Potential Therapeutic Effects of Underground Parts of Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Kalanchoe tomentosa: Phytochemical Profiling, and Evaluation of Its Biological Activities In Vitro, In Vivo, and In Silico

In this work, the leaves of K. tomentosa were macerated with hexane, chloroform, and methanol, respectively. The phytochemical profiles of hexane and chloroform extracts were unveiled using GC/MS, whereas the chemical composition of the methanol extract was analyzed using UPLC/MS/MS. The antibacterial activity of extracts was determined against gram-positive and gram-negative strains through the minimal inhibitory concentration assay, and in silico studies were implemented to analyze the interaction of phytoconstituents with bacterial peptides. The antioxidant property of extracts was assessed by evaluating their capacity to scavenge DPPH, ABTS, and H2O2 radicals. The toxicity of the extracts was recorded against Artemia salina nauplii and Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes. Results demonstrate that the hexane and chloroform extracts contain phytosterols, triterpenes, and fatty acids, whereas the methanol extract possesses glycosidic derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol together with sesquiterpene lactones. The antibacterial performance of extracts against the cultured strains was appraised as weak due to their MIC90 values (>500 μg/mL). As antioxidants, treatment with extracts executed high and moderate antioxidant activities within the range of 50-300 μg/mL. Extracts did not decrease the viability of A. salina, but they exerted a high toxic effect against C. elegans during exposure to treatment. Through in silico modeling, it was recorded that the flavonoids contained in the methanol extract can hamper the interaction of the NAM/NAG peptide, which is of great interest since it determines the formation of the peptide wall of gram-positive bacteria. This study reports for the first time the biological activities and phytochemical content of extracts from K. tomentosa and proposes a possible antibacterial mechanism of glycosidic derivatives of flavonoids against gram-positive bacteria.

Exploring the Pharmacognostical and Phytochemical Profiles of Aqueous Extracts of Kalanchoe

The use of plants for medicinal purposes has a long history, however it is desirable a continuous evaluation seeking for complementary scientific evidences for their safe application. Species within the Kalanchoe genus are often referred to as "miracle leaf" due to their remarkable healing properties. Traditionally, these plants have been used to treat infections, inflammation, and cancer. Despite their widespread use, the identification of their active components remains incomplete. This study aimed to differentiate K. crenata (KC), K. marmorata (KM), and K. pinnata (KP) by conducting detailed histochemical and phytochemical analyses, and to assess their antioxidant capabilities. The investigation revealed significant differences between the species, highlighting the variability in phenolic (PC) and flavonoid contents (FC) and their distinct antioxidant effects. The KM demonstrated the greatest results (PC: 59.26±1.53 mgEqGA/g; FC: 12.63±0.91 mgEqCQ/g; DPPH⋅ (IC50): 110.66 ug/mL; ABTS⋅+ (IC50): 26.81 ug/mL; ORAC: 9.65±0.75 mmolTE) when compared to KC and KP. These findings underscore a new reference for research within the Kalanchoe genus.

A Review of the Popular Uses, Anatomical, Chemical, and Biological Aspects of Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae): A Genus of Plants Known as "Miracle Leaf"

Species of the genus Kalanchoe have a long history of therapeutic use in ethnomedicine linked to their remarkable healing properties. Several species have chemical and anatomical similarities, often leading to confusion when they are used in folk medicine. This review aims to provide an overview and discussion of the reported traditional uses, botanical aspects, chemical constituents, and pharmacological potential of the Kalanchoe species. Published scientific materials were collected from the PubMed and SciFinder databases without restriction regarding the year of publication through April 2023. Ethnopharmacological knowledge suggests that these species have been used to treat infections, inflammation, injuries, and other disorders. Typically, all parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes either as crude extract or juice. Botanical evaluation can clarify species differentiation and can enable correct identification and validation of the scientific data. Flavonoids are the most common classes of secondary metabolites identified from Kalanchoe species and can be correlated with some biological studies (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial potential). This review summarizes several topics related to the Kalanchoe genus, supporting future studies regarding other unexplored research areas. The need to conduct further studies to confirm the popular uses and biological activities of bioactive compounds is also highlighted.

