HIV-1 Inhibition by Extracts of Clusiaceae Species from Mexico

The ethnobotanical relevance of the tribe Symphonieae (Clusiaceae) around the world

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The tribe Symphonieae (Clusiaceae) encompasses 48 species accommodated in seven genera (Lorostemon, Montrouziera, Moronobea, Pentadesma, Platonia, Symphonia and Thysanostemon). Parts of these plants, mainly the exudates and the seeds oil are useful for different purposes, especially for treating dermatological conditions. In addition to the role in the folk medicine, some species are of great economic and cultural importance for native people from different continents.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The goal of this review is to critically summarize the current knowledge on systematics, ethnobotanical, chemical and pharmacological aspects of species from the tribe Symphonieae, as well as to provide support for future taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on the Clusiaceae family.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The available information was gathered from many different databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Pubmed, ChemSpider, SciFinder, ACS Publications, Wiley Online Library, Useful Tropical Plants Database, Google Scholar). Additional data from books, theses and dissertations were also included in this review.

RESULTS

Chemical studies of Symphonieae have demonstrated that the genera are a source of benzophenones, xanthones and biflavonoids. Components as sesquiterpenoids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, free fatty acids, among others, have also been reported. Extracts and compounds isolated from a variety of species have been exhibiting antimicrobial, cytotoxic and antiprotozoal activities, corroborating part of their medicinal uses. In addition, certain species produce edible fruits and a kind of "butter" with economic importance. All species produce exudate, which often has great relevance in the daily lives of local people.

CONCLUSION

Several species of Symphonieae have potential therapeutic applications and some of them have been investigated to scientifically validate their popular uses. In addition, a number of species have proved to be a rich source of promising pharmacologically active compounds. Finally, the value of fruits, exudate and butter, for instance, should serve as a stimulus for the sustainable development of products that aim to take advantage of these natural resources.

Antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of Mayan medicinal plants against Methicillin-susceptible and -resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Several medicinal plants are used in Mayan Traditional Medicine to treat skin, urinary, respiratory, and gastrointestinal infectious diseases. However, scientific studies that have supported the bioactivity of these Mayan medicinal plants are limited.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To assess the in-vitro anti-Staphylococcus aureus growth and biofilm-formation activities of 15 Mayan medicinal plants that were selected based on their traditional uses for the treatment of infectious diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mayan medicinal plants used traditionally to treat infectious diseases were preselected. For each part of the plants, four extracts were prepared with different solvents (water, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol). These were tested against two reference strains: a Methicillin-susceptible and -resistant S. aureus, and two clinical isolates, including a susceptible and multidrug-resistant S. aureus using a Resazurin Microtiter Assay. In addition, the plant extracts were evaluated in biofilm-formation inhibition on S. aureus by means of the Crystal Violet method.

RESULTS

A total of 120 extracts from 15 Mayan medicinal plant species belonging to 12 different families were selected according their ethnopharmacological uses to treat infectious diseases. Among the selected plant species, 26 extracts obtained from eight medicinal Mayan plants exhibited significant anti-S. aureus against the four strains tested. The most active extracts were the Aq (aqueous) leaf extract of Krugiodendron ferreum (Minimal Inhibitory Concentration [MIC] = 125-250 μg/mL), the MeOH bark extracts of Matayba oppositifolia, Clusia flava, Gymnopodium floribundum, the MeOH leaf extract of Spondias purpurea with MIC values of 250 μg/mL, and the MeOH leaf and Aq bark extracts of K. ferreum (MIC = 250-500 μg/mL). Among the active extracts, 12 exhibited a bactericidal effect on S. aureus strains (Minimal Bactericidal Concentration [MBC] = 250-1000 μg/mL). Forty extracts from 13 plants have an effect on the anti-formation of biofilm, the most active were the MeOH leaf extract of M. oppositifolia (one-half Inhibitory Concentration [IC₅₀] = 10.4 μg/mL) and the MeOH (IC₅₀ = 17.7 μg/mL) and Hex (18.2 μg/mL) leaf extracts from S. purpurea.

CONCLUSION

Aqueous and organic extracts from Mayan medicinal plants showed bactericidal and anti-biofilm activities even against drug-resistant S. aureus strains. The present study supports the traditional usage of some plants employed in Mayan medicine for illnesses such as skin, gastrointestinal, and urinary infections and suggest that these plants could be a good source of antibacterial phytochemicals.

Bioactive Compounds as Potential Agents for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Management: A Review to Explore Molecular Mechanisms of Action

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are produced by pathogens like bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, and may generate severe health problems such as cancer, ulcers, and even problems in the newborn. This narrative review aims to present updated information about the use of natural bioactive compounds for the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. A search of the literature was performed using databases and search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct. From the pharmacotherapeutic management point of view, any strategies for prevention should contain medical approaches. The bioactive compounds obtained from natural products have shown biological effects against different microorganisms for the treatment of these diseases. The main results showed antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antifungal and antiviral effects such as HIV. Also, the molecular mechanisms, signalling pathways and action targets of natural compounds were highlighted, thus justifying bacterial and antifungal inhibition, apoptosis or reduction of viral replication. From the data of our study, we can conclude that natural compounds may be a significant source for adjuvant drugs / complementary therapies in the treatment of STDs. With all these benefits, the future must conduct extensive clinical trials and the development of pharmaceutical nanotechnologies for a greater therapeutic effect.

