Biopiracy of natural products and good bioprospecting practice

Anticancer diterpenes of African natural products: Mechanistic pathways and preclinical developments

BACKGROUND

The African continent is home to five biodiversity hotspots, boasting an immense wealth of medicinal flora, fungi and marine life. Diterpenes extracted from such natural products have compelling cytotoxic activities that warrant further exploration for the drug market, particularly in cancer therapy, where mortality rates remain elevated worldwide.

PURPOSE

To demonstrate the potential of African natural products on the global stage for cancer therapy development and provide an in-depth analysis of the current literature on the activity of cancer cytotoxic diterpenes from African natural sources (to our knowledge, the first of its kind); not only to reveal the most promising candidates for clinical development, but to demonstrate the importance of preserving the threatened ecosystems of Africa.

METHODS

A comprehensive search by means of the PRISMA strategy was conducted using electronic databases, namely Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. The search terms employed were 'diterpene & mechanism & cancer' and 'diterpene & clinical & cancer'. The selection process involved assessing titles in English, Portuguese and Spanish, adhering to predefined eligibility criteria. The timeframe for inclusion spanned from 2010 to 2023, resulting in 218 relevant papers. Chemical structures were visualized using ChemDraw 21.0, PubChem was utilized to search for CID numbers.

RESULTS

Despite being one of the richest biodiverse zones in the world, African natural products are proportionally underreported compared to Asian countries or otherwise. The diterpenes andrographolide (Andrographis paniculata), forskolin (Coleus forskohlii), ent-kauranes from Isodon spp., euphosorophane A (Euphorbia sororia), cafestol & kahweol (Coffea spp.), macrocylic jolkinol D derivatives (Euphorbia piscatoria) and cyathane erinacine A (Hericium erinaceus) illustrated the most encouraging data for further cancer therapy exploration and development.

CONCLUSIONS

Diterpenes from African natural products have the potential to be economically significant active pharmaceutical and medicinal ingredients, specifically focussed on anticancer therapeutics.

A scoping review of Ayurvedic rasayana adaptogens in oncology

INTRODUCTION

Rasayanas are Ayurvedic natural products that have adaptogenic effects. The extensive research on rasayanas in oncology is not currently well summarized. The aim of this review is to investigate the range and nature of the current body of research, identify gaps in knowledge, and to summarize the existing literature as it relates to Ayurvedic rasayanas and oncology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of fifteen Ayurvedic adaptogen rasayanas was conducted using three main concepts: Ayurvedic herbal terms, neoplasm terms, and oncological pathways. After screening was performed, key variables were extracted (tagged) including type of adaptogen, cancer type, type of study design, constituent type, and mechanisms of action (MOA). The results were synthesized and summarized using descriptive statistics and narrative summaries.

RESULTS

Five hundred and eighty-four articles were reviewed and tagged. The two most tagged adaptogens were Glycyrrhiza glabra (Yashthimadhu/licorice) (n = 166 (28.4 %)) and Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) (n = 151 (25.9 %)). The most frequently tagged cancer diagnostic categories were gastrointestinal (n = 175 (30 %)), and breast (n = 126 (21 %)). Most of the articles focused on in vitro studies (n = 470 (80.3 %)). Of the 12 MOA tags, the most frequently tagged was apoptosis (n = 298 (29.2 %)).

CONCLUSION

A large body of pre-clinical literature exists on adaptogen rasayanas in oncology, indicating this field of research is still in its early phase. Comparatively few studies focused on the effects on the immune system. Given the growing interest in immuno-oncology therapeutics and the potential impact of adaptogen rasayanas on the immune system, future research may focus more in this area, along with work that is more directly linked to future clinical studies.

