Garcinia gardneriana (Planchon & Triana) Zappi. (Clusiaceae) as a Topical Anti-inflammatory Alternative for Cutaneous Inflammation

Biflavones from Platonia insignis Mart. Flowers Promote In Vitro Antileishmanial and Immunomodulatory Effects against Internalized Amastigote Forms of Leishmania amazonensis

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease that affects millions of people worldwide, making the search essential for more accessible treatments. The species Platonia insignis Mart. (Clusiaceae) has been extensively studied and has gained prominence for its pharmacological potential. The objective of this work was to evaluate the antileishmania activity, cytotoxic effect and activation patterns of macrophages of hydroalcoholic extract (EHPi), ethyl acetate fractions (FAcOEt) and morelloflavone/volkensiflavone mixture (MB) from P. insignis flowers. EHPi, FAcOEt and MB demonstrated concentration-dependent antileishmania activity, with inhibition of parasite growth in all analyzed concentrations. EHPi exhibited maximum effect at 800 μg/mL, while FAcOEt and MB reduced the growth of the parasite by 94.62% at 800 μg/mL. EHPi, FAcOEt and MB showed low cytotoxic effects for macrophages at 81.78, 159.67 and 134.28 μg/mL, respectively. EHPi (11.25 µg/mL), FAcOEt (11.25 and 22.5 µg/mL) and MB (22.5 µg/mL) characterized the increase in lysosomal activity, suggesting a possible modulating effect. These findings open for the application of flowers from a P. insignis flowers and biflavones mixture thereof in the promising treatment of leishmaniasis.

Antihypernociceptive effects of Petersianthus macrocarpus stem bark on neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury in rats

Petersianthus macrocarpus (Lecythidaceae) stem bark is traditionally used in West and Central Africa for the treatment of boils and pain. The present study examined the chemical composition of the aqueous and methanolic stem bark extracts of P. macrocarpus by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) . Their antinociceptive effect was evaluated using chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain in a rat model. On the ninth day post-surgery, the pain perception (allodynia and hyperalgesia) of the animals was assessed after the administration of aqueous and methanolic extracts at the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. In addition, the effect of the extracts was evaluated on nitric oxide activity and on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and NF-κB). The LC-ESI-MS analysis revealed the presence of ellagic acid as the major constituent in the methanol extract. Both extracts at the employed doses (100 and 200 mg/kg), significantly (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001) reduced the spontaneous pain, tactile and cold allodynia, and mechanical hyperalgesia. The methanolic extract used at the dose of 200 mg/kg significantly reduced the nitric oxide level (p < 0.001) and the gene expression levels of NF-κB (p < 0.05) and TNF-α (p < 0.01) in the brain. These data may indicate that stem bark extracts of P. macrocarpus possess a potent anti-hypernociceptive effect on CCI neuropathic pain. The inhibition of the nitric oxide pathway as well as the reduction in NF-κB and TNF-α gene expression in the brain may at least partially contribute to this effect. The results further support the use of this plant by traditional healers in pain conditions.

Phytotoxic property of metabolites isolated from Garcinia gardneriana

Garcinia gardneriana is a medicinal tree species used in Brazil in the treatment of hepatitis and gastritis. This use is attributed to phenolic compounds, mainly 7-epiclusianone, guttiferone-A and fukugetin, which present several proven biological activities. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study on the phytotoxic activity of G. gardneriana extracts has been conducted until now. This research proposed to isolate and quantify by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) the major compounds from G. gardneriana seed extracts in ethyl acetate and to evaluate their phytotoxic activities. The natural products 7-epiclusianone, guttiferone-A and fukugetin were quantified at concentrations varying from 0.46 to 1.13 mg mL^-1 and were isolated with yields ranging from 7% to 23% (w/w). The phytotoxic assay indicated that the crude extract showed no action on the dry matter of Sorghum bicolor plants, but the isolated compounds fukugetin and 7-epiclusianone had moderate activity. On the other hand, guttiferone-A displayed a greater herbicide activity than glyphosate, a positive control, even in almost three times lower concentrations, causing severe intoxication in the plants. This work is the first report on this activity by the extract of G. gardneriana and its isolated compounds. Besides that, guttiferone-A showed up as a scaffold for the development of new agrochemicals. Complementing these findings, computational studies suggested that this benzophenone can interact effectively with transferase enzymes type, in special caffeic acid O-methyltransferase from S. bicolor (PDB code: 4PGH), indicating a possible mechanism of action in this plant.

