Fungistatic and bacteriostatic activities of alkamides from Heliopsis longipes roots: affinin and reduced amides

Anti-inflammatory effects of ethanolic extract and alkamides-derived from Heliopsis longipes roots

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Heliopsis longipes (A. Gray) Blake (Asteraceae) is a broadly used species in the Mexican, Central and South American Traditional Medicine for its anaesthetic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerative properties. The ethanolic extract contains alkamides, mainly affinin (spilanthol). This family of compounds exerts an in vitro inhibitory action on the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase enzymes.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study approaches the anti-inflammatory effect of the extract and its main bioactive component affinin and derived isobutyl-decanamide.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated through the mouse ear oedema test by means of two irritating agents, arachidonic acid (AA) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA).

RESULTS

Heliopsis longipes, affinin and isobutyl-decanamide displayed a marked anti-inflammatory effect on the AA model with ED(50)=0.8, 1.2 and 0.9 mg/ear, respectively. Nimesulide (1 mg/ear) was used as a reference drug. In PMA model, the extract and two alkamides also showed a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect with ED(50)=2.0, 1.3 and 1.1 mg/ear, respectively. Indomethacin (3 mg/ear) was used as reference drug.

CONCLUSIONS

These results could represent an important contribution to explain the anti-inflammatory ethnobotanical effects reported for Heliopsis longipes and other species containing affinin (spilanthol). For the first time the topical anti-inflammatory effects of Heliopsis longipes, affinin and isobutyl-decanamide were studied.

Interaction between Heliopsis longipes extract and diclofenac on the thermal hyperalgesia test

Heliopsis longipes is an herbaceous plant found in Mexico, used traditionally for its analgesic and anesthetic activities. Plant extracts in combined use with synthetic drugs may represent a therapeutic advantage for the clinical treatment of pain, allowing the use of lower doses, and limiting side-effects. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the possible pharmacological interaction between Heliopsis longipes ethanolic extract (HLEE) and diclofenac in the Hargreaves model of thermal hyperalgesia in the mouse. HLEE, diclofenac or fixed-dose ratio HLEE-diclofenac combinations were administered systemically to mice and the antihyperalgesic effect was evaluated using the thermal hyperalgesia test. All treatments produced a dose-dependent antihyperalgesic effect. ED(30) values were estimated for all the treatments and an isobologram was constructed. The derived theoretical ED(30) value for the HLEE-diclofenac combination was 54.4+/-9.4 mg/kg body wt, significantly higher than the actually observed experimental ED(30) value, 8.6+/-4.0 mg/kg body wt. This result corresponds to synergistic interaction between HLEE and diclofenac in the Hargreaves model of thermal hyperalgesia. Data suggest that low doses of the HLEE-diclofenac combination can interact synergistically at the systemic level and that this association may therefore represent a therapeutic advantage for the clinical treatment of inflammatory pain.

Inhibition of human P450 enzymes by natural extracts used in traditional medicine

Different medicinal plants are widely used in Cuba and Mexico to treat several disorders. This paper reports in vitro inhibitory effects on the P450 system of herbal products commonly used by people in Cuba and Mexico in traditional medicine for decades. Experiments were conducted in human liver microsomes. The catalytic activities of CYP1A1/2, 2D6, and 3A4 were measured using specific probe substrates. The Heliopsis longipes extract exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of the three enzymes, and similar effects were produced by affinin (an alkamide isolated from the H. longipes extract) and two catalytically reduced alkamides. Mangifera indica L. and Thalassia testudinum extracts, two natural polyphenol-rich extracts, diminished CYP1A1/2 and 3A4 activities, but not the CYP2D6 activity. These results suggest that these herbs inhibit the major human P450 enzymes involved in drug metabolism and could induce potential herbal-drug interactions.

