Evaluation of Compositae sp. plants for antioxidant activity, antiinflammatory, anticancer and antiadipogenic activityin vitro

Hydroethanolic Leaf Extract of Cordia vignei Hutch and Dalziel Inhibits Carrageenan-Induced Foot Oedema in Chicks, Prostaglandin E2-Induced Paw Oedema in Mice, and Bradykinin-Induced Paw Oedema in Mice

Background

Cordia vignei Hutch and Dalziel (Fam. Boraginaceae) is a woody plant found in west tropical Africa. The aim of this research is to find out if the leaf extract of this plant prevents oedema in animal models.

Methods

(a) Inflammation was induced in the animals by injecting 100 µl of 2% lambda carrageenan into the subplantar tissue of the right footpads of 7-day-old chicks 1 h before or after oral administration of 30-300 mgkg-1 CVE. Oedema was measured for 5 h using the water displacement method. (b) Oedema was induced in ICR mice by subplantar injection of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) (50 µl of 1 nM) 30 minutes before or after CVE administration. Oedema was measured for 3 h. (c) Oedema was induced in ICR mice by subplantar injection of bradykinin (BK) (10 nmol/paw) 30 min before or after administration of extract.

Results

We found that CVE significantly (P < 0.05) prevented inflammation that was induced by injecting carrageenan into the footpads of the chicks. Also, we observed that CVE prevented inflammation produced by injecting PGE2 into the subplantar tissue of mice. Finally, we also report that CVE prevented inflammation produced by injecting BK into the subplantar tissues of mice. All these effects were observed in both preventive and curative protocols.

Conclusion

We conclude that Cordia vignei leaf extract has potential anti-inflammatory activity.

Discovery of Quality Markers of Nucleobases, Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Amino Acids for Chrysanthemi Flos From Different Geographical Origins Using UPLC-MS/MS Combined With Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Nucleobases, nucleosides, nucleotides and amino acids, as crucial nutrient compositions, play essential roles in determining the flavor, function and quality of Chrysanthemi Flos. The quality of Chrysanthemi Flos from different geographical origins is uneven, but there have been no reports about the screening of their quality markers based on nutritional ingredients. Here, we developed a comprehensive strategy integrating ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole linear ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and multivariate statistical analysis to explore quality markers of Chrysanthemi Flos from different geographical origins and conduct quality evaluation and discrimination of them. Firstly, a fast, sensitive, and reliable UPLC-MS/MS method was established for simultaneous quantification 28 nucleobases, nucleosides, nucleotides and amino acids of Chrysanthemi Flos from nine different regions in China. The results demonstrated that Chrysanthemi Flos from nine different cultivation regions were rich in the above 28 nutritional contents and their contents were obvious different; however, correlation analysis showed that altitude was not the main factor for these differences, which required further investigation. Subsequently, eight crucial quality markers for nine different geographical origins of Chrysanthemi Flos, namely, 2'-deoxyadenosine, guanosine, adenosine 3',5'-cyclic phosphate (cAMP), guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), arginine, proline, glutamate and tryptophan, were screened for the first time using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and the plot of variable importance for projection (VIP). Moreover, a hierarchical clustering analysis heat map was employed to intuitively clarify the distribution of eight quality markers in the nine different regions of Chrysanthemi Flos. Finally, based on the contents of selected eight quality markers, support vector machines (SVM) model was established to predict the geographical origins of Chrysanthemi Flos, which yielded excellent prediction performance with an average prediction accuracy of 100%. Taken together, the proposed strategy was suitable to discover the quality markers of Chrysanthemi Flos and could be used to discriminate its geographical origin.

Anticancer drug discovery from Iranian Chrysanthemum cultivars through system pharmacology exploration and experimental validation

Breast cancer is the most common carcinoma in women, and natural products would be effective preventing some side effects of cancer treatment. In the present study, cytotoxic activities of different Iranian Chrysanthemum morifolium cultivars were evaluated in human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) and human lymphocytes. A systems pharmacology approach was employed between major compounds of these cultivars (chlorogenic acid, luteolin, quercetin, rutin, ferulic acid, and apigenin) and known breast cancer drugs (tucatinib, methotrexate, tamoxifen, and mitomycin) with 22 breast cancer-related targets to analyze the mechanism through which Chrysanthemum cultivars act on breast cancer. Target validation was performed by the molecular docking method. The results indicated that Chrysanthemum extracts inhibited the proliferation of MCF7 cells in a dose- and cultivar-dependent manner. In all studied cultivars, the most effective extract concentration with the lowest viability of MCF-7 cells, was as much as 312 µg ml^-1. Also, higher concentrations of the extracts (> 1000 µg ml^-1) reduced the lymphocyte cell viability, demonstrating that these doses were toxic. The gene ontology analysis revealed the therapeutic effects of Chrysanthemum's active compounds on breast cancer by regulating the biological processes of their protein targets. Moreover, it has been documented that rutin, owing to its anticancer effects and several other health benefits, is a promising multi-targeted herbal ingredient. Finally, the present study compared different Iranian Chrysanthemum cultivars to provide new insights into useful pharmaceutical applications.