Soil as a transdisciplinary research catalyst: from bioprospecting to biorespecting

The vast microbial biodiversity of soils is beginning to be observed and understood by applying modern DNA sequencing techniques. However, ensuring this potentially valuable information is used in a fair and equitable way remains a challenge. Here, we present a public engagement project that explores this topic through collaborative research of soil microbiomes at six urban locations using nanopore-based DNA sequencing. The project brought together researchers from the disciplines of synthetic biology, environmental humanities and microbial ecology, as well as school students aged 14-16 years old, to gain a broader understanding of views on the use of data from the environment. Discussions led to the transformation of 'bioprospecting', a metaphor with extractive connotations which is often used to frame environmental DNA sequencing studies, towards a more collaborative approach-'biorespecting'. This shift in terminology acknowledges that genetic information contained in soil arises as a result of entire ecosystems, including the people involved in its creation. Therefore, any use of sequence information should be accountable to the ecosystems from which it arose. As knowledge can arise from ecosystems and communities, science and technology should acknowledge this link and reciprocate with care and benefit-sharing to help improve the wellbeing of future generations.

Scientific production on medicinal plants and their efficacy against Covid-19: A review and scientometric analysis based on VOSviewer

Historically, numerous plants have been used to alleviate various diseases, particularly viral diseases (bronchitis, influenza virus and dengue virus). This review evaluated their therapeutic potential against Covid-19 and mapped the 10 most studied plants during the pandemic. The standardized protocol for systematic reviews (PRISMA-P) was developed in this study. All studies involving medicinal plants and their potential against Covid-19 infection were also considered. Two specific search fields “traditional medicine and Covid-19” and “medicinal plants and Covid-19” with appearance in the title, abstract and keywords were used to search for information. Only papers (review and original) published between 2020 and October 2021 were included. Short communications, letters to the editor, books and book chapters were excluded. A total of 24,046 articles were recorded among the four databases and an increase of 69% in publications for the 2021 search date, a higher percentage compared to the previous year (31%). China was the country with the highest production with 28% (2725 papers). The analysis of variance showed that the number of studies of Nigella sativa L. (1.62 ± 0.21; p = 0.02), Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (1.50 ± 0.32; p = 0.03), Zingiber officinale Roscoe (1.51 ± 0.32; p = 0.03) were statistically significant with respect to the other species. This is probably because these species show compounds with high antiviral spectrum. Despite the pharmacological potential found in medicinal plants, more large-scale clinical trials are still needed to demonstrate the efficacy of phytocompounds against viral diseases.

Mortiño (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth): An Underutilized Superplant from the Andes

Mortiño is a member of the Ericaceae family native to the Andes that has been used by local communities for centuries. This species has shown potential in the areas of medicine, agronomy, and green technology. We used a multidisciplinary approach to review aspects related to the ecology, horticulture, composition and potential biotechnological applications of mortiño. As interest in this species grows, care must be taken to identify opportunities that justify its sustainable use while emphasizing the development of local communities. Mapping the wide variety of potential uses and the current state of conservation and utilization of this berry will help researchers to better target mortiño’s potential.

Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, chemical ecology and invasion biology of Acanthus mollis L

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Acanthus mollis L. (Bear's Breeches) is a wide-spread medicinal and ornamental plant and is particularly suited to exemplarily illustrate the diverse aspects of invasion biology by neophytes. Since ancient times, it has been a popular Mediterranean ornamental plant in horticulture and served as model for the decoration of column capitals in architecture.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In the present review, we aimed to give an overview about ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, chemical ecology, and invasion biology of A. mollis. Thus, the importance of plantation cultivation in the presence of ecologically problematic species and environmental protection were emphasized.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted an extensive literature search via screening PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, in order to compile the data about A. mollis and its role on invasion biology and thereby attracting attention to the prominence of the horticultural and agricultural cultivation of plant species with a special focus on A. mollis as a model.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Phytochemical analyses revealed secondary metabolites from the classes of flavonoids, phenols, phenylpropanoids, anthraquinones arylnaphthalene lignans, phytosterols and others. Extracts of A. mollis and isolated phytochemicals not only exert assorted activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective in murine and human experimental models, but also act against plant parasites (bacteria, insects, mollusks, fungi), protecting the plant from microbial attack and herbivorous predators. A. mollis has been used in traditional medicine to treat dermatological ailments, gastrointestinal diseases, ulcers and even tumors. Nevertheless, the robustness and rapid growth of A. mollis as well as the global horticultural trade facilitated its invasion into fragile ecosystems of Australia, New Zealand, and several other spots around the globe in Northern Europe (Great Britain), Asia (China, India), South Africa, and South America (Argentina). The release of A. mollis from gardens into the wild represents a considerable danger as invasive species are threatening biodiversity and leading to the extinction of domestic plants in the long run. Likewise, the likelihood of other medicinal plants in terms of invasion biology are needed to be fully recognized and discussed.

