Susceptibility of Tetranychus urticae Koch to an ethanol extract of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius leaves under laboratory conditions

Susceptibility of Tetranychus urticae to the Alkaloidal Extract of Zanthoxylum schreberi Bark: Phenotypic and Biochemical Insights for Biotechnological Exploitation

Tetranychus urticae Koch, a phytophagous mite, is one of the most significant crop pests globally. The primary method employed for controlling T. urticae involves chemical means, utilizing synthesized products, posing the risk of developing resistance. The urgency for novel strategies integrated into pest management programs to combat this mite is becoming increasingly imperative. Botanical pesticides emerge as a promising tool to forestall arthropod resistance. Among these, extracts from Rutaceae plants, abundant in bioactive specialized metabolites, have demonstrated potential as insecticides and miticides. In this study, various concentrations of alkaloidal extracts sourced from the bark of Zanthoxylum schreberi J.F.Gmel. (Rutaceae) were evaluated against T. urticae adult females. Furthermore, the extract's combination with three distinct commercial acaricides (i.e., chlorfenapyr, cyflumetofen, and abamectin) was also assessed for this mite. Chemical characterization of the extract via LC-MS allowed for the annotation of various compounds related to ten benzylisoquinoline-derived alkaloids. The extract, both alone and in combination with commercial insecticides, yielded varying responses, inducing over 40% mortality at 2% w/w, demonstrating a 90% repellency rate at the same concentration, and exerting a moderate impact on fecundity. These treatments extended beyond phenotypic responses, delving into the biochemical effects on treated T. urticae females through an exploration of the impact on four enzymes, i.e., acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), esterases (GE), and P450-like monooxygenases (PMO). Employing consensus docking studies and in vitro enzymatic evaluations, it was discovered that the Z. schreberi-derived extract and its constituents significantly affected two key enzymes, AChE and GST (IC50 < 6 µM), which were associated with the phenotypic observations of T. urticae females. The evaluation of alkaloid-rich botanicals showcases promising potential as a relevant biotechnological strategy in addressing mite-related concerns, offering a pathway toward innovative and sustainable pest management solutions.

Comparison of Phytochemical Composition and Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis of an Extract from Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Mill.) I. I. Johnst and Porophyllum ruderale (Jacq.) Cass. and Biological Cytotoxic and Antiproliferative Activity In Vitro

Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (CA) and Porophyllum ruderale (PR) are representative edible plants that are a traditional food source in Mexico. This research aimed to analyze the phytochemical composition and untargeted metabolomics analysis of CA and PR and evaluate their antiproliferative effect in vitro. The phytochemical composition (UPLC-DAD-QToF/MS-ESI) identified up to 38 polyphenols and selected organic acids that were clustered by the untargeted metabolomics in functional activities linked to indolizidines, pyridines, and organic acids. Compared with PR, CA displayed a higher reduction in the metabolic activity of human SW480 colon adenocarcinoma cells (LC50: 10.65 mg/mL), and both extracts increased the total apoptotic cells and arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase. PR increased mRNA Apc gene expression, whereas both extracts reduced mRNA Kras expression. Rutin/epigallocatechin gallate displayed the highest affinity to APC and K-RAS proteins in silico. Further research is needed to experiment on other cell lines. Results suggested that CA and PR are polyphenol-rich plant sources exhibiting antiproliferative effects in vitro.

Aqueous and Ethanolic Plant Extracts as Bio-Insecticides-Establishing a Bridge between Raw Scientific Data and Practical Reality

Global demand for food production is causing pressure to produce faster and bigger crop yields, leading to a rampant use of synthetical pesticides. To combat the nefarious consequences of its uses, a search for effective alternatives began in the last decades and is currently ongoing. Nature is seen as the main source of answers to crop protection problems, supported by several examples of plants/extracts used for this purpose in traditional agriculture. The literature reviewed allowed the identification of 95 plants whose extracts exhibit insecticide activity and can be used as bio-pesticides contributing to sustainable agriculture. The option for ethanol and/or water extracts is more environmentally friendly and resorts to easily accessible solvents, which can be reproduced by farmers themselves. This enables a bridge to be established between raw scientific data and a more practical reality. Azadirachta indica, Capsicum annuum, Nicotiana tabacum and Tagetes erecta are the most researched plants and have the potential to be viable options in the pest management approach. Azadirachta indica showed the most promising results and Brevicoryne brassicae was the most targeted pest species, being tested against the aqueous and/or ethanolic extracts of 23 different plants. Maceration using dried material (usually leaves) is the extraction method preferred by the majority of authors.