Medicinal Potential of Garcinia Species and Their Compounds

Garcinia is a genus of Clusiaceae, distributed throughout tropical Asia, Africa, New Caledonia, Polynesia, and Brazil. Garcinia plants contain a broad range of biologically active metabolites which, in the last few decades, have received considerable attention due to the chemical compositions of their extracts, with compounds which have been shown to have beneficial effects in several diseases. Our work had the objective of reviewing the benefits of five Garcinia species (G. brasiliensis, G. gardneriana, G. pedunculata, G. cambogia, and G. mangstana). These species provide a rich natural source of bioactive compounds with relevant therapeutic properties and anti-inflammatory effects, such as for the treatment of skin disorders, wounds, pain, and infections, having demonstrated antinociceptive, antioxidant, antitumoral, antifungal, anticancer, antihistaminic, antiulcerogenic, antimicrobial, antiviral, vasodilator, hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and cardioprotective properties. This demonstrates the relevance of the genus as a rich source of compounds with valuable therapeutic properties, with potential use in the prevention and treatment of nontransmissible chronic diseases.

Polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols and biphenyl derivatives from the roots of Garcinia nuntasaenii Ngerns. & Suddee

Seven previously undescribed compounds, including three polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (garcinuntins A-C), three biphenyl derivatives (garcinuntabiphenyls A-C) and a lanostane triterpene (garcinuntine), along with thirteen known compounds were isolated from the root of Garcinia nuntasaenii Ngerns. & Suddee. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic techniques. For garcinuntins A-C, the absolute configurations were confirmed by the combination of single X-ray crystallography and ECD calculations. Anti-HIV activity using anti-HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and syncytium inhibition assays, and cytotoxic activity against a panel of cultured mammalian cancer cell lines of isolated compounds were investigated.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitory Activity of Biflavonoids from Branches of Garcinia gardneriana (Clusiaceae)

Garcinia gardneriana is chemically characterized by the presence of biflavonoids. Taking into account that flavonoids are able to inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, in the present study, the chemical composition of the branches’ extract of the plant is described for the first time and the MAO inhibitory activity of the isolated biflavonoids was evaluated. Based on spectroscopic and spectrometric data, it was possible to identify volkesiflavone, morelloflavone (1), Gb-2a (2) and Gb-2a-7- O-glucoside (3) in the ethyl acetate fraction from ethanol extract of the branches. Compounds 1-3 were evaluated in vitro and demonstrated the capacity to inhibit MAO-A activity with an IC50 ranging from 5.05 to 10.7 μM, and from 20.7 to 66.2 μM for MAO-B. These inhibitions corroborate with previous IC50 obtained for monomeric flavonoids, with a higher selectivity for MAO-A isoform. The obtained results indicate that biflavonoids might be promising structures for the identification of new MAO inhibitory compounds.

Phytoconstituents and Biological Activities of Garcinia Dulcis (Clusiaceae): A Review

Garcinia dulcis (Roxb.) Kurz is a tropical fruit tree native to Southeast Asia where it has a long history of use as a traditional medicine for the treatment of ailments such as lymphatitis, parotitis, struma, scurvy, cough, and sore throat. Despite its medicinal values, this plant is not well known and rarely found nowadays. Research on the phytochemical constituents and biological activities of G. dulcis have demonstrated that various parts of the plant contain an abundance of bioactive compounds mainly xanthones and flavonoids, with significant pharmacological properties such as anti-atherosclerosis, anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, anti-hypertension, and anti-malarial. In the present review, current knowledge of the phytochemistry of G. dulcis and biological activities of its active constituents based on the available literature are summarized in order to explore application potentials and prospective research works on this plant.