Future Directions for the Discovery of Natural Product-Derived Immunomodulating Drugs

Drug discovery from natural sources is going through a renaissance, having spent many decades in the shadow of synthetic molecule drug discovery, despite the fact that natural product-derived compounds occupy a much greater chemical space than those created through synthetic chemistry methods. With this new era comes new possibilities, not least the novel targets that have emerged in recent times and the development of state-of-the-art technologies that can be applied to drug discovery from natural sources. Although progress has been made with some immunomodulating drugs, there remains a pressing need for new agents that can be used to treat the wide variety of conditions that arise from disruption, or over-activation, of the immune system; natural products may therefore be key in filling this gap. Recognising that, at present, there is no authoritative article that details the current state-of-the-art of the immunomodulatory activity of natural products, this in-depth review has arisen from a joint effort between the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR) Natural Products and Immunopharmacology, with contributions from a Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation number of world-leading researchers in the field of natural product drug discovery, to provide a "position statement" on what natural products has to offer in the search for new immunomodulatory argents. To this end, we provide a historical look at previous discoveries of naturally occurring immunomodulators, present a picture of the current status of the field and provide insight into the future opportunities and challenges for the discovery of new drugs to treat immune-related diseases.

Advancing urban ethnopharmacology: a modern concept of sustainability, conservation and cross-cultural adaptations of medicinal plant lore in the urban environment

The discipline 'urban ethnopharmacology' emerged as a collection of traditional knowledge, ancient civilizations, history and folklore being circulated since generations, usage of botanical products, palaeobotany and agronomy. Non-traditional botanical knowledge increases the availability of healthcare and other essential products to the underprivileged masses. Intercultural medicine essentially involves 'practices in healthcare that bridge indigenous medicine and western medicine, where both are considered as complementary'. A unique aspect of urban ethnopharmacology is its pluricultural character. Plant medicine blossomed due to intercultural interactions and has its roots in major anthropological events of the past. Unani medicine was developed by Khalif Harun Al Rashid and Khalif Al Mansur by translating Greek and Sanskrit works. Similarly, Indo-Aryan migration led to the development of Vedic culture, which product is Ayurveda. Greek medicine reached its summit when it travelled to Egypt. In the past few decades, ethnobotanical field studies proliferated, especially in the developed countries to cope with the increasing demands of population expansion. At the same time, sacred groves continued to be an important method of conservation across several cultures even in the urban aspect. Lack of scientific research, validating the efficiency, messy applications, biopiracy and slower results are the main constrains to limit its acceptability. Access to resources and benefit sharing may be considered as a potential solution. Indigenous communities can copyright their traditional formulations and then can collaborate with companies, who have to provide the original inventors with a fair share of the profits since a significant portion of the health economy is generated by herbal medicine. Search string included the terms 'Urban' + 'Ethnopharmacology', which was searched in Google Scholar to retrieve the relevant literature. The present review aims to critically analyse the global concept of urban ethnopharmacology with the inherent plurality of the cross-cultural adaptations of medicinal plant use by urban people across the world.

Plants and Natural Products with Activity against Various Types of Coronaviruses: A Review with Focus on SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is potentially fatal for vulnerable individuals. Disease management represents a challenge for many countries, given the shortage of medicines and hospital resources. The objective of this work was to review the medicinal plants, foods and natural products showing scientific evidence for host protection against various types of coronaviruses, with a focus on SARS-CoV-2. Natural products that mitigate the symptoms caused by various coronaviruses are also presented. Particular attention was placed on natural products that stabilize the Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System (RAAS), which has been associated with the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 into human cells.