Cnidoscolus aconitifolius: usos terapéuticos y propiedades fitoquímicas. Revisión de la literatura

Introducción. El uso tradicional de plantas medicinales para tratar diferentes enfermedades, ya sean infecciosas o no, es ampliamente aceptado debido a su bajo costo y sus bajos índices de toxicidad. Estas plantas son frecuentemente usadas en casos que involucran irritaciones de la piel, heridas superficiales, picaduras de insectos y mordeduras de víboras.Objetivo. Recopilar la información disponible sobre los principales usos terapéuticos y los componentes fitoquímicos de Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, una planta conocida popularmente como chaya y que crece en regiones tropicales de México y Centroamérica.Materiales y métodos. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura sobre C. aconitifolius publicada hasta 2017 en las bases de datos BIREME, PubMed/Medline, Elsevier y SciELO. Para la búsqueda se emplearon los descriptores “Cnidoscolus” y “aconitifoloius”, y no se aplicaron filtros de idioma.Resultados. Se identificaron 82 artículos luego de completar la búsqueda inicial. Después de filtrar los estudios por título (presencia de descriptores de búsqueda en el título) y remover duplicados, se incluyeron 18 artículos en la revisión. De acuerdo a la información encontrada, fue posible confirmar que esta planta ofrece diversos beneficios para la salud.Conclusiones. El uso terapéutico tradicional de la chaya está sustentado por evidencia científica, por lo que se sugiere realizar más investigaciones centradas en la identificación de nuevas propiedades fitoquímicas de esta planta y, así, establecer alternativas terapéuticas para distintas afecciones.

Botanicals Against Tetranychus urticae Koch Under Laboratory Conditions: A Survey of Alternatives for Controlling Pest Mites

Tetranychus urticae Koch is a phytophagous mite capable of altering the physiological processes of plants, causing damages estimated at USD$ 4500 per hectare, corresponding to approximately 30% of the total cost of pesticides used in some important crops. Several tools are used in the management of this pest, with chemical control being the most frequently exploited. Nevertheless, the use of chemically synthesized acaricides brings a number of disadvantages, such as the development of resistance by the pest, hormolygosis, incompatibility with natural predators, phytotoxicity, environmental pollution, and risks to human health. In that sense, the continuous search for botanical pesticides arises as a complementary alternative in the control of T. urticae Koch. Although a lot of information is unknown about its mechanisms of action and composition, there are multiple experiments in lab conditions that have been performed to determine the toxic effects of botanicals on this mite. Among the most studied botanical families for this purpose are plants from the Lamiaceae, the Asteraceae, the Myrtaceae, and the Apiaceae taxons. These are particularly abundant and exhibit several results at different levels; therefore, many of them can be considered as promising elements to be included into integrated pest management for controlling T. urticae.

Ethnobotanic, phytochemical uses and ethnopharmacological profile of genus Cnidoscolus spp. (Euphorbiaceae): A comprehensive overview

The application of medicinal plants are the most important biotechnological alternative in the treatment of numerous diseases, especially in developing countries, such as Brazil. Among them, we specified some specimens of the genus Cnidoscolus used as phytotherapies, with healing properties, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and diuretic, anticancer, among others. Such effects are possibly associated with the presence of terpenoids, alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids phenolic compounds, among others. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate in the literature the studies on the phytochemical, ethnopharmacological and biotechnological applications of this genus, from 1998 to 2017. Among the sixty-one studies reported in this review, ten species are popularly utilized to pharmacological and/or biotechnological applications. Cnidoscolus aconitifolius and Cnidoscolus chayamansa are the most cited species, which were also supported by either animal or cellular investigations indicating some beneficial pharmacological actions like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and potential cytotoxic activity. The plant parts of this genus under study are important as sources for the isolation and identification of bioactive molecules with biotechnological applications, among the many diseases treated with this phytotherapy. Given these verdicts, ethnopharmacological approaches are significant systematic tools in the determination of plant species that exhibit medicinal and nutritional purposes. The results presented here should further stimulate the development of validation studies to ensure the safe and effective use of these plant species.

Phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Cnidoscolus Pohl species: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Cnidoscolus is a genus belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, distributed in South American countries, such as Mexico and Brazil, which includes several species widely used in folk medicine. However, the genus is not sufficiently exploited from a chemical and pharmacological point of view.

HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE

This paper aims to present a systematic review of known pharmacological and chemical aspects from Cnidoscolus, an important genus for South America research groups on medicinal plants. In this article, we highlight the importance of Cnidoscolus species in the search for new bioactive molecules.

STUDY DESIGN

A systematic review was conducted in order to collect chemical and pharmacological information on species of this genus in the last 25 years.

METHODS

Literature search was performed through specialized databases (PUBMED, LILACS, SCIELO, Science Direct and Web of Science) using different combinations of the following keywords: Cnidoscolus, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity. For the selection of the manuscripts, two independent investigators (RGOJ and CAAF) first selected the articles according to the title, then to the abstract and finally through an analysis of the full-text publication. All selected manuscripts were analyzed for year of publication, country where the research was performed, reported plant species, isolated chemical compounds and evaluated biological activities.

RESULTS

Most of the studies involving Cnidoscolus were conducted by research groups located in Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico. Regarding the annual evolution of the publications, a larger number of articles published in 2014 were observed. Flavonoids, triterpenes and diterpenes represent the main classes of secondary metabolites that have been isolated from Cnidoscolus. In terms of the pharmacological investigations, C. aconitifolius, C. chayamansa and C. quercifolius are considered the most studied species, with different pharmacological activities.

CONCLUSION

All findings indicate that Cnidoscolus is an important genus of the Euphorbiaceae family. However, considering its chemical and pharmacological importance, the studies developed with Cnidoscolus species are still limited, representing an opportunity to investigate new bioactive molecules.