Green coffee extract attenuates Parkinson's-related behaviors in animal models

Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between coffee consumption and the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). The effects of the oral treatment with green (non-roasted) coffee extracts (CE, 100 or 400 mg/kg) and caffeine (31.2 mg/kg) were evaluated on catalepsy induced by haloperidol in mice, and unilateral 6-OHDA lesion of medial forebrain bundle (MFB) or striatum in rats. Also, the in vitro antioxidant activity and the monoamine levels in the striatum were investigated. CE presented a mild antioxidant activity in vitro and its administration decreased the catalepsy index. CE at the dose of 400 mg/kg induced ipsilateral rotations 14 days after lesion; however, chronic 30-day CE and caffeine treatments did not interfere with the animals' rotation after apomorphine or methamphetamine challenges in animals with MFB lesion, nor on monoamines levels. Furthermore, CE and caffeine were effective in inhibiting the asymmetry between ipsilateral and contralateral rotations induced by methamphetamine and apomorphine in animals with lesion in the striatum but did not avoid the monoamines depletion. These results indicate that CE components indirectly modulate dopaminergic transmission, suggesting a pro-dopaminergic action of CE, and further investigation must be conducted to elucidate the mechanisms of action and the possible neuroprotective role in PD.

Ethnopharmacology: a laboratory science?

Abstract In 1962, Richard Evans Schultes defined ethnobotany as “the study of the relationships which exist between people of the primitive society and their plant environment”. Ethnopharmacology, considered a sub-discipline of ethnobotany, has been conceptualized in different ways over time. Since the 80’s, implicit in these different concepts was the need for the validation of traditional/popular knowledge through pharmacological and phytochemical studies. According to these ideas, plants or animals identified during fieldwork should be investigated by these sciences in order to prove or disprove their “empirical” use, only resulting in an ethnopharmacological study if they passed through the methodologies of “academic laboratory science”. The historical trajectory of these concepts leads us to think that ethnopharmacology is a science only if tested and proven, without considering or recognizing the knowledge of other cultures as a science in itself. We present here some examples from traditional medicine hoping to bring a conceptual, holistic, practical and ethical reflection on the theme.

The Confrontation between Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacological Tests of Medicinal Plants Associated with Mental and Neurological Disorders

For neurological disorders, pharmacological tests have shown promising results in the reduction of side effects when using plants with known therapeutic effects in the treatment of some types of dementia. Therefore, the goals of this study are to gather data about the major medicinal plants used in the nervous system as described in ethnopharmacological surveys from South America and Brazil and to compare this data with the results from pharmacological tests on the active principles of those same plants found in the scientific literature. After collecting the data about each plant, their respective popular indication was compared with the results found through pharmacological tests. The discrepancy rate between the effects observed by ethnopharmacological and pharmacological methods in this study is greater than 50%. In conclusion, despite the importance of ethnopharmacological data, it is important to make comparisons with pharmacological tests for the same plants, since the pharmacological studies, although few, have shown a high rate of discrepancy in the results.

Ethnobotany, phytochemistry and neuropharmacological effects of Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae): A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Petiveria alliacea L. commonly grows in the tropical regions of the Americas such as the Amazon forest, Central America, Caribbean islands and Mexico, as well as specific regions of Africa. Popularly known by several different names including 'mucuracaá', 'guiné' and 'pipi', P. alliacea has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as anxiety, pain, memory deficits and seizures, as well as for its anaesthetic and sedative properties. Furthermore, the use of this species for religious ceremonies has been reported since the era of slavery in the Americas. Therefore, the present review aims to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of P. alliacea, focusing on CNS pharmacological effects, in order to identify scientific lacunae and to open new perspectives for future research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A literature search was performed on P. alliacea using ethnobotanical textbooks, published articles in peer-reviewed journals, unpublished materials, government survey reports and scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and Google Scholar. The Plant List, International Plant Name Index and Kew Botanical Garden Plant name databases were used to validate the scientific names.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Crude extracts, fractions and phytochemical constituents isolated from various parts of P. alliacea show a wide spectrum of neuropharmacological activities including anxiolytic, antidepressant, antinociceptive and anti-seizure, and as cognitive enhancers. Phytochemistry studies of P. alliacea indicate that this plant contains a diversity of biologically active compounds, with qualitative and quantitative variations of the major compounds depending on the region of collection and the harvest season, such as essential oil (Petiverina), saponinic glycosides, isoarborinol-triterpene, isoarborinol-acetate, isoarborinol-cinnamate, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. Root chemical analyses have revealed coumarins, benzyl-hydroxy-ethyl-trisulphide, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, dibenzyl trisulphide, potassium nitrate, b-sitosterol, isoarborinol, isoarborinol-acetate, isoarborinol-cinnamate, polyphenols, trithiolaniacine, glucose and glycine.