Biosynthesis and synthetic biology of psychoactive natural products

Psychoactive natural products play an integral role in the modern world. The tremendous structural complexity displayed by such molecules confers diverse biological activities of significant medicinal value and sociocultural impact. Accordingly, in the last two centuries, immense effort has been devoted towards establishing how plants, animals, and fungi synthesize complex natural products from simple metabolic precursors. The recent explosion of genomics data and molecular biology tools has enabled the identification of genes encoding proteins that catalyze individual biosynthetic steps. Once fully elucidated, the "biosynthetic pathways" are often comparable to organic syntheses in elegance and yield. Additionally, the discovery of biosynthetic enzymes provides powerful catalysts which may be repurposed for synthetic biology applications, or implemented with chemoenzymatic synthetic approaches. In this review, we discuss the progress that has been made toward biosynthetic pathway elucidation amongst four classes of psychoactive natural products: hallucinogens, stimulants, cannabinoids, and opioids. Compounds of diverse biosynthetic origin - terpene, amino acid, polyketide - are identified, and notable mechanisms of key scaffold transforming steps are highlighted. We also provide a description of subsequent applications of the biosynthetic machinery, with an emphasis placed on the synthetic biology and metabolic engineering strategies enabling heterologous production.

Natural Products That Changed Society

Until the end of the 19th century all drugs were natural products or minerals. During the 19th century chemists succeeded in isolating pure natural products such as quinine, morphine, codeine and other compounds with beneficial effects. Pure compounds enabled accurate dosing to achieve serum levels within the pharmacological window and reproducible clinical effects. During the 20th and the 21st century synthetic compounds became the major source of drugs. In spite of the impressive results achieved within the art of synthetic chemistry, natural products or modified natural products still constitute almost half of drugs used for treatment of cancer and diseases like malaria, onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis caused by parasites. A turning point in the fight against the devastating burden of malaria was obtained in the 17th century by the discovery that bark from trees belonging to the genus Cinchona could be used for treatment with varying success. However isolation and use of the active principle, quinine, in 1820, afforded a breakthrough in the treatment. In the 20th century the synthetic drug chloroquine severely reduced the burden of malaria. However, resistance made this drug obsolete. Subsequently artemisinin isolated from traditional Chinese medicine turned out to be an efficient antimalarial drug overcoming the problem of chloroquine resistance for a while. The use of synthetic analogues such as chloroquine or semisynthetic drugs such as artemether or artesunate further improved the possibilities for healing malaria. Onchocerciasis (river blindness) made life in large parts of Africa and South America miserable. The discovery of the healing effects of the macrocyclic lactone ivermectin enabled control and partly elimination of the disease by annual mass distribution of the drug. Also in the case of ivermectin improved semisynthetic derivatives have found their way into the clinic. Ivermectin also is an efficient drug for treatment of lymphatic filariasis. The serendipitous discovery of the ability of the spindle toxins to control the growth of fast proliferating cancer cells armed physicians with a new efficient tool for treatment of some cancer diseases. These possibilities have been elaborated through preparation of semisynthetic analogues. Today vincristine and vinblastine and semisynthetic analogues are powerful weapons against cancer diseases.

Cytotoxic phytochemicals from the crude extract of Tetrapleura tetraptera fruits towards multi-factorial drug resistant cancer cells

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Tetrapleura tetraptera is an African medicinal spice used in traditional medicine to treat several ailments including cancer.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study was designed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the dichloromethane-methanol (1:1) extract of the fruits of Tetrapleura tetraptera (TTF) and its constituents: (3R, 4S)-3,4-dimethyloxetan-2-one (1), luteolin (2), stigmasterol (4), 3-O-[6'-O-undecanoyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl]stigmasterol (6), olean-12-en-3-β-O-D-glucopyranoside (7), 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranosylurs-12-en-28-oic acid (8), 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-27-hydroxyolean-12-ene-28-oic acid (9), methyl-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10), β-D-fructofuranosyl-(2 → 1)-β-D-glucopyranoside (11) towards a panel of cancer cell lines including MDR phenotypes. The cellular mode of induction of apoptosis by TTF and compound 7 was further investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The resazurin reduction assay (RRA) was applied to determine the cytotoxicity of the studied samples. The cell cycle (PI staining), apoptosis (annexin V/PI staining), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP; JC-1) and reactive oxygen species (ROS; H2DCFH-DA) were measured by flow cytometry. Column chromatography was used for the purification of TTF, whilst nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analysis was applied for structural elucidation.