Himatanthus drasticus (Apocynaceae) latex reduces oxidative stress and modulates CD4+, CD8+, FoxP3+ and HSP-60+ expressions in Sarcoma 180-bearing mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

In Brazil, latex of Himatanthus drasticus is used to treat inflammation, wound healing and cancer. The present study evaluated the antitumoral potential of H. drasticus latex (HdCL) in Sarcoma 180-bearing mice (S180).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

HdCL was obtained in Crato-CE, Brazil. Qualitative phytochemicals assays, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and microbiological analyzes were performed. Swiss mice were divided into six groups, according to tumor forms: 1) ascitic model, GI (Control; 0.9% saline), GII (S₁₈₀asc) and GIII (S₁₈₀asc/HdCL/14 days); 2) solid model, GIV (Control; 0.9% saline), GV (S₁₈₀sol) and GVI (S₁₈₀sol/HdCL/10 days). HdCL and 0.9% saline were administered at 0.2 mL, SID, by gavage, for 10 or 14 days. For ascitic model, 0.5 mL of S180 suspension (4×10⁶ cells/mL) was inoculated intraperitoneally and for solid model, cells were inoculated subcutaneously (25 µL) on the right hind paw of mice. Blood samples were collected for hematological and oxidative stress evaluation. Thickness, volume and weight of paws were measured in solid model. After euthanasia, spleen, liver and kidney were collected in order to assess the relative organ weight. Tissue fragments of paws and popliteal lymph nodes (PLN) were analyzed by H&E and CD4⁺, CD8⁺, HSP-60⁺ and Foxp3⁺ immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

HdCL presented milky aspect and pinkish supernatant. Phenols, flavonols, flavanones, free steroids and cinnamoyl derivatives of lupeol, α-amyrin and β-amyrin were detected at the phytochemistry analysis. HdCL did not alter the relative weight of organs, hematological parameters and volume of ascitic fluid recovered. In solid model, HdCL reduced (P < 0.05) paw volume, but did not altered thickness, paw weight and histological parameters. S180sol induced necrosis, metastasis and destruction of bone, cartilage and muscles. Bleeding, vessel congestion and oncocytes were observed in PLN. In paw, HdCL did not alter FoxP3⁺ and HSP-60⁺ expressions but reduced the CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ expressions, while at PLN, HdCL reduced the expressions of all markers. HdCL decreased (P < 0.05) serum levels of malondialdehyde in ascitic model.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with HdCL reduced oxidative damage and modulated the expressions of CD4⁺, CD8⁺, FoxP3⁺and HSP-60⁺ in S180 solid tumor model, which can be associated to the presence of triterpenes, such as α-amyrin, β-amyrin and lupeol cinnamate. Present data emphasizes the importance of immune system in cancer and highlights the evaluation of the pharmacological properties of plants used by population as phytoterapics.

Antilipotoxicity Activity of Osmanthus fragrans and Chrysanthemum morifolium Flower Extracts in Hepatocytes and Renal Glomerular Mesangial Cells

The excess influx of free fatty acids (FFAs) into nonadipose tissues, such as those of liver and kidney, induces lipotoxicity leading to hepatic steatosis and renal dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of methanolic flower extracts of Osmanthus fragrans (OF) and Chrysanthemum morifolium (CM) against FFA-induced lipotoxicity in hepatocytes (human HepG2 cells) and renal glomerular mesangial cells (mouse SV40-Mes13 cells). The results showed that OF and CM significantly suppressed FFA-induced intracellular triacylglycerol accumulation via partially inhibiting the gene expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) in HepG2 cells. Both extracts inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by FFA-stimulated HepG2 cells. OF and CM also suppressed the mRNA expression of interleukin- (IL-) 1β, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, and transforming growth factor- (TGF-) β by HepG2 cells treated with conditioned medium derived from lipopolysaccharide-treated THP-1 monocytes. Furthermore, OF and CM effectively inhibited oleate-induced cellular lipid accumulation, TGF-β secretion, and overexpression of fibronectin in mesangial cells. In conclusion, OF and CM possess hepatoprotective activity by inhibiting hepatic fat load and inflammation and renal protection by preventing FFA-induced mesangial extracellular matrix formation.