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Mathew S, Zhou X, Münch G, Raju R. Exploring the Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Australian Native Plants Based on their Ethnopharmacological Knowledge. Chem Biodivers 2024:e202400492. [PMID: 38700281 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202400492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Inflammation represents the inherent protective reaction of the human body to various harmful agents and noxious stimuli. Standard anti-inflammatory therapy including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are associated with several side effects. In the past decades, people rely on medicinal plants for the treatment of inflammation. The traditional utilization of medicinal plants is regarded as a safe, cost-effective, and broadly accepted approach. In this study, anti-inflammatory activity of plants traditionally utilized by the D'harawal people in Australia has been assessed in vitro. Eighty Australian native plants were screened based on the Dharawal Pharmacopeia for their inhibitory effect on the nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and interferon (IFN)-γ stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages for their anti-inflammatory activity. From the eighty ethanolic extracts screened, seventeen displayed potent NO inhibition with an IC50 recorded below 15 μg/mL. The aim of this review was to utilise the ethnopharmacological knowledge and to correlate the anti-inflammatory activity of the seventeen plants with either their known or unknown phytochemicals reported in the literature. In doing so, we have created a snapshot of Australian native plant candidates that warrant further chemical investigation associated with their anti-inflammatory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shintu Mathew
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Department of Pharmacology, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown Campus, Sydney, Australia
| | - Xian Zhou
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Gerald Münch
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Department of Pharmacology, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown Campus, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ritesh Raju
- Department of Pharmacology, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown Campus, Sydney, Australia
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Kumar P, Mathew S, Gamage R, Bodkin F, Doyle K, Rossetti I, Wagnon I, Zhou X, Raju R, Gyengesi E, Münch G. From the Bush to the Brain: Preclinical Stages of Ethnobotanical Anti-Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Drug Discovery-An Australian Example. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11086. [PMID: 37446262 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241311086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The Australian rainforest is a rich source of medicinal plants that have evolved in the face of dramatic environmental challenges over a million years due to its prolonged geographical isolation from other continents. The rainforest consists of an inherent richness of plant secondary metabolites that are the most intense in the rainforest. The search for more potent and more bioavailable compounds from other plant sources is ongoing, and our short review will outline the pathways from the discovery of bioactive plants to the structural identification of active compounds, testing for potency, and then neuroprotection in a triculture system, and finally, the validation in an appropriate neuro-inflammatory mouse model, using some examples from our current research. We will focus on neuroinflammation as a potential treatment target for neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's (PD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) for these plant-derived, anti-inflammatory molecules and highlight cytokine suppressive anti-inflammatory drugs (CSAIDs) as a better alternative to conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat neuroinflammatory disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Payaal Kumar
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Shintu Mathew
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Rashmi Gamage
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Frances Bodkin
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Kerrie Doyle
- Indigenous Health Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Ilaria Rossetti
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Ingrid Wagnon
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Xian Zhou
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Ritesh Raju
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Erika Gyengesi
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Gerald Münch
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
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Afzal S, Zhou X, Or K, Raju R, Münch G. Identification of Nrf2 Activators from the Roots of Valeriana officinalis. PLANTA MEDICA 2023; 89:30-45. [PMID: 35764305 DOI: 10.1055/a-1887-2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Various age-related chronic diseases have been linked to oxidative stress. The cellular antioxidant response pathway is regulated by the transcription factor nuclear erythroid factor 2. Therefore, plant-derived nuclear erythroid factor 2 activators might be useful therapeutics to stimulate the body's defense mechanisms. Our study focused on the discovery of potent nuclear erythroid factor 2 activators from medicinal plants. Initially, a variety of medicinal plant extracts were screened for nuclear erythroid factor 2 activity using a nuclear erythroid factor 2 luciferase reporter cell line. Among these, Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) root was identified as a potent candidate. Sequential extraction and bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of four nuclear erythroid factor 2-active compounds, which were structurally identified by NMR and LC/HRMS as the known compounds isovaltrate, valtrate, jatamanvaltrate-P, and valerenic acid. These four compounds were then tested in relevant biological assays. Firstly, their effects on the expression of glutathione S-transferase, glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit, glutathione peroxidase, and heme oxygenase 1 were determined in HepG2 cells. Glutathione S-transferase P1 and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit were upregulated by isovaltrate, valtrate, and jatamanvaltrate-P, while heme oxygenase 1 was upregulated by isovaltrate, jatamanvaltrate-P, and valerenic acid. The four compounds also increased the levels of glutathione and its metabolite, CysGly. As glutathione aids in the detoxification of hydrogen peroxide, cytoprotective effects of these four nuclear erythroid factor 2 activators against hydrogen peroxide toxicity were investigated, and indeed, the compounds significantly improved cell survival. This study provides evidence that four valepotriates from the roots of V. officinalis are activators of nuclear erythroid factor 2-mediated antioxidant and detoxification pathways. Our data might expand the medical use of this plant beyond its current application as a sleep aid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sualiha Afzal
- Pharmacology Unit, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Xian Zhou
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - King Or
- Pharmacology Unit, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Ritesh Raju
- Pharmacology Unit, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Gerald Münch
- Pharmacology Unit, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia
