging, superoxide anion scavenging, anti-superoxide anion formation and anti-lipid peroxidation abilities. The flavonol contents of all test samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) detector. The results showed that there is a direct correlation of the flavonol content with the antioxidant activities from the extracts and fractions of C. chinensis. Moreover, the ethyl acetate fraction demonstrated significantly better and higher antioxidant effects, and also had a higher flavonol content than had the remaining samples (P<0.05). The water fractions, however, exhibited the weakest antioxidant activity, and had low concentrations of flavonols. Thus, we suggest that the ethanol extract of C. chinensis, but not its water extract, could be used as a dietary nutritional supplement to promote human health and prevent oxidation-related diseases, due to its antioxidant properties.