Opuntia dillenii cladode: Opuntiol and opuntioside attenuated cytokines and eicosanoids mediated inflammation

ETHANOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Opuntia dillenii Haw (Nagphana) traditionally used against inflammation. The present study addressed the anti-inflammatory activity of O. dillenii derived methanol extract, fractions and pure compounds and their underlying mechanism of action.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

O. dillenii cladode methanol extract was subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) furnishing two main fractions viz (T-1 and -2) leading to isolation of opuntiol (aglycone) and opuntioside (O-glucoside), respectively. Anti-inflammatory activity of extract, fractions, pure compounds and reference drugs were evaluated using: (1) arachidonic acid (AA) and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema accompanied by histological studies of mice ear sections and phospholipase A2 (PLA2)-induced mice paw edema. (2) Carrageenan and glycogen-induced peritonitis in rodents. In parallel levels of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also determined via HPLC and fluoroemetrically using 2', 7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) dye, respectively. Additionally, levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukins IL-1β and -6 were measured by ELISA assay.

RESULTS

O. dillenii methanol extract, fractions and pure compounds reduced AA and TPA-induced ear punch weight in a dose dependent fashion. The corresponding IC50 values obtained also suppressed inflammatory features observed histologically. Furthermore, paw edema and peritonitis were also attenuated. Similar to indomethacin and diclofenac sodium, opuntioside reduced PGE2 levels of inflamed ear which was comparatively 1.3× better than opuntiol. However, opuntiol was more potent in reducing LTB4 levels in rat neutrophils with an IC50 value of 19±3.3μΜ, while opuntioside was ineffective. Opuntiol also effectively suppressed ROS (37%) and cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1β and -6) by ~50% and comparable to dexamethasone.

CONCLUSIONS

O. dillenii cladodes possess anti-inflammatory properties via inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolites and cytokines. Opuntiol (aglycone) emerged as a dual inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipooxygenase (LOX) pathways. It also suppressed ROS and cytokine levels. However, opuntioside manifested its selectivity towards COX (PGE2) pathway without affecting LTB4 levels. The present report describing the anti-inflammatory activity of opuntiol and opuntioside for the first time thereby, supporting and justifying the traditional use of O. dillenii against inflammation and may serve as lead compound in designing of new anti-inflammatory agents.

Inhibitory effect of GB-2a (I3-naringenin-II8-eriodictyol) on melanogenesis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY RELEVANCE

GB-2a is a I3-naringenin-II8-eriodictyol compound isolated from Garcinia gardneriana (Planchon & Triana) Zappi, a plant used in folk medicine for the treatment of skin disorders.

AIM OF STUDY

In the search for new depigmenting agents, this study was carried out to investigate the in vitro effects of GB-2a isolated from G. gardneriana (Planchon & Triana) Zappi in B16F10 melanoma cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The effects of GB-2a were evaluated through determination of melanin biosynthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells in comparison with the reference drug kojic acid (500µM). In parallel, the GB-2a effect was assessed in a cell viability assay. Mushroom tyrosinase activity assays were conducted to verify the effect of this enzyme. In order to ascertain the nature of enzyme inhibition on tyrosinase, kinetics analysis of the GB-2a was performed with L-tyrosine and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) substrates.

RESULTS

The results showed that GB-2a biflavonoid significantly inhibited the melanin content, without reducing cell viability. GB-2a also showed a strong antityrosinase activity in the mushroom tyrosinase assay. GB-2a inhibited the tyrosinase activity, exerting a mixed inhibition. For the L-tyrosine substrate the inhibition was in non-competitive mode and for L-DOPA it was in uncompetitive mode.

CONCLUSION

GB-2a biflavonoid promoted inhibition on tyrosinase activity and reduced melanin biosynthesis in B16F10 cells, which suggests great potential for medical and cosmetic uses as a depigmenting agent.

