Genotoxicity testing of Cecropia obtusifolia extracts in two in vivo assays: the wing somatic mutation and recombination test of Drosophila and the human cytokinesis-block micronucleus test

Pharmacognostic Evaluation of Ten Species of Medicinal Importance of Cecropia: Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Perspectives

This work covers a systematic review of literature about the genus Cecropia from 1978 to 2020, emphasizing the analysis of 10 of the most relevant species and their associated biological activities. Cecropia is a neotropical genus, which comprises about 61 native species in the American continent where it is known to be part of the traditional medicine of numerous countries. Secondary metabolites described for this genus showed an elevated structural and functional diversity, where polyphenols have been the most abundant. Based on this diversity, Cecropia phytochemicals represent an important source of potential therapeutic agents yet to be exploited. This review also highlights the effectiveness of combining chemometrics and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry as a novel approach to successfully single out Cecropia species phytochemicals. While the medicinal use of Cecropia species is officially recognized in National Pharmacopoeias and Formularies of several Latin American countries, it is important to recognize that these phytomedicines are complex mixtures requiring a thorough understanding of their chemical composition and their correlation with biological activities to guarantee their quality, safety, and efficacy.

Integrated Analysis of the Transcriptome and Metabolome of Cecropia obtusifolia: A Plant with High Chlorogenic Acid Content Traditionally Used to Treat Diabetes Mellitus

This investigation cultured Cecropia obtusifolia cells in suspension to evaluate the effect of nitrate deficiency on the growth and production of chlorogenic acid (CGA), a secondary metabolite with hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity that acts directly on type 2 diabetes mellitus. Using cell cultures in suspension, a kinetics time course was established with six time points and four total nitrate concentrations. The metabolites of interest were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the metabolome was analyzed using directed and nondirected approaches. Finally, using RNA-seq methodology, the first transcript collection for C. obtusifolia was generated. HPLC analysis detected CGA at all sampling points, while metabolomic analysis confirmed the identity of CGA and of precursors involved in its biosynthesis. Transcriptome analysis identified differentially expressed genes and enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of CGA. C. obtusifolia probably expresses a key enzyme with bifunctional activity, the hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase and hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HQT/HCT), which recognizes shikimic acid or quinic acid as a substrate and incorporates either into one of the two routes responsible for CGA biosynthesis.

Traditional Herbal Medicine in Mesoamerica: Toward Its Evidence Base for Improving Universal Health Coverage

The quality of health care in Mesoamerica is influenced by its rich cultural diversity and characterized by social inequalities. Especially indigenous and rural communities confront diverse barriers to accessing formal health services, leading to often conflicting plurimedical systems. Fostering integrative medicine is a fundamental pillar for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) for marginalized populations. Recent developments toward health sovereignty in the region are concerned with assessing the role of traditional medicines, and particularly herbal medicines, to foster accessible and culturally pertinent healthcare provision models. In Mesoamerica, as in most regions of the world, a wealth of information on traditional and complementary medicine has been recorded. Yet these data are often scattered, making it difficult for policy makers to regulate and integrate traditionally used botanical products into primary health care. This critical review is based on a quantitative analysis of 28 survey papers focusing on the traditional use of botanical drugs in Mesoamerica used for the compilation of the "Mesoamerican Medicinal Plant Database" (MAMPDB), which includes a total of 12,537 use-records for 2188 plant taxa. Our approach presents a fundamental step toward UHC by presenting a pharmacological and toxicological review of the cross-culturally salient plant taxa and associated botanical drugs used in traditional medicine in Mesoamerica. Especially for native herbal drugs, data about safety and effectiveness are limited. Commonly used cross-culturally salient botanical drugs, which are considered safe but for which data on effectiveness is lacking constitute ideal candidates for treatment outcome studies.

Selection of chemical markers for the quality control of medicinal plants of the genus Cecropia

CONTEXT

Several Cecropia (Cecropiaceae) species are traditionally used in Latin America for the treatment of a variety of diseases including diabetes, arterial hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, anxiety, and inflammation. At present, a number of commercial products based on these plants have been introduced into the market with very little information on methods for guaranteeing their quality and safety.

OBJECTIVE

This work proposes potential chemical markers for the quality control of the raw materials of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol., Cecropia peltata L., Cecropia glaziovii Snethl., Cecropia pachystachya Trécul, and Cecropia hololeuca Miq.