RESULTS

The botanical, TTF and the phytochemicals, 2, 7, 8 and 9 as well as doxorubicin exerted cytotoxicity against 9 cancer cell lines including drug-sensitive and drug resistant phenotypes. TTF, compound 7 and doxorubicin were the most active samples, and displayed IC50 values ranging from 10.27 μg/mL (in CCRF-CEM leukemia cells) to 23.61 μg/mL (against HCT116 p53-/- colon adenocarcinoma cells) for TTF, from 4.76 μM (against CCRF-CEM cells) to 12.92 μM (against HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells) for compound 7, and from 0.02 μM (against CCRF-CEM cells) to 122.96 μM (against CEM/ADR5000 cells) for doxorubicin. TTF induced apoptosis in CCRF-CEM cells through MMP alteration and increased ROS production while compound 7 induced apoptosis mediated by caspases activation, MMP alteration and increased ROS production.

CONCLUSION

Tetrapleura tetraptera and some of its constituents, mostly compound 7 are good cytotoxic natural products that should be explored in depth to develop new drugs to fight cancers.

Biopiracy: Abolish Corporate Hijacking of Indigenous Medicinal Entities

Biopiracy as "a silent disease" is hardly detectable because it does not leave traces frequently. The corporate hijacking of food is the most important health hazard in this era; giant commercial enterprises are using intellectual property rights to patent indigenous medicinal plants, seeds, genetic resources, and traditional medicines. The new era of biotechnology relies on the genes of living organisms as raw materials. The "Gene Rush" has thus become similar to that of the old "Gold Rush." Sri Lanka has been spotted in the top 34 biodiversity hotspots globally. Moreover, localized in the tropics, human generations in Sri Lanka have utilized the array of plant species for herbal treatments and treatment of diseases. Sri Lanka after its 30-year civil war is moving towards a solid growth and conservation of the environment which is a major component in a sustainable development where the conservation of biodiversity plays a significant role. In this paper, we present an overview of typical cases of global biopiracy, bioprospecting via introduction of cost-effective deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting and international protocol with Private-Public-People Partnership concept as excellent forms of utilization of natural resources. We propose certain perspectives as scientists towards abolishing biopiracy and also to foster the fair utilization of natural resources; since the economy of most developing countries is agriculture based, the gross domestic product of the developing countries could be increased by enhanced bioprospecting via introduction of cost-effective DNA fingerprinting technologies and thus not being a pray of corporate hijacking."Biopiracy is biological theft; illegal collection of indigenous plants by corporations who patent them for their own use" (Vandana Shiva).

Wildlife collection for scientific purposes

Illegal transfer of wildlife has 2 main purposes: trade and scientific research. Trade is the most common, whereas scientific research is much less common and unprofitable, yet still important. Biopiracy in science is often neglected despite that many researchers encounter it during their careers. The use of illegally acquired specimens is detected in different research fields, from scientists bioprospecting for new pharmacological substances, to taxonomists working on natural history collections, to researchers working in zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens. The practice can be due to a lack of knowledge about the permit requirements in different countries or, probably most often, to the generally high level of bureaucracy associated with rule compliance. Significant regulatory filters to avoid biopiracy can be provided by different stakeholders. Natural history collection hosts should adopt strict codes of conduct; editors of scientific publications should require authors to declare that all studied specimens were acquired legally and to cite museum catalog numbers as guarantee of best practices. Scientific societies should actively encourage publication in peer-reviewed journals of work in which specimens collected from the wild were used. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature could require newly designated types based on recently collected specimens to be accompanied by statements of deposition in recognized scientific or educational institutions. We also propose the creation of an online platform that gathers information about environmental regulations and permits required for scientific activities in different countries and respective responsible governmental agencies and the simplification of the bureaucracy related to regulating scientific activities. This would make regulations more agile and easier to comply with. The global biodiversity crisis means data need to be collected ever faster, but biopiracy is not the answer and undermines the credibility of science and researchers. It is critical to find a modus vivendi that promotes compliance with regulations and scientific progress.

