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Giampaoli O, Messi M, Merlet T, Sciubba F, Canepari S, Spagnoli M, Astolfi ML. Landfill fire impact on bee health: beneficial effect of dietary supplementation with medicinal plants and probiotics in reducing oxidative stress and metal accumulation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-31561-x. [PMID: 38158534 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31561-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The honey bee is an important pollinator insect susceptible to environmental contaminants. We investigated the effects of a waste fire event on elemental content, oxidative stress, and metabolic response in bees fed different nutrients (probiotics, Quassia amara, and placebo). The level of the elements was also investigated in honey and beeswax. Our data show a general increase in elemental concentrations in all bee groups after the event; however, the administration of probiotics and Quassia amara help fight oxidative stress in bees. Significantly lower concentrations of Ni, S, and U for honey in the probiotic group and a general and significant decrease in elemental concentrations for beeswax in the probiotic group and Li in the Quassia amara group were observed after the fire waste event. The comparison of the metabolic profiles through pre- and post-event PCA analyses showed that bees treated with different feeds react differently to the environmental event. The greatest differences in metabolic profiles are observed between the placebo-fed bees compared to the others. This study can help to understand how some stress factors can affect the health of bees and to take measures to protect these precious insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ottavia Giampaoli
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- NMR-Based Metabolomics Laboratory (NMLab), Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Messi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Thomas Merlet
- Department of Chemistry, Toulouse INP - ENSIACET, 4 Allée Emile Monso, 31030, Toulouse, France
| | - Fabio Sciubba
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- NMR-Based Metabolomics Laboratory (NMLab), Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Canepari
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Via Salaria, Km 29,300, Monterotondo St, 00015, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariangela Spagnoli
- Department of Medicine, Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Hygiene, INAIL, via Fontana Candida 1, 00078, Monte Porzio Catone, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Astolfi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Research Center for Applied Sciences to the Safeguard of Environment and Cultural Heritage (CIABC), Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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Obembe OO, Usman TO, Raji Y. Hepatoprotective effects of Quassia amara stem bark against cadmium-induced toxicity in male Wistar rats. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol 2021; 32:1131-1136. [PMID: 33544994 DOI: 10.1515/jbcpp-2020-0128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The liver is one of the primary biorepositories of cadmium (Cd) and it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatic diseases. Quassia amara stem bark has been reputed to have strong antimalarial, antimicrobial, antiulcerative and amoebicidal properties. This study aims to determine the effects of Q. amara on Cd-induced hepatotoxicity and lipid profile in male Wistar rats. METHODS The animals were divided into three groups of five animals each. Group 1 served as control while group 2 received Cd (5 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Prior to Cd treatment, group 3 was treated with Q. amara extract (200 mg/kg) for 2 weeks and received the Q. amara and Cd simultaneously for 4 weeks. RESULTS Cadmium caused significant increase in serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) as well as increased hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) when compared with the control group. On the other hand, Cd caused a decrease in serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) when compared with control. However, treatment with Q. amara prevented Cd-induced changes in the lipid profile, augmented Cd-induced decline in SOD and also ameliorated the Cd-induced increase in MDA. Catalase level was however comparable across the groups. CONCLUSIONS Q. amara ameliorated the Cd-induced damage to liver by preventing dyslipidemia and oxidative damage in the hepatic tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olawale O Obembe
- Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University, Osogbo Nigeria
| | - Taofeek O Usman
- Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University, Osogbo Nigeria
| | - Yinusa Raji
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan Nigeria
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Patel K, Patel DK. Health Benefits of Quassin from Quassia amara: A Comprehensive Review of their Ethnopharmacological Importance, Pharmacology, Phytochemistry and Analytical Aspects. CURRENT NUTRITION & FOOD SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.2174/1573401314666181023094645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
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Medicinal plants have been indispensable to human life as they are used in food,
cosmetics, medicines, nutraceuticals, perfumery, beverages and many more sectors. The medicinal
plant contains various important classes of phytochemicals and broadly they are categorized into either
primary or secondary metabolite. A large number of modern medicines are mainly derived from
plant and other natural sources. Medicinal properties of plants are mainly due to the presence of their
secondary metabolite and good examples are salicylic acid, morphine, quinine, vincristin and
vinblastine. In spite of the great discovery of allopathic medicine, plant pure phytoconstituents play
an important role in the modern medicine. Various plant based medicine are available in the market
and people are using it on the basis of the belief that it is safer compared to the allopathic medicine.