Wood anatomy of two species of the genus Chrysochlamys (Clusiaceae: Clusioideae: Clusieae) from the northern Andes of Colombia

Chrysochlamys is a genus of neotropical angiosperms distributed in wet and riparian forests from Bolivia to Mexico in altitudes from near sea-level to close to 3000 m. The wood anatomy of two species of the genus was investigated. Branches of mature stems were collected in a secondary wet forest in Colombian Northern Andes. Slides were obtained and visualized using light microscopy. Gelatinous fiber bands were found and described in C. colombiana and C. dependens. There was a higher amount of septate fibers in the latter. Average ray height and pigment deposit content in ray cells was greater in C. colombiana relative to C. dependens, but rays were commonly wider in the second one. The diversity of vessel-ray pit shapes in C. dependens is greater than in C. colombiana. In both cases rays are considered to be paedomorphic type I. Scanty to absent axial and apotracheal parenchyma was found for both species. We discuss the similarities and differences of the two species in order to establish diagnostic wood features. Also we include brief notes in comparative anatomy with other members of the Clusieaceae family, emphasizing in the incongruences found with previous reports for the genus. This is the first descriptive work in wood anatomy of C. colombiana and C. dependens.

Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Since the beginning of the epidemic, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has infected around 70 million people worldwide, most of whom reside is sub-Saharan Africa. There have been very promising developments in the treatment of HIV with anti-retroviral drug cocktails. However, drug resistance to anti-HIV drugs is emerging, and many people infected with HIV have adverse reactions or do not have ready access to currently available HIV chemotherapies. Thus, there is a need to discover new anti-HIV agents to supplement our current arsenal of anti-HIV drugs and to provide therapeutic options for populations with limited resources or access to currently efficacious chemotherapies. Plant-derived natural products continue to serve as a reservoir for the discovery of new medicines, including anti-HIV agents. This review presents a survey of plants that have shown anti-HIV activity, both in vitro and in vivo.

Identification of candidate genes related to calanolide biosynthesis by transcriptome sequencing of Calophyllum brasiliense (Calophyllaceae)

BACKGROUND

Calophyllum brasiliense is highlighted as an important resource of calanolides, which are dipyranocoumarins that inhibit the reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1 RT). Despite having great medicinal importance, enzymes involved in calanolide, biosynthesis and the pathway itself, are still largely unknown. Additionally, no genomic resources exist for this plant species.

RESULTS

In this work, we first analyzed the transcriptome of C. brasiliense leaves, stem, and roots using a RNA-seq strategy, which provided a dataset for functional gene mining. According to the structures of the calanolides, putative biosynthetic pathways were proposed. Finally, candidate unigenes in the transcriptome dataset, potentially involved in umbelliferone and calanolide (angular pyranocoumarin) biosynthetic pathways, were screened using mainly homology-based BLAST and phylogenetic analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

The unigene dataset that was generated in this study provides an important resource for further molecular studies of C. brasiliense, especially for functional analysis of candidate genes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of linear and angular pyranocoumarins.

Antimycobacterial and HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Activity of Julianaceae and Clusiaceae Plant Species from Mexico

The extracts of 14 Julianaceae and 5 Clusiaceae species growing in Mexico were tested in vitro (50 µg/mL) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and HIV reverse transcriptase (HIV-RT). The Julianaceae bark and leaf extracts inhibited M. tuberculosis (>84.67%) and HIV-RT (<49.89%). The Clusiaceae leaves extracts also inhibited both targets (>58.3% and >67.6%), respectively. The IC50 values for six selected extracts and their cytotoxicity (50 µg/mL) to human macrophages were then determined. Amphipterygium glaucum, A. molle, and A. simplicifolium fairly inhibited M. tuberculosis with IC50 of 1.87-2.35 µg/mL; but their IC50 against HIV-RT was 59.25-97.83 µg/mL. Calophyllum brasiliense, Vismia baccifera, and Vismia mexicana effect on M. tuberculosis was noteworthy (IC50 3.02-3.64 µg/mL) and also inhibited RT-HIV (IC50 26.24-35.17 µg/mL). These 6 extracts (50 µg/mL) presented low toxicity to macrophages (<23.8%). The HPLC profiles of A. glaucum, A. molle, and A. simplicifolium indicated that their antimycobacterial activity cannot be related to masticadienonic, 3α, or 3β-hydromasticadienonic acids, suggesting that other compounds may be responsible for the observed activity or this might be a synergy result. The anti-HIV-RT and antimycobacterial activities induced by C. brasiliense can be attributed to the content of calanolides A, B, as well as soulatrolide.

Inhibition of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, toxicological and chemical profile of Calophyllum brasiliense extracts from Chiapas, Mexico

Calophyllum species are sources of calanolides, which inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT). The hexane extract of the leaves from C. brasiliense collected in Soconusco, State of Chiapas, Mexico, analyzed by HPLC showed to contain apetalic acid, calanolides B, and C. It showed potent anti-HIV-1 RT inhibition (IC(50)=20.2 μg/ml), but was not toxic in mice (LD(50)=1.99 g/kg). The histological study of the mice treated at the highest dose revealed no alteration on hepatocytes, and an increase in the number of spleen megakaryocytes. These results suggest this extract is suitable to continue studies for developing a phytodrug against HIV-1.

HIV-1 Inhibitory Compounds from Calophyllum brasiliense Leaves

The hexane, acetone and methanol extracts of Calophyllum brasiliense leaves were fractionated following a three bioassay guide: high HIV-1 RT inhibition, low cytotoxicity on MT2 cells and high inhibition of HIV-1 IIIb/LAV replication. This led to the isolation of three anti HIV-1 dipyranocoumarins: calanolides A and B and soulattrolide. In contrast, other isolated compounds such as apetalic acid, isoapetalic acid, a structural isomer of isoapetalic acid, friedelin, canophyllol and amentoflavone were devoid of HIV-1 RT inhibitory activity. Calanolide C was also obtained as a natural product and showed moderate inhibitory properties.