METHODS

The Herbal Chemical Marker Ranking System (Herb MaRS) developed by the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) at the University of Western Sydney was used for selecting chemical markers for the quality control of selected medicinal species of Cecropia. This review covers the period from 1982 to 2016.

RESULTS

Chlorogenic acid, flavonoidal glycosides (orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, and rutin), catechin, epicatechin, procyanidins (B2, B5, and C1), steroids (β-sitosterol), and triterpenoids (α-amyrin, pomolic, tormentic and ursolic acids) were selected as chemical markers for the quality control of the leaves.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to establish comprehensive standards for guaranteeing quality, safety and efficacy of herbal drugs. The selection of adequate chemical markers for quality control purposes requires a good knowledge about the chemical composition of medicinal plants and their associated biological properties. To the best of our knowledge this review article is the first to address the identification and quantitative determination of the chemical markers for the genus Cecropia.

Genotoxic, mutagenic and antigenotoxic effects of Cecropia pachystachya Trécul aqueous extract using in vivo and in vitro assays

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cecropia pachystachya is a medicinal plant native to South and Central Americas used to treat asthma and diabetes.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In this study, we evaluated the genotoxic, mutagenic and antigenotoxic effects of crude aqueous extract of C. pachystachya (CAE-Cp) leaves.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

CAE-Cp was analyzed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method to determine total phenolic and tannin contents. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify major compounds. Distinct tissues from female and male adult mice were treated with 500-2000mg/kg of CAE-Cp by gavage for the comet assay and micronucleus test analyses. In addition, peripheral blood slides of the group treated with 2000mg/kg CAE-Cp were analyzed 3, 6, and 24h after treatment and were exposed to hydrogen peroxide (ex vivo) to evaluate the genotoxic effect using the comet assay. The Salmonella/microsome assay was carried out against to TA100, TA98, TA97a, TA102, and TA1535 strains in presence and absence of the S9 mix.

RESULTS

HPLC showed the presence of chlorogenic acid, isoorientin, orientin, and isovitexin as major compounds. Total phenolic and tannin contents were, respectively, 305.6±0.80 and 144.6±19.04mg of gallic acid equivalent/g of extract. Brain DNA damage was observed in all groups treated with CAE-Cp. The H₂O₂ challenge indicated genotoxic effect only 6h after the administration of the extract. No increase was detected in micronucleus frequency for any group treated with the extract. Mutagenic effects were detected by Salmonella/microsome assay only in TA102 strain without S9 mix at higher doses.

CONCLUSION

The results obtained indicate that CAE-Cp was genotoxic to brain tissue. This result is supported by other papers, showing that compounds present in this extract can cross the blood-brain barrier and act on central nervous system.

Antimutagenic and antirecombinagenic activities of noni fruit juice in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster

Noni, a Hawaiian name for the fruit of Morinda citrifolia L., is a traditional medicinal plant from Polynesia widely used for the treatment of many diseases including arthritis, diabetes, asthma, hypertension and cancer. Here, a commercial noni juice (TNJ) was evaluated for its protective activities against the lesions induced by mitomycin C (MMC) and doxorrubicin (DXR) using the Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) in Drosophila melanogaster. Three-day-old larvae, trans-heterozygous for two genetic markers (mwh and flr3 ), were co-treated with TNJ plus MMC or DXR. We have observed a reduction in genotoxic effects of MMC and DXR caused by the juice. TNJ provoked a marked decrease in all kinds of MMC- and DXR-induced mutant spots, mainly due to its antirecombinagenic activity. The TNJ protective effects were concentration-dependent, indicating a dose-response correlation, that can be attributed to a powerful antioxidant and/or free radical scavenger ability of TNJ.