Social Aspects in the Assessment of Biobased Value Chains

Social Life-Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is under continuous development. The Methodological Sheets for Subcategories in S-LCA are a set of guidelines commonly used for the performance of such assessments. They cover a variety of stakeholders and subcategories for the social assessment of products in general. However, they may not necessarily be appropriate for the assessment of biobased value chains of agricultural and forestry origin. The aim of this study is the identification of social aspects relevant for the assessment of biobased value chains across various regions of the world, including those aspects possibly overlooked in the Methodological Sheets for Subcategories in S-LCA. For this purpose, a literature review of empirical studies was performed using the sheets as a reference. The results show that the Methodological Sheets for Subcategories in S-LCA provide good coverage of social topics relevant for biobased value chains, but that the stakeholders “smallholder” and “family farm” are not adequately addressed. Drawing on the empirical literature reviewed, the study emphasizes the relevance of these stakeholders in the analysis of biobased value chains of agricultural and forestry origin, and proposes criteria for consideration in the assessment of this stakeholder.

Pitfalls and promises of raw drug identification techniques in the ayurvedic industry: an overview

India, with a rich heritage of floral diversity, is well-known for its medicinal plant wealth and is the largest producer of medicinal herbs in the world. Ethnobiological Survey of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) could identify 8000 plant species utilized in various systems of medicine with approximately 25,000 effective herbal formulations. The extensive consumption to meet demand-supply ratio exerts a heavy strain on the existing resources. This subsequently led to the adulteration and substitution of medicinal plants with look-alike species. The consumer's faith on herbal medicine is in the phase of decline due to the extremities in adulteration/substitution and ensuing consequences. It is imperative to bring forth universally acceptable standard tools to authenticate raw drugs before being processed further into formulations. A vast array of techniques such as physical, chemical (analytical), biochemical, anatomical, organoleptic, and recently emerged DNA based molecular methods are widely used for plant species authentication. In recent years, DNA barcoding has made remarkable progress in the field of medicinal plants research. DNA metabarcoding is the latest development for qualitative evaluation of the herbal formulations, whereas for quantitative analysis, combination of pharmacognostic, pharmacovigilance and analytical methods are inevitable for authentication. This review addresses the overall strengths and shortcomings of the existing as well as recently emerged techniques in authenticating ayurvedic raw drugs.

Exploring the phytochemical and nutraceutical potentials of dasapatrachurnam

BackgroundDasapatrachurnam (DPC), a multicurative powder prepared from the leaves of 10 green leafy vegetables, was developed recently with known ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological significance. However, its functional role in curing a disease is not yet scientifically proven. The present study aims at performing the phytochemical screening of DPC and exploring its possible activity as bacteriostatic, antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory. MethodsWe performed qualitative and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to find out the presence of active compounds and tested the bacteriostatic activity in four bacterial strains namely Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus by agar well diffusion method. We further explored the antineoplastic activity in vitro in C6 and HEK293 cell lines by cell viability assay and the anti-inflammatory activity in the ovalbumin-induced inflammation in male Wistar rats. ResultsDPC showed 60% solubility in PBS and showed the presence of flavonoids and glycosides. FTIR results indicated the presence of alkyl, ketone and aldehyde groups. The bacteriostatic activity of DPC was higher (60%) in E.coli and lower (8%) in S.aureus, when compared to streptomycin. The anti-cancerous activity of DPC in C6 and HEK293 cancer cells was similar to their respective positive controls, curcumin and camptothecin. The anti-inflammatory activity of DPC was more evident with local administration in all the parameters studied in brain hippocampus, kidney, liver and spleen in ovalbumin-induced rats. ConclusionOur results, for the first time, suggest the potentiality of the DPC in treating bacterial diseases, cancer and also inflammation. Our results also suggest the possible therapeutic role of DPC in treating chronic kidney disease.

Biopiracy versus One-World Medicine-From colonial relicts to global collaborative concepts

BACKGROUND

Practices of biopiracy to use genetic resources and indigenous knowledge by Western companies without benefit-sharing of those, who generated the traditional knowledge, can be understood as form of neocolonialism.

HYPOTHESIS

The One-World Medicine concept attempts to merge the best of traditional medicine from developing countries and conventional Western medicine for the sake of patients around the globe.