A systematic review for anti-inflammatory property of clusiaceae family: a preclinical approach

Background. Clusiaceae family (sensu lato) is extensively used in ethnomedicine for treating a number of disease conditions which include cancer, inflammation, and infection. The aim of this review is to report the pharmacological potential of plants of Clusiaceae family with the anti-inflammatory activity in animal experiments. Methods. A systematic review about experiments investigating anti-inflammatory activity of Clusiaceae family was carried out by searching bibliographic databases such as Medline, Scopus and Embase. In this update, the search terms were "anti-inflammatory agents," "Clusiaceae," and "animals, laboratory." Results. A total of 255 publications with plants this family were identified. From the initial 255 studies, a total of 21 studies were selected for the final analysis. Studies with genera Allanblackia, Clusia, Garcinia or Rheedia, and Hypericum showed significant anti-inflammatory activity. The findings include a decrease of total leukocytes, a number of neutrophils, total protein concentration, granuloma formation, and paw or ear edema formation. Other interesting findings included decreased of the MPO activity, and inflammatory mediators such as NF- κ B and iNOS expression, PGE2 and Il-1 β levels and a decrease in chronic inflammation. Conclusion. The data reported suggests the anti-inflammatory effect potential of Clusiaceae family in animal experiments.

Topical anti-inflammatory activity of a monofloral honey of Mimosa scabrella provided by Melipona marginata during winter in southern Brazil

Melipona marginata is an endangered species of stingless bee from Brazil that produces honey with particular physicochemical features and a remarkable exotic flavor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report devoted to exploring the medicinal potential of this honey. Thus, the aim of this paper was to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory activity of honey extract from M. marginata on skin inflammation. The honey sample was classified as a monofloral honey of Mimosa scabrella. The presence of 11 phenolic compounds as kaempferol and caffeic acid was detected using the high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-UV-ESI-MS) method. The anti-inflammatory activity was measured using a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced ear edema model of inflammation in mice. The topical application of the M. marginata honey extract (1.0 mg/ear) was able to reduce ear edema with an inhibitory effect of 54 ± 5%. This extract decreased the myeloperoxidase activity in 75 ± 3%, which suggests a lower leucocyte infiltration that was confirmed by histological analysis. This extract also provided a reduction of 55 ± 14% in the production of reactive oxygen species. This anti-inflammatory activity could be due to a synergic effect of the phenolic compounds identified in the honey sample. Taken together, these results open up new possibilities for the use of M. marginata honey extract in skin disorders.

Assessment of Augmented Immune Surveillance and Tumor Cell Death by Cytoplasmic Stabilization of p53 as a Chemopreventive Strategy of 3 Promising Medicinal Herbs in Murine 2-Stage Skin Carcinogenesis

Cancer is the final outcome of a plethora of events. Targeting the proliferation or inducing programmed cell death in a proliferating population is a major standpoint in the cancer therapy. However, proliferation is regulated by several cellular and immunologic processes. This study reports the inhibition of proliferation by augmenting immune surveillance, silencing acute inflammation, and inducing p53-mediated apoptosis of skin cancer by 3 promising medicinal extracts. We used the well-characterized model for experimental skin carcinogenesis in mice for 32 weeks to study the chemopreventive effect of the methanolic extracts of Trigonella foenumgraecum, Eclipta alba, and Calendula officinalis. All 3 extracts reduced the number, incidence, and multiplicity of tumors, which was confirmed by the pathologic studies that showed regressed tumors. There was a significant reduction in the PCNA+ nuclei in all treatment groups 32 weeks after the initiation. Mechanistic studies revealed that proliferative population in tumors is diminished by the restoration of the endogenous antioxidant defense, inhibition of the stress-related signal-transducing element NFκB, reduction of inflammation, enhancement of immunosurveillance of the genetically mutated cells, along with silencing of the cell cycle progression signals. Finally, all 3 medicinal extracts induced stable expression of p53 within the tumors, confirmed by the CFDA-Cy3 apoptosis assay. Results of our study confirm that these extracts not only limit the rate of proliferation by inhibition of the processes integral to cancer development but also induce stable cytoplasmic expression of p53-mediated apoptosis, leading to fewer and regressed tumors in mice.