Bioactive Compounds from Kalanchoe Genus Potentially Useful for the Development of New Drugs

The genus Kalanchoe Adans. (Crassulaceae) is native to Madagascar and comprises 145 species, being naturalized in the tropics and cultivated worldwide. In addition to having ornamental value, several Kalanchoe species are commonly used in popular medicine for the treatment of inflammatory conditions, wounds, gastric ulcers, and other diseases. The great importance of the genus is reflected on its acknowledgment by traditional and alternative health systems and organizations, as well as on the growing number of papers reporting pharmacological properties of extracts and isolated compounds from Kalanchoe. Among these properties, we highlight anti-inflammatory, antitumor, wound healing, antiulcer, and muscle relaxing properties. These activities are attributed mostly to flavonoids and bufadienolides, the main secondary metabolites reported in Kalanchoe extracts. While bufadienolides are generally related to cytotoxic and muscle relaxing activities, flavonoids are commonly reported as anti-inflammatory and wound healing agents. This review provides up to date information and perspectives on bioactive compounds from the Kalanchoe genus that are potentially useful for the development of new drugs. It includes not only a discussion on the advantages of the Kalanchoe species as source of bioactive compounds, but also the gaps, opportunities, and challenges to translate the acquired knowledge into innovation for drug development.

Potential of Kalanchoe pinnata as a Cancer Treatment Adjuvant and an Epigenetic Regulator

Cancer is a global public health problem that is related to different environmental and lifestyle factors. Although the combination of screening, prevention, and treatment of cancer has resulted in increased patient survival, conventional treatments sometimes have therapeutic limitations such as resistance to drugs or severe side effects. Oriental culture includes herbal medicine as a complementary therapy in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This study aimed to identify the bioactive ingredients in Kalanchoe pinnata, a succulent herb with ethnomedical applications for several diseases, including cancer, and reveal its anticancer mechanisms through a molecular approach. The herb contains gallic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, quercetin, quercitrin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, bersaldegenin, bryophyllin a, bryophyllin c, bryophynol, bryophyllol and bryophollone, stigmasterol, campesterol, and other elements. Its phytochemicals participate in the regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, cell migration, angiogenesis, metastasis, oxidative stress, and autophagy. They have the potential to act as epigenetic drugs by reverting the acquired epigenetic changes associated with tumor resistance to therapy-such as the promoter methylation of suppressor genes, inhibition of DNMT1 and DNMT3b activity, and HDAC regulation-through methylation, thereby regulating the expression of genes involved in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Nrf2/Keap1, MEK/ERK, and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. All of the data support the use of K. pinnata as an adjuvant in cancer treatment.

Neurofuzzy logic predicts a fine-tuning metabolic reprogramming on elicited Bryophyllum PCSCs guided by salicylic acid

Novel approaches to the characterization of medicinal plants as biofactories have lately increased in the field of biotechnology. In this work, a multifaceted approach based on plant tissue culture, metabolomics, and machine learning was applied to decipher and further characterize the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds by eliciting cell suspension cultures from medicinal plants belonging to the Bryophyllum subgenus. The application of untargeted metabolomics provided a total of 460 phenolic compounds. The biosynthesis of 164 of them was significantly modulated by elicitation. The application of neurofuzzy logic as a machine learning tool allowed for deciphering the critical factors involved in the response to elicitation, predicting their influence and interactions on plant cell growth and the biosynthesis of several polyphenols subfamilies. The results indicate that salicylic acid plays a definitive genotype-dependent role in the elicitation of Bryophyllum cell cultures, while methyl jasmonate was revealed as a secondary factor. The knowledge provided by this approach opens a wide perspective on the research of medicinal plants and facilitates their biotechnological exploitation as biofactories in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical fields.

Cyclopamine functions as a suppressor of benign prostatic hyperplasia by inhibiting epithelial and stromal cell proliferation via suppression of the Hedgehog signaling pathway

Stromal-epithelial interaction serves a pivotal role in normal prostate growth, as well as the onset of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The present study aimed to explore the role of cyclopamine in the proliferation and apoptosis of epithelial and stromal cells in rats with BPH by blocking the Hedgehog signaling pathway. Cyclopamine (an inhibitor of the Hedgehog signaling pathway) was administered in a rat model of BPH, and the expression of Ki67 (proliferation factor) was determined by immunohistochemistry. In addition, epithelial and stromal cells were separated and cultured in order to investigate the role of cyclopamine in the progression of BPH. The expression of Hedgehog signaling pathway- and apoptosis-related genes, including basic fibroblastic growth factor (b-FGF) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), was evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed using an MTT assay and flow cytometry. We identified upregulated Ki67 expression and activated Hedgehog signaling pathway in rats with BPH. Cyclopamine inhibited the activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway. In response to cyclopamine treatment, epithelial and stromal cell proliferation was inhibited; this was concomitant with decreased Ki67, TGF-β, and b-FGF expression. On the other hand, epithelial cell apoptosis was enhanced, which was associated with increased Bax and reduced Bcl-2 expression. Based on these findings, we proposed that cyclopamine may serve as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of BPH. Cyclopamine could inhibit epithelial and stromal cell proliferation, and induce epithelial cell apoptosis by suppressing the Hedgehog signaling pathway.