STUDY DESIGN

Based on literature searches in several databases, a concept paper has been written. Legislative initiatives of the United Nations culminated in the Nagoya protocol aim to protect traditional knowledge and regulate benefit-sharing with indigenous communities. The European community adopted the Nagoya protocol, and the corresponding regulations will be implemented into national legislation among the member states. Despite pleasing progress, infrastructural problems of the health care systems in developing countries still remain. Current approaches to secure primary health care offer only fragmentary solutions at best. Conventional medicine from industrialized countries cannot be afforded by the impoverished population in the Third World. Confronted with exploding costs, even health systems in Western countries are endangered to burst. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is popular among the general public in industrialized countries, although the efficacy is not sufficiently proven according to the standards of evidence-based medicine. CAM is often available without prescription as over-the-counter products with non-calculated risks concerning erroneous self-medication and safety/toxicity issues. The concept of integrative medicine attempts to combine holistic CAM approaches with evidence-based principles of conventional medicine.

CONCLUSION

To realize the concept of One-World Medicine, a number of standards have to be set to assure safety, efficacy and applicability of traditional medicine, e.g. sustainable production and quality control of herbal products, performance of placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trials, phytovigilance, as well as education of health professionals and patients.

Biopiracy in India: Seed diversity and the scramble for knowledge

BACKGROUND

Biopiracy has usually been discussed mostly in the context of the life sciences, sometimes in dialogue with legal debates or political implications. This paper provides a humanities perspective on contemporary discussions of biopiracy and biopatenting.

HYPOTHESIS

It proceeds from the hypothesis that contemporary debates and practices of biopiracy can be understood as harking back to colonial legacies, which systematically disregard "native" knowledge or seek to appropriate it for their own purposes.

RESULTS

Drawing on the work of Vandana Shiva, the present article seeks to redefine the notion of ownership of knowledge from a cultural studies perspective. Exploring the 2016 documentary film Seed: The Untold Story, it analyses counter-discourses to practices of biopiracy.

CONCLUSION

The paper concludes that given the roots of biopiracy in colonial legacies, forms of resistance may need to appropriate colonialist epistemologies. One example of such appropriation is Vandana Shiva's own campaign, which casts seed ownership in the imagery and rhetoric of Mahatma Gandhi's fight against British colonialism in India. Finally, the article ends by suggesting that issues of biopiracy need to be seen in larger context. Drawing on the work of cultural philosopher Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht, it argues that the problem of the twenty-first century may be a scramble for natural resources such as the right for clean water. Biopiracy is hence far from a debate linked only to specific cases in particular locales, but is part of a global epistemological and political framework, which has systematically disenfranchised communities of color and countries of the global South.

Integration of phytochemicals and phytotherapy into cancer precision medicine

Concepts of individualized therapy in the 1970s and 1980s attempted to develop predictive in vitro tests for individual drug responsiveness without reaching clinical routine. Precision medicine attempts to device novel individual cancer therapy strategies. Using bioinformatics, relevant knowledge is extracted from huge data amounts. However, tumor heterogeneity challenges chemotherapy due to genetically and phenotypically different cell subpopulations, which may lead to refractory tumors. Natural products always served as vital resources for cancer therapy (e.g., Vinca alkaloids, camptothecin, paclitaxel, etc.) and are also sources for novel drugs. Targeted drugs developed to specifically address tumor-related proteins represent the basis of precision medicine. Natural products from plants represent excellent resource for targeted therapies. Phytochemicals and herbal mixtures act multi-specifically, i.e. they attack multiple targets at the same time. Network pharmacology facilitates the identification of the complexity of pharmacogenomic networks and new signaling networks that are distorted in tumors. In the present review, we give a conceptual overview, how the problem of drug resistance may be approached by integrating phytochemicals and phytotherapy into academic western medicine. Modern technology platforms (e.g. “-omics” technologies, DNA/RNA sequencing, and network pharmacology) can be applied for diverse treatment modalities such as cytotoxic and targeted chemotherapy as well as phytochemicals and phytotherapy. Thereby, these technologies represent an integrative momentum to merge the best of two worlds: clinical oncology and traditional medicine. In conclusion, the integration of phytochemicals and phytotherapy into cancer precision medicine represents a valuable asset to chemically synthesized chemicals and therapeutic antibodies.

