Protective Effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) Aqueous Extract and Lycopene on Testosterone Propionate‐Induced Prostatic Hyperplasia in Mice

The inhibitory effect of maca extractant, lycopene, and their combination was evaluated in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) mice induced by testosterone propionate. Mice were divided into a saline group, solvent control group and testosterone propionate‐induced BPH mice [BPH model group, solvent BPH model group, benzyl glucosinolate group (1.44 mg/kg), maca group (60 mg/kg), lycopene treated (15, 5, and 2.5 mg/kg), maca (30 mg/kg) combine lycopene treated (7.5, 2.5, and 1.25 mg/kg), and finasteride treated]. Benzyl glucosinolate was used in order to evaluate its pharmacological activity on BPH to find out whether it is the major active component of maca aqueous extract. Finasteride was used as positive control. The compounds were administered once for 30 successive days. Compared with solvent BPH model group, BPH mice fed with maca (30 mg/kg) and lycopene (7.5 mg/kg) combination exhibited significant reductions in the prostatic index, prostatic acid phospatase, estradiol, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone levels in serum. They also had similar histological compared with those aspects observed in the mice in the solvent control group. The results indicated that combination of maca and lycopene synergistically inhibits BPH in mice. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of Methyl and Isopropyl N‐methylanthranilates from Choisya ternata Kunth (Rutaceae) on Experimental Anxiety and Depression in Mice

Choisya ternata Kunth (Rutaceae) is a plant species used in Mexican folk medicine for its antispasmodic and simulative properties. Recently, we identified a new alkaloid, isopropyl N‐methylanthranilate, and a related one, methyl N‐methylanthranilate, from the essential oil of this species and have proven them to possess antinociceptive activity even at 0.3 mg/kg. In the present study, anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of the two compounds have been studied in open field, horizontal wire, light/dark, forced swimming and tail suspension tests, as well as the effect on the onset and duration of diazepam‐induced sleep in BALB/c mice. The volatile alkaloids (50–200 mg/kg, administered intraperitoneally), without having a muscle relaxant effect, caused a significant increase in the time the animals spent in an unsecured and putatively dangerous area when compared with the control group but had no effect on the number of crossings between the light/dark compartments. In addition to this anxiolytic activity, a significantly antidepressant‐like effect was apparent at all tested doses, which was not due to an increase in locomotive activity. The anthranilates administered on their own did not induce sleep in mice but significantly prolonged the diazepam‐induced sleep, in a dose‐dependent way, suggesting an interaction with the gamma‐aminobutyric acid receptor complex. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

蕃荔枝酰胺新衍生物cFLZ对小鼠学习记忆功能障碍的改善作用

 目的研究蕃荔枝酰胺新衍生物cFLZ对小鼠实验性学习记忆功能障碍的影响。方法选用体积分数40%乙醇、戊巴比妥钠(20 mg·kg^-1)、环己酰亚胺(120 mg·kg^-1)造成小鼠学习记忆障碍模型,分别通过避暗法、跳台法、水迷津法观察提前口服不同剂量的cFLZ对小鼠学习记忆能力障碍的作用。结果①小鼠口服体积分数为40%乙醇后出现明显记忆障碍,避暗法实验中表现在第一次进入暗室的潜伏期明显缩短(P<0.01),3 min内进入暗室的次数显著增加(P<0.01)。与模型组相比,cFLZ(75,150 mg·kg^-1)组小鼠第一次进入暗室的潜伏期延长(P<0.05),3 min内进入暗室的次数减少(P<0.05);②水迷津法实验中随着路径的延长和盲端的增多,腹腔注射戊巴比妥钠(20 mg·kg^-1)模型组小鼠游到目的地的时间比正常对照组明显延长,进入盲端的错误次数也明显增加。与模型组相比,cFLZ(75,150 mg·kg^-1)组小鼠能够缩短游到目的地的时间(P<0.05),减少进入盲端的错误次数(P<0.05)。③跳台法实验中小鼠腹腔注射环己酰亚胺(120 mg·kg^-1)后引起显著的记忆巩固障碍,第一次跳下安全岛的时间明显缩短(P<0.01),5 min内跳下的次数显著增加(P<0.01)。cFLZ(37.5,75,150 mg·kg^-1)可显著改善环己酰亚胺诱导的记忆障碍,延长第一次跳下安全岛的潜伏期(P<0.05),减少跳下的次数(P<0.01)。结论蕃荔枝酰胺新衍生物cFLZ对体积分数40%乙醇、戊巴比妥钠及环己酰亚胺诱导的小鼠学习记忆功能障碍有明显改善作用。     

