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Campos MF, Mendonça SC, Peñaloza EMC, de Oliveira BAC, Rosa AS, Leitão GG, Tucci AR, Ferreira VNS, Oliveira TKF, Miranda MD, Allonso D, Leitão SG. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity of Ampelozizyphus amazonicus (Saracura-Mirá): Focus on the Modulation of the Spike-ACE2 Interaction by Chemically Characterized Bark Extracts by LC-DAD-APCI-MS/MS. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28073159. [PMID: 37049921 PMCID: PMC10095690 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28073159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional medicine shows several treatment protocols for COVID-19 based on natural products, revealing its potential as a possible source of anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Ampelozizyphus amazonicus is popularly used in the Brazilian Amazon as a fortifier and tonic, and recently, it has been reported to relieve COVID-19 symptoms. This work aimed to investigate the antiviral potential of A. amazonicus, focusing on the inhibition of spike and ACE2 receptor interaction, a key step in successful infection. Although saponins are the major compounds of this plant and often reported as its active principles, a polyphenol-rich extract was the best inhibitor of the spike and ACE2 interaction. Chemical characterization of A. amazonicus bark extracts by LC-DAD-APCI-MS/MS before and after clean-up steps for polyphenol removal showed that the latter play an essential role in maintaining this activity. The effects of the extracts on viral replication were also assessed, and all samples (aqueous and ethanol extracts) demonstrated in vitro activity, inhibiting viral titers in the supernatant of Calu-3 cells after 24 hpi. By acting both in the SARS-CoV-2 cell entry process and its replication, A. amazonicus bark extracts stand out as a multitarget agent, highlighting the species as a promising candidate in the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Freire Campos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia Vegetal e Bioprocessos, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Simony Carvalho Mendonça
- Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Evelyn Maribel Condori Peñaloza
- Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Beatriz A. C. de Oliveira
- Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Alice S. Rosa
- Laboratório de Morfologia e Morfogênese Viral, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, IOC-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gilda Guimarães Leitão
- Instituto de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Amanda R. Tucci
- Laboratório de Morfologia e Morfogênese Viral, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, IOC-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Vivian Neuza S. Ferreira
- Laboratório de Morfologia e Morfogênese Viral, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Thamara Kelcya F. Oliveira
- Laboratório de Morfologia e Morfogênese Viral, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, IOC-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Milene Dias Miranda
- Laboratório de Morfologia e Morfogênese Viral, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, IOC-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Diego Allonso
- Departamento de Biotecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Suzana Guimarães Leitão
- Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro 21.941-902, RJ, Brazil
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Leitão SG, Leitão GG, de Oliveira DR. Saracura-Mirá, a Proposed Brazilian Amazonian Adaptogen from Ampelozizyphus amazonicus. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:191. [PMID: 35050079 PMCID: PMC8781190 DOI: 10.3390/plants11020191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Amazon Forest is known all over the world for its diversity and exuberance, and for sheltering several indigenous groups and other traditional communities. There, as well as in several other countries, in traditional medical systems, weakness, fatigue and debility are seen as limiting health conditions where medicinal plants are often used in a non-specific way to improve body functions. This review brings together literature data on Ampelozizyphus amazonicus, commonly known in Brazil as "saracura-mirá" and/or "cerveja de índio", as an Amazonian adaptogen, including some contributions from the authors based on their ethnographic and laboratory experiences. Topics such as botany, chemistry, ethnopharmacological and pharmacological aspects that support the adaptogen character of this plant, as well as cultivation, market status and supply chain aspects are discussed, and the gaps to establish "saracura-mirá" as an ingredient for the pharmaceutical purposes identified. The revised data presented good scientific evidence supporting the use of this Amazonian plant as a new adaptogen. Literature data also reveal that a detailed survey on natural populations of this plant is needed, as well as agronomical studies that could furnish A. amazonicus bark as a raw material. Another important issue is the lack of developed quality control methods to assure its quality assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzana Guimarães Leitão
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Bl. A2, sl. 10, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Gilda Guimarães Leitão
- Instituto de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco H, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil;
| | - Danilo Ribeiro de Oliveira
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Bl. A2, sl. 10, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
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Mendonça SC, Simas RC, Reis Simas DL, Leitão SG, Leitão GG. Mass spectrometry as a tool for the dereplication of saponins from Ampelozizyphus amazonicus Ducke bark and wood. PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS : PCA 2021; 32:262-282. [PMID: 32681766 DOI: 10.1002/pca.2972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mass spectrometry in natural products research has been used as a first step to identify possible chemical structures and to guide subsequent efforts to isolate novel compounds. Preparations of Ampelozizyphus amazonicus Ducke (AA) are known for their high content of saponins, especially dammarane-type triterpenoid aglycones. In the Amazon, where it is known as "saracura-mirá", roots and bark are widely used for the treatment and prevention of malaria, while the wood is discarded. The extract prepared from the wood is also saponin-rich, but its exact chemical composition has not been described. OBJECTIVE This study provides information on the chemical profiling and tentative structural identification of the major compounds (saponins) present in aqueous and ethanol extracts of bark and wood of AA by mass spectrometry. METHODS The strategy used to identify compounds present in all samples was ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet detector coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-UV-MS/MS) for the analysis of fragmentation patterns through product ion scan using MZmine 2 software. Also, direct sample injection and electrospray ionisation combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry (DI-ESI-HRMS) measurements were performed. RESULTS The extracts showed chemical similarity, and 95 saponins were tentatively identified in AA wood and bark, including 73 which are described for the first time as tentative structures for this plant species. CONCLUSION This research describes a useful method for the fast and simultaneous tentative identification of major saponins in AA, contributing to the study of the chemical properties of this genus and family. Furthermore, it demonstrates the importance of the qualitative dereplication process, allowing a straightforward way to propose the tentative identification of compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simony C Mendonça
- Instituto de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rosineide C Simas
- Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Suzana G Leitão
- Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gilda G Leitão
- Instituto de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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