Cytotoxic activity of medicinal plants of the Kakamega County (Kenya) against drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The geographical location of Kakamega County proximal to the Kakamega Rain Forest in Kenya and its rich flora represents an interesting resource of traditional medicinal plants. The medicinal plants in the present study are traditionally used to treat cancer in Kakamega County as recorded in published literature.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Due to multidrug resistance (MDR) and severe side effects of currently used drugs in clinical oncology, new candidate compounds are urgently required to improve treatment outcome. The present study explored the in vitro cytotoxic potential of 34 organic and 19 aqueous extracts of Kakamega medicinal plants towards sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cell lines.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The cytotoxicity was determined using the resazurin assay. Eight organic and two aqueous plant extracts inhibited the growth of CCRF-CEM leukemia cells by more than 50%. The organic extracts were Harungana madagascariensis Lam. ex poir (6.6% of untreated control), Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman (19.4%), Entada abyssinica Steud. ex A. Rich (38.6%), Phyllanthus fischeri Pax (40.7%), Shirakiopsis elliptica (Hochst.) Esser Synonym: Sapium ellipticum (Hochst. kraus) Pax (41.8%), Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill (45.4%) and Futumia africana Benth. (45.8%) and Microglossa pyrifolia (Lam.) Kuntze (48%). The aqueous extracts were Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill (31.3%) and Shirakiopsis elliptica (Hochst.) Esser Synonym: Sapium ellipticum (Hochst. Kraus) Pax (48.2%). In addition to P-glycoprotein-expressing tumor cells, we also investigated other mechanisms of drug resistance, i.e. BCRP- or EGFR-transfected and TP53-knockout tumor cells. Some extracts also showed considerable cytotoxic activity against these drug-resistant cell lines. As demonstrated for selected examples, some extracts exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity towards cancer cells, if applied in combination with other extracts.

DISCUSSION

The panel of medicinal plants used in the Kakamega County for cancer treatment revealed indeed cytotoxicity to various extent towards cancer cells in vitro. Hence, our results may at least in part substantiate the traditional use of these compounds to treat cancer. Even more interesting, several extracts inhibited otherwise drug-resistant tumor cell lines with similar or even better efficacy than their drug-sensitive counterparts. This provides an attractive perspective for further exploration of their anticancer potential to combat drug resistance of refractory tumors.

Bioprospecting on invasive plant species to prevent seed dispersal

The most anthropized regions of the world are characterized by an impressive abundance of invasive plants, which alter local biodiversity and ecosystem services. An alternative strategy to manage these species could be based on the exploitation of their fruits in a framework of bioprospecting to obtain high-added value compounds or phytocomplexes that are useful for humans. Here we tested this hypothesis on three invasive plants (Lonicera japonica Thunb., Phytolacca americana L., and Prunus serotina Ehrh.) in the Po plain (northern Italy) which bear fruits that are highly consumed by frugivorous birds and therefore dispersed over large distances. Our biochemical analyses revealed that unripe fruit shows high antioxidant properties due to the presence of several classes of polyphenols, which have a high benchmark value on the market. Fruit collection for phytochemical extraction could really prevent seed dispersal mediated by frugivorous animals and produce economic gains to support local management actions.

Analyzing user-generated online content for drug discovery: development and use of MedCrawler

Motivation

Ethnopharmacology, or the scientific validation of traditional medicine, is a respected starting point in drug discovery. Home remedies and traditional use of plants are still widespread, also in Western societies. Instead of perusing ancient pharmacopeias, we developed MedCrawler, which we used to analyze blog posts for mentions of home remedies and their applications. This method is free and accessible from the office computer.

Results

We developed MedCrawler, a data mining tool for analyzing user-generated blog posts aiming to find modern 'traditional' medicine or home remedies. It searches user-generated blog posts and analyzes them for correlations between medically relevant terms. We also present examples and show that this method is capable of delivering both scientifically validated uses as well as not so well documented applications, which might serve as a starting point for follow-up research.

Availability and Implementation

Source code is available on GitHub at {{ https://github.com/a-hel/medcrawler }}.

Contact

paivi.tammela@helsinki.fi.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.