Memory Enhancement of Acteoside (Verbascoside) in a Senescent Mice Model Induced by a Combination of d‐gal and AlCl3

Acteoside, also known as verbascoside or orobanchin, is a common compound found in many important medicinal plants including the Chinese herb Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma, which is used for its neuroprotective and memory enhancement properties. We have investigated the effects of acteoside using a senescent mouse model induced by a combination of chronic intraperitoneal administration of d ‐gal (60 mg/kg/day) and oral administration AlCl₃ (5 mg/kg/day) once daily for 90 days. After 60 days, acteoside (30, 60, and 120 mg/kg/day) was orally administered once daily for 30 days. The memory enhancing effects of acteoside were evaluated using the Morris water maze test. The results showed that 30–120 mg/kg/day of acteoside reduced the escape latency in finding the platform, and increased the number of crossings of the platform. A 30–120 mg/kg/day of acteoside increased significantly the expression of nerve growth factor and tropomycin receptor kinase A mRNA and protein in the hippocampus, measured using real‐time RT‐PCR, immunohistochemical analysis, and western blotting. These results support the use of C. deserticola for memory enhancement and indicate that the effects of acteoside are induced via promotion of nerve growth factor and tropomycin receptor kinase A expression. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of chrysoplenetin from Vitex negundo as a potential cytotoxic agent against PANC-1 and a panel of 39 human cancer cell lines (JFCR-39)

Human pancreatic cancer is known to be the most deadly disease with the lowest 5‐year survival rate and is resistant to well known conventional chemotherapeutic drugs in clinical use. Screening of medicinal plants from Myanmar utilizing antiausterity strategy led to the identification of Vitex negundo as one of the medicinal plants having potent preferential cytotoxic activity against PANC‐1 human pancreatic cancer cells. Bioactivity‐guided phytochemical investigation led to the isolation of chrysoplenetin (1) and chrysosplenol D (2) as the active constituents with a PC₅₀ value of 3.4 μg/mL and 4.6 μg/mL, respectively, against PANC‐1 cells. Both these compounds induced apoptosis‐like morphological changes in PANC‐1 cells. Chrysoplenetin was further tested against a panel of 39 human cancer cell lines (JFCR‐39) at the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, and 25 cell lines belonging to lung, breast, CNS, colon, melanoma, ovarian, prostate cancer and stomach cancer cell lines were found to be highly sensitive to chrysoplenetin at a submicromolar range. In the JFCR‐39 panel, lung NCI‐H522, ovarian OVCAR‐3 and prostate PC‐3 cells were found to be most sensitive with GI₅₀ of 0.12, 0.18 and 0.17 μm , respectively. The COMPARE analysis suggested that the molecular mode of action of chrysoplenetin was unique compared with the existing anticancer drugs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly Oxygenated Sesquiterpene Lactones from Cousinia aitchisonii and their Cytotoxic Properties: Rhaserolide Induces Apoptosis in Human T Lymphocyte (Jurkat) Cells via the Activation of c‐Jun n‐terminal Kinase Phosphorylation