Analgesic activity of affinin, an alkamide from Heliopsis longipes (Compositae)

Heliopsis longipes (Compositae) is a Mexican plant used as analgesic in pain toothache. A solution of 10mug/ml of dichloromethane extract from this plant showed analgesic activity determined by means of GABA release in mice brain slices. Through a bioassay-directed separation, fractions G-1, G-2, G-4 and G-6 at the same concentration were active. Affinin was the unique and common active compound, and evoke the GABA release 0.5min after administration at 1x10(-4)M concentration. Inactive compound were undeca-2E-en-8,10-dyinoic acid isobutylamide, hinokinin, 2'-hydroxyhinokinin, 3beta-sn-glyceroyl-(1''-palmitoxy)urs-12-ene, 13(18)-ursen-3beta-ol, 13(18)-ursen-3beta-acetate, beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol. The analgesic activity of Heliopsis longipes could be associated to affinin.

New natural noncannabinoid ligands for cannabinoid type-2 (CB2) receptors

Since the discovery that Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and related cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa L. act on specific physiological receptors in the human body and the subsequent elucidation of the mammalian endogenous cannabinoid system, no other natural product class has been reported to mimic the effects of cannabinoids. We recently found that N-alkyl amides from purple coneflower (Echinacea spp.) constitute a new class of cannabinomimetics, which specifically engage and activate the cannabinoid type-2 (CB2) receptors. Cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) and CB2 receptors belong to the family of G protein-coupled receptors and are the primary targets of the endogenous cannabinoids N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine and 2-arachidonoyl glyerol. CB2 receptors are believed to play an important role in distinct pathophysiological processes, including metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, pain, and bone loss. CB2 receptors have, therefore, become of interest as new targets in drug discovery. This review focuses on N-alkyl amide secondary metabolites from plants and underscores that this group of compounds may provide novel lead structures for the development of CB2-directed drugs.

Stereoselective synthesis and antifungal activities of (E)-alpha-(methoxyimino)benzeneacetate derivatives containing 1,3,5-substituted pyrazole ring

Thirteen novel (E)-alpha-(methoxyimino)benzeneacetate derivatives, the analogues of strobilurins, which contain two pharmacophoric substructures of the methyl (E)-methoxyiminoacetate moiety and 1,3,5-substituted pyrazole ring, were stereoselectively synthesized. It was found that the coupling reaction could give stereoselectively (E:Z ca. 14:1) the key intermediate material (E)-methyl 2-(hydroxyimino)-2-o-tolyl acetate (2). An X-ray crystallographic structure determination was carried out in a representative product. The preliminary bioassays indicated that all of the compounds 1 showed potent fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinereapers, Gibberella zeae, Physalospora piricola, and Bipolaris mayclis.

Synthesis and antifungal activities of alkyl N-(1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-carbonyl) carbamates and S-alkyl N-(1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-carbonyl) carbamothioates

A series of alkyl N-(1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-carbonyl) carbamates and S-alkyl N-(1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-carbonyl) carbamothioates with unsubstituted or monobrominated straight chain alkyl groups were synthesized and evaluated as fungistatic agents against Gibberella zeae and Alternaria kikuchiana. These compounds showed variable antifungal activities at concentrations of 5 and 50 microg/mL. The results showed that antifungal activities depended on the length of the alkyl chain with the optimal chain length of 6-11 carbons. Carbamic acid, (1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-ylcarbonyl)-, hexyl ester (4) showed a strong fungistatic activity against A. kikuchiana at both concentrations, with 90.7 and 54% growth inhibition at 50 and 5 microg/mL, respectively. Carbamic acid, (1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-ylcarbonyl)-, heptyl ester (5); Carbamic acid, (1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-ylcarbonyl)-, octyl ester (6); and Carbamic acid, (1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-ylcarbonyl)-, undecyl ester (9) showed strong fungistatic activity against G. zeae at both concentrations. Their growth inhibitions against G. zeae at the concentration of 5 microg/mL were 78, 63, and 59%, respectively.