Leishmanicidal activity of Cecropia pachystachya flavonoids: arginase inhibition and altered mitochondrial DNA arrangement

The plant Cecropia pachystachya Trécul is widely used in Brazilian ethnomedicine to treat hypertension, asthma, and diabetes. Arginase is an enzyme with levels that are elevated in these disorders, and it is central to Leishmania polyamine biosynthesis. The aims of this study were to evaluate antileishmanial activity and inhibition of the arginase enzyme by C. pachystachya extracts, and to study changes in cellular organization using electron microscopy. The ethanol extract of C. pachystachya was tested on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis promastigote survival/proliferation and arginase activity in vitro. Qualitative ultrastructural analysis was also used to observe changes in cell organization. The major bioactive molecules of the ethanol extract were characterized using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). The ethyl acetate fraction of the ethanol extract diminished promastigote axenic growth/survival, inhibited arginase activity, and altered a mitochondrial kinetoplast DNA (K-DNA) array. The bioactive compounds of C. pachystachya were characterized as glucoside flavonoids. Orientin (9) (luteolin-8-C-glucoside) was the main component of the methanol-soluble ethyl acetate fraction obtained from the ethanol extract and is an arginase inhibitor (IC50 15.9 μM). The ethyl acetate fraction was not cytotoxic to splenocytes at a concentration of 200 μg/mL. In conclusion, C. pachystachya contains bioactive compounds that reduce the growth of L. (L.) amazonensis promastigotes, altering mitochondrial K-DNA arrangement and inhibiting arginase.

A brief review on anti diabetic plants: Global distribution, active ingredients, extraction techniques and acting mechanisms

A study has been conducted with the aim to provide researchers with general information on anti diabetic extracts based on relevant research articles collected from 34 reliable medical journals. The study showed that Asian and African continents have 56% and 17% share of the worldwide distribution of therapeutic herbal plants, respectively. In Asia, India and China are the leading countries in herbal plants research, and there has been an increase in medicinal research on plants extract for diabetes treatment since 1995 in these regions. The information collected shows that plant leaves are about 20% more favorable for storing active ingredients, as compared to other parts of herbal plants. A brief review on the extraction techniques for the mentioned parts is also included. Furthermore, the acting mechanisms for the anti diabetic activity were described, and the related active ingredients were identified. The findings reveal that most of the anti diabetic research is focused on the alteration of glucose metabolism to prevent diabetes.

Chemical and Pharmacological Aspects of the Genus Cecropia

The Cecropia genus consists of about 60 species distributed throughout Latin America, mostly in Brazil. These species are widely used in traditional medicine to treat cough, asthma, bronchitis, high blood pressure, inflammation, heart disease, and as a diuretic. In recent years, there has been an increase in research on Cecropia species, with several phytochemical and pharmacological reports. Concerning its chemical composition, C-glycosylflavonoids and proanthocyanidins have been described as the main constituents of C. glaziovii, C. hololeuca and C. pachystachya, while terpenoids and steroids have been reported in several species, including C. adenopus and C. pachystachya. Among the pharmacological properties described for the genus, the most frequently reported are hypoglycemic activity for C. obtusifolia and C. peltata, and hypotensive and central nervous system activity for C. glaziovii. The present review compiles the information available on this genus because of its ethnopharmacological relevance and the potential therapeutic uses of these species.

Antimutagenic activity of two medicinal phytoextracts in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE

We used the wing somatic assay in Drosophila melanogaster to test the hypothesis that two phytoextracts from Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol (Cecropiaceae) and Equisetum myriochaetum Schlecht. et Cham (Equisetaceae), which are used in folk medicine to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus, could detoxify the mutagen hydrogen peroxide.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Third instar larvae from standard (ST) and high-bioactivation (HB) crosses were chronically exposed to different concentrations of the phytoextracts. Hydrogen peroxide was used to induce oxidative stress and was chronically tested in both crosses. Catalase activity was measured in larvae of both strains 48 h after treatment with hydrogen peroxide. A pretreatment protocol was devised to test the antimutagenic potency of the medicinal extracts.

RESULTS

The present study showed that neither of the phytoextracts were genotoxic in Drosophila. Interestingly, the antioxidant enzyme activity levels were different between the larvae. Hydrogen peroxide resulted in a significant genotoxic effect in the ST cross, whereas a detoxification of hydrogen peroxide was found in the HB cross. Thus, catalase was stimulated in the HB cross, which was indicative of a cellular defense mechanism mounted against a xenobiotic hazard. We found that the percentage of inhibition of spots produced by E. myriochaetum was much higher than that induced by Cecropia obtusifolia.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

These results are in agreement with the uses of these phytoextracts in traditional medicine. Indeed, the lack of genotoxicity and the antimutagenic activity observed for both phytoextracts validates their use as a therapeutic modality to treat diabetic patients. Moreover, these extracts are suitable for consumption as teas and/or phytomedicines.