Furthermore, based on these believes, people use most of the traditional medicines in their routine
life for the treatment of numerous disorders and this is called self-medication. Quassia amara plant
belongs to Simaroubaceae family which is one of the best examples of the self-medicated plant. Traditionally
Quassia amara has antimalarial, stomachic, antianaemic, antibiotics, cytotoxic and
antiamoebic activity. Its reproductive, insecticidal, larvicidal and vermifuge properties have been also
reported in the literature. Quassinoids are the important phytoconstituents of this plant and are the
main bitter principles of Quassia amara too. Quassin is a white crystalline substance and is widely
used in Chinese herbal medicine for their bitter taste. The purpose of this review is to gain an understanding
of the Quassin and Quassia amara and to present information and knowledge regarding this
phytoconstituent. Medicinal uses, pharmacological importance and various bioanalytical methods of
Quassin and Quassia amara have been presented in this review. The benefit of this review is to get
better understanding and ideas of Quassin and Quassia amara research findings in various disciplines.
Furthermore, there is a need to perform more scientific investigation to explore the other beneficial
properties of Quassia amara and Quassin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanika Patel
- Department of Pharmaceutical science, Shalom Institute of Health and Allied Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad 211007, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Dinesh Kumar Patel
- Department of Pharmaceutical science, Shalom Institute of Health and Allied Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad 211007, Uttar Pradesh, India
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The in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer activities of a standardized quassinoids composition from Eurycoma longifolia on LNCaP human prostate cancer cells. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121752. [PMID: 25826409 PMCID: PMC4380335 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 02/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Quassinoids are a group of diterpenoids found in plants from the Simaroubaceae family. They are also the major bioactive compounds found in Eurycoma longifolia which is commonly used as traditional medicine in South East Asia to treat various ailments including sexual dysfunction and infertility. These uses are attributed to its ability to improve testosterone level in men. Chronic consumption of E. longifolia extracts has been reported to increase testosterone level in men and animal model but its effect on prostate growth remains unknown. Therefore, the present study investigates the effects of a standardized total quassinoids composition (SQ40) containing 40% of the total quassinoids found in E. longifolia on LNCaP human prostate cancer cell line. SQ40 inhibited LNCaP cell growth at IC50 value of 5.97 μg/mL while the IC50 on RWPE-1 human prostate normal cells was 59.26 μg/mL. SQ40 also inhibited 5α-dihydrotestosterone-stimulated growth in LNCaP cells dose-dependently. The inhibitory effect of SQ40 in anchorage-independent growth of LNCaP cells was also demonstrated using soft agar assay. SQ40 suppressed LNCaP cell growth via G0/G1 phase arrest which was accompanied by the down-regulation of CDK4, CDK2, Cyclin D1 and Cyclin D3 and up-regulation of p21Waf1/Cip1 protein levels. SQ40 at higher concentrations or longer treatment duration can cause G2M growth arrest leading to apoptotic cell death as demonstrated by the detection of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage in LNCaP cells. Moreover, SQ40 also inhibited androgen receptor translocation to nucleus which is important for the transactivation of its target gene, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and resulted in a significant reduction of PSA secretion after the treatment. In addition, intraperitoneal injection of 5 and 10 mg/kg of SQ40 also significantly suppressed the LNCaP tumor growth on mouse xenograft model. Results from the present study suggest that the standardized total quassinoids composition from E. longifolia promotes anti-prostate cancer activities in LNCaP human prostate cancer cells.
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Abstract
Peptic ulcer is a common disease characterized by lesions that affect the mucosa of the esophagus, stomach and/or duodenum, and may extend into the muscular layer of the mucosa. Natural products have played an important role in the process of development and discovery of new drugs, due to their wide structural diversity and present, mostly specific and selective biological activities. Among natural products the alkaloids, biologically active secondary metabolites, that can be found in plants, animals or microorganisms stand out. The alkaloids are compounds consisting of a basic nitrogen atom that may or may not be part of a heterocyclic ring. This review will describe 15 alkaloids with antiulcer activity in animal models and in vitro studies.
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