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Yeshi K, Turpin G, Jamtsho T, Wangchuk P. Indigenous Uses, Phytochemical Analysis, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Australian Tropical Medicinal Plants. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27123849. [PMID: 35744969 PMCID: PMC9231311 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27123849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Australian tropical plants have been a rich source of food (bush food) and medicine to the first Australians (Aboriginal people), who are believed to have lived for more than 50,000 years. Plants such as spreading sneezeweed (Centipeda minima), goat’s foot (Ipomoea pes-caprae), and hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa and D. polyandra) are a few popular Aboriginal medicinal plants. Thus far, more than 900 medicinal plants have been recorded in the tropical region alone, and many of them are associated with diverse ethnomedicinal uses that belong to the traditional owners of Aboriginal people. In our effort to find anti-inflammatory lead compounds in collaboration with Aboriginal communities from their medicinal plants, we reviewed 78 medicinal plants used against various inflammation and inflammatory-related conditions by Aboriginal people. Out of those 78 species, we have included only 45 species whose crude extracts or isolated pure compounds showed anti-inflammatory properties. Upon investigating compounds isolated from 40 species (for five species, only crude extracts were studied), 83 compounds were associated with various anti-inflammatory properties. Alphitolic acid, Betulinic acid, Malabaric acid, and Hispidulin reduced proinflammatory cytokines and cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and 2) with IC50 values ranging from 11.5 to 46.9 uM. Other promising anti-inflammatory compounds are Brevilin A (from Centipeda minima), Eupalestin, and 5′-methoxy nobiletin (from Ageratum conyzoides), Calophyllolide (from Calophyllum inophyllum), and Brusatol (from Brucea javanica). D. polyandra is one example of an Aboriginal medicinal plant from which a novel anti-inflammatory benzoyl ester clerodane diterpenoid compound was obtained (compound name not disclosed), and it is in the development of topical medicines for inflammatory skin diseases. Medicinal plants in the tropics and those associated with indigenous knowledge of Aboriginal people could be a potential alternative source of novel anti-inflammatory therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karma Yeshi
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Building E4, McGregor Rd, Smithfield, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia;
- Correspondence:
| | - Gerry Turpin
- Tropical Herbarium of Australia, James Cook University, Building E1, McGregor Rd, Smithfield, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia;
| | - Tenzin Jamtsho
- Yangchenphug High School, Ministry of Education, Thimphu 11001, Bhutan;
| | - Phurpa Wangchuk
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Building E4, McGregor Rd, Smithfield, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia;
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Venigalla M, Roberts TL, Raju R, Mrad M, Bodkin F, Kopp K, Doyle K, Münch G. Identification of tetragocarbone C and sideroxylin as the most potent anti-inflammatory components of Syncarpia glomulifera. Fitoterapia 2021; 150:104843. [PMID: 33539940 DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2021.104843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to ancient Western and Asian cultures, medicinal plants of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia have not been as intensively studied for their molecular composition and molecular bioactivity. Syncarpia glomulifera subsp. glomulifera is a species in the plant family Myrtaceae. The resin of the plant has been traditionally used by the D'harawal people of Western Sydney to heal inflamed sores and ulcers. Hence, the anti-inflammatory activity of its leaf extract was investigated in RAW 264.7 macrophage and N11 microglia cell lines to isolate and identify the most active compounds. One new compound, tetragocarbone C, and three known compounds, tetragocarbone B, sideroxylin, and lumaflavanone A showed potent anti-inflammatory activity by downregulating nitric oxide and TNF-α production in LPS and IFN-γ stimulated cells. Except for the less potent tetragocarbone B, all compounds had an IC50 value (for nitric oxide downregulation) of <10 μg/mL and moderate cytotoxicity in both cell lines. The molecular targets along pro-inflammatory signaling pathways were further investigated in RAW 264.7 cells. All four compounds suppressed phosphorylation of ERK, c-Jun, and limited the phosphorylation of STAT-1 and STAT-3 in response to LPS and IFN-γ activation. The four compounds also suppressed NF-κB activation by preventing the translocation of the p65 subunit into the nucleus. Collectively, these findings suggest that the compounds isolated from Syncarpia glomulifera, especially tetragocarbone C and sideroxylin are promising anti-inflammatory agents, and could be further investigated for the treatment of diseases characterized by chronic inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhuri Venigalla
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Building 30, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Tara Laurine Roberts
- School of Medicine, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Western Sydney University, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
| | - Ritesh Raju
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Building 30, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Melissa Mrad
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Building 30, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Frances Bodkin
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katja Kopp
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Building 30, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Kerrie Doyle
- Indigenous Health Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Building 30, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Gerald Münch
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Building 30, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia; NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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Potential anti-neuroinflammatory compounds from Australian plants - A review. Neurochem Int 2020; 142:104897. [PMID: 33186611 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is a complex response to brain injury involving the activation of glia, release of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and chemokines, and generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Even though it is considered an event secondary to neuronal death or dysfunction, neuro-inflammation comprises a majority of the non-neuronal contributors to the cause and progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and others. As a result of the lack of effectiveness of current treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, neuroinflammation has become a legitimate therapeutic target for drug discovery, leading to the study of various in vivo and in vitro models of neuroinflammation. Several molecules sourced from plants have displayed anti-inflammatory properties in the study of neurodegenerative diseases. A group of these anti-inflammatory compounds has been classified as cytokine-suppressive anti-inflammatory drugs (CSAIDs), which target the pro-inflammatory AP1 and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways and inhibit the expression of many pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, or nitric oxide. Australian plants, thriving amid the driest inhabited continent of the world, are an untapped source of chemical diversity in the form of secondary metabolites. These compounds are produced in response to biotic and abiotic stresses that the plants are exposed to in the highly biodiverse environment. This review is an attempt to highlight anti-inflammatory compounds isolated from Australian plants.
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Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of australian native plants in the context of wound healing: A review. Biologia (Bratisl) 2020. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-020-00636-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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