Infrared‐guided chromatographic fractionation of sesquiterpene lactones from the extracts of Cousinia aitchisonii and Cousinia concolor led to the isolation of five pure compounds. A new sesquiterpene lactone, namely, aitchisonolide, and two known sesquiterpene lactones (desoxyjanerin and rhaserolide) were isolated from C. aitchisonii and two known lignans (arctiin and arctigenin) from C. concolor. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, as well as high‐resolution mass spectrometry. The purified and characterized compounds were subjected to cytotoxicity assay. The sesquiterpene lactones desoxyjanerin and rhaserolide showed significant cytotoxic activities against five different cancer cell lines and the normal human embryonic kidney cell line. Rhaserolide was chosen to evaluate the possible mechanism of action. Western blot analysis revealed that rhaserolide could induce apoptosis in Jurkat cells via the activation of c‐Jun n ‐terminal kinase phosphorylation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In Vivo antimalarial activity of aqueous extracts from Kenyan medicinal plants and their chloroquine (CQ) potentiation effects against a blood-induced CQ-resistant rodent parasite in mice

Hot water extracts from eight medicinal plants representing five families, used for malaria treatment in Kenya were screened for their in vivo antimalarial activity in mice against a chloroquine (CQ) resistant Plasmodium berghei NK65, either alone or in combination with CQ. Extracts of three plants, Toddalia asiatica (root bark), Rhamnus prinoides (leaves and root bark) and Vernonia lasiopus (root bark) showed high chemosuppression in the range 51%-75%. Maytenus acuminata, M. heterophylla, M. senegalensis and Rhamnus staddo had moderate activities of 33%-49% parasitaemia suppression in the root bark and/or leaf extracts, while Withania somnifera (root bark) had a non-significant suppression (21%). In combination with CQ, extracts of V. lasiopus (all parts), leaf extracts of M. senegalensis, R. prinoides and T. asiatica as well as root barks of M. heterophylla, R. staddo and T. asiatica had improved parasitaemia suppression in the range 38%-66%, indicating synergistic interactions. Remarkable parasitaemia suppression by the extracts, either alone or in combination with CQ resulted into longer survival of mice relative to the controls, in some cases by more than 2 weeks. Plants, which showed significant antimalarial activity including V. lasiopus, T. asiatica and R. prinoides, should further be evaluated in the search for novel agents against drug-resistant malaria.     

Reproductive toxicology and clastogenic evaluation in mice of a phytotherapeutic formulation obtained from Cinchona calisaya Weddel (Rubiaceae) used in Brazilian folk medicine as female fertility stimulant

Ethnopharmacological relevance

In Brazil, a phytotherapeutic preparation produced from a standardized tincture of Cinchona calisaya Weddel such that each mL of product contains 400 µg of quinine, known in Portuguese as Água Inglesa^® (English water), is indicated by the manufacturer as a tonic, appetite stimulant, and digestive. However, this preparation has long been used in folk medicine as a female fertility stimulant. Despite its widespread use in folk medicine to stimulate female fertility, no study has been undertaken to assess the potential teratogenic and genotoxic effects of this phytotherapeutic preparation. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible toxic reproductive effects in mice caused by exposure to Água Inglesa^®, either before mating or during the pre- and post-embryo implantation periods. The genotoxic potential was evaluated using the micronucleus assay.

Material, Methods, and Results

Virgin female mice, with at least one estrous cycle evidenced by vaginal cytology, were divided into five groups of 15 individuals each (Group I – control, Group II – treated with ethanol solution at 16%, Groups III, IV and V treated with phytotherapeutic preparation at 1.5 mL/kg/day, 3.0 mL/kg/day and 4.5 mL/kg/day, respectively). After the first 28 days of treatment, females were caged individually with adult fertile males. Pregnant females continued to receive treatment for seven days (preimplantation period). Body weight was recorded weekly during treatment. Signs of toxicity (weight loss, food intake, piloerection, apathy, prostration, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and locomotion) were also observed. The females were sacrificed on the 15th day of pregnancy, uterine horns were evaluated for implantation, and the placental index was recorded. In the micronucleus test, 2000 polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE) per animal, obtained from bone marrow, were scored. Results The results showed that exposure of the females during the pre- and post-implantation periods did not significantly alter the reproductive capacity (p<0.05); however, in higher dose (three times human dose)reduction of fetal weight was observed . There was no difference between the control and phytotherapeutic preparation (p>0.05) in terms of the average number of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes.

Conclusions

Although folk medicine suggests that the Água Inglesa^® preparation is useful as a female fertility stimulant, no such effect was confirmed in mice.