CONCLUSIONS

Many traditional uses of P. alliacea have now been validated by modern pharmacology research. The available data reviewed here support the emergence of P. alliacea as a potential source for the treatment of different CNS disorders including anxiety, depression, pain, epilepsy and memory impairments. However, further studies are certainly required to improve the knowledge about the mechanisms of action, toxicity and efficacy of the plant as well as about its bioactive compounds before it can be approved in terms of its safety for therapeutic applications.

Resilience and adaptation in the use of medicinal plants with suspected anti-inflammatory activity in the Brazilian Northeast

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

This study uses the utilitarian redundancy model as a basis to investigate issues related to the preference for plants native to the Caatinga used as anti-inflammatories by respondents from the community of Carão in rural Pernambuco, Brazil.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

For this purpose, 49 respondents and 24 native plants used as anti-inflammatories were selected from a database built by previous studies in this study area. Interviews with respondents were conducted by applying the checklist-interview technique and by presenting photographs of plants, which were ordered according to plant preference for each type of inflammation mentioned. After elaborating each list of preferences, we inquired as to the criteria used for the construction of the lists. A salience index was calculated to determine the most- and least-preferred species, and principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the most significant criteria used by the respondents to indicate the preferred plants for anti-inflammatory use.

RESULTS

We identified 37 subcategories or inflammatory conditions, most of which were associated with disorders of the genitourinary (8 conditions), digestive (7) and respiratory (4) systems. Subcategories with the highest level of redundancy include "wound" (79.1% of species), "cut" (66.6%) and "uterus" (66.6%), and five non-redundant conditions were identified (only one species). We obtained approximately 300 lists and 18 choice criteria. PCA analysis showed that seven species were most preferred by the respondents, as they showed the highest salience values, and that the preferred criterion was "treatment effectiveness".

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that inflammation is a complex collection of disorders consisting of several subcategories. Furthermore, respondents preferred different treatments for different inflammatory conditions, which pose a challenge for future pharmacological studies that aim to assess the biological activity of anti-inflammatory plants. Preferences were very specific, focused on a small number of species and mainly related to therapeutic effectiveness.

Plants with neurobiological activity as potential targets for drug discovery

Significant number of studies has been performed to find alternatives or treatments for diseases of the nervous forum by identifying structures with activity at the central nervous system (CNS). However most of the screenings are usually conducted on an ad hoc basis and not systematically. The initial purpose of this review was to screen plants with neurological bioactivity, in particular those that have not been fully studied and that have molecular mechanisms whose active constituents responsible for the activity remain to be identified. The second purpose was to identify potential target plants for future studies of new and alternative therapies for the treatment of neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. All plants considered in this review were selected for three qualities: possible molecular requirements to act at the CNS; representative of the main classes of compounds with the referred bioactivity and the major families containing species with those compounds; and diffuse world distribution. We identified several examples of plants that have potential for further study. We have included the main families of these plants, their known molecular mechanisms involved in neurological bioactivity, and the active constituents responsible for such activity. Also included is a brief discussion about the requirements of the different compounds to reach the CNS. These requirements may be less limited than what researchers have previously thought.