Horacio Tournier

Antioxidant activity of anti-inflammatory plant extracts.

The antioxidant properties of twenty medical herbs used in the traditional Mediterranean and Chinese medicine were studied. Extracts from Forsythia suspensa, Helichrysum italicum, Scrophularia auriculata, Inula viscosa, Coptis chinensis, Poria cocos and Scutellaria baicalensis had previously shown anti-inflammatory activity in different experimental models. Using free radical-generating systems H. italicum. I. viscosa and F. suspensa protected against enzymatic and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation in model membranes and also showed scavenging property on the superoxide radical. All extracts were assayed at a concentration of 100 microg/ml. Most of the extracts were weak scavengers of the hydroxyl radical and C. chinensis and P. cocos exhibited the highest scavenging activity. Although S. baicalensis inhibited the lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes and red blood cells, the extract showed inhibitory actions on aminopyrine N-demethylase and xanthine oxidase activities as well as an pro-oxidant effect observed in the Fe3+-EDTA-H2O2 system. The results of the present work suggest that the anti-inflammatory activities of the same extracts could be explained, at least in part, by their antioxidant properties.

Antioxidant activity of Paraguayan plant extracts

The antioxidant properties of six medical herbs used in the traditional Paraguayan medicine were studied using free radical-generating systems. The methanol extracts from Aristolochia giberti, Cecropia pachystachya, Eugenia uniflora, Piper fulvescens, Schinus weinmannifolia and Schinus terebinthifolia protected against enzymatic and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation in microsomal membranes of rat. C. pachystachya, E. uniflora, S. weinmannifolia and S. terebinthifolia showed the highest scavenging activity on the superoxide and DPPH radicals.

Anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Helichrysum italicum

The anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities of the aerial part of Helichrysum italicum extracts have been established in various in‐vivo and in‐vitro experimental models. The results obtained on the acute oedemas induced by 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol 13‐acetate (TPA) and ethyl phenylpropiolate in the mouse ear, by serotonin and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in the mouse paw, on chronic inflammation induced by repeated application of TPA in the mouse ear and on the delayed‐type hypersensitivity induced by sheep red blood cells suggest that said anti‐inflammatory activity is due to the effects of compounds expressed via a corticoid‐like mechanism. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the extracts seems to be implicated in this anti‐inflammatory activity, as the former inhibits enzymatic and non‐enzymatic lipid peroxidation and has free‐radical scavenger properties. We conclude that the anti‐inflammatory activity of Helichrysum italicum can be explained by multiple effects, including inflammatory enzyme inhibition, free‐radical scavenging activity and corticoid‐like effects.

Anti-inflammatory and apoptotic activities of pomolic acid isolated from Cecropia pachystachya.

The dichloromethane extract and pomolic acid ( 5) obtained from leaves of Cecropia pachystachya both reduced carrageenan-induced paw oedema in mice. Interestingly, while the triterpenoid inhibited the in vivo production of interleukin-1beta by 39 %, it had no effect on tumour necrosis factor-alpha production. We also demonstrated that both the dichloromethane extract and 5 inhibited the viability of human polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. The PMN membrane integrity was determined with the aid of flow cytometry by means of the exclusion of propidium iodide as assay. Although the cell membrane integrity was altered, neither the extract nor 5 produced cellular necrosis. Moreover, the development of hypodiploid nuclei and DNA fragmentation in the PMN cells were both dependent on dose and time. Finally, in the annexin V-FITC binding assay, compound 5 increased the total of apoptotic cells by 42 % at 100 microM and by 71 % at 200 microM with respect to the control group. In conclusion, both the dichloromethane extract of ambay and isolated compound 5 inhibit the viability of PMN cells through apoptosis. Since they can regulate human neutrophil functions in this way, it is likely that these substances can also limit inflammation.

Production of ligninolytic enzymes by Fusarium solani strains isolated from different substrata

A comparative study on the extracellular ligninolytic enzymatic activity of five strains of Fusarium solani in a carbon-limited medium under shaking, revealed a differential production of these enzymes. Aryl alcohol oxidase (AAO) activity was observed only in the supernatant of strain CLPS no. 568 with levels higher than 57 mU ml−1. Free extracellular laccase activity was detected in strains CLPS nos. 493, 568 and 570, strain no. 568 being the one which showed the highest activity (over 8.6 mU ml−1). Free extracellular lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity was not detected in any isolate tested, whereas low levels of manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP) and manganese-independent peroxidase (MIP) activities were detected in certain isolates used. The AAO activity of F. solani on primary α-alcohols such as veratryl alcohol, is reported for the first time; this enzyme activity is hydrogen-peroxide independent. This is also the first report for extracellular MnP and MIP activities of F. solani.

Effect of the Chloroform Extract of Tanacetum vulgare and one of its Active Principles, Parthenolide, on Experimental Gastric Ulcer in Rats

This study examines the anti‐ulcerogenic activity of a chloroform extract of Tanacetum vulgare and purified parthenolide, the major sesquiterpene lactone found in the extract.

Inhibition of Trypanosoma cruzi growth by medical plant extracts

This study describes the screening of extracts obtained from 18 plants and two fungi used in the Chinese and Mediterranean traditional medicines on epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. The extracts were tested against epimastigote of T. cruzi Bra C15C2 clone in vitro at 27 degrees C and at a concentration of 250 microg/ml in axenic culture. Angelica dahurica, A. pubescens, A. sinensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Coptis chinensis, Haplophyllum hispanicum, Phellodendron amurense, Poria cocos, Ranunculus sceleratus and Scutellaria baicalensis showed significant effects against the parasite with a percentage of growth inhibition between 20 and 100%. C. chinensis and R. sceleratus showed the greatest activity with IC(50) values of 1.7 microg/ml for C. chinensis and 10.7 microg/ml for R. sceleratus. These activities are greater than that of allopurinol. C. chinesis and R. sceleratus extracts did not show cytotoxic effects on rat polimorphonuclear cells using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and lactic dehydrogenase assays. These results allowed us to suggest that R. sceleratus and C. chinensis could be a source of new compounds clinically active against T. cruzi.

An aqueous extract of Ilex paraguariensis reduces carrageenan-induced edema and inhibits the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in animal models of inflammation.

Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a highly popular herbal beverage in South America due to its high content of caffeine. Its hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties are of increasing interest in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders and for weight control. In the present study, we show for the first time both the local and systemic anti-inflammatory effects of an aqueous extract of mate in three classic in vivo models, namely acute and chronic 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-induced mouse ear edema and acute carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema. Caffeine, rutin, chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicafeoyl quinic acid, and 4,5-dicafeoyl quinic acid, accompanied by a complex mixture of other simple phenolic acids, were identified in the extract by HPLC-UV analyses. In the acute edema model, mate extract applied topically (1 mg/ear) halved the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-induced acute edema (50 %) and almost suppressed neutrophil infiltration (93 %), while in the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-induced subchronic inflammation, the edema was significantly reduced by 62 % (1 mg/ear/day × seven doses). The oral administration of the mate extract (250 mg/kg) significantly reduced the carrageenan-induced edema at all time points, an effect which was accompanied by a 43 % and 53 % reduction of the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, respectively. Histological analyses confirmed a reduction of epithelium thickness, dermis with mild inflammation, hair follicles with some secretory cells of sebaceous glands, and hypodermic adipocytes. In conclusion, mate is endowed with in vivo preventative or therapeutic anti-inflammatory effects in both local and systemic inflammatory processes.

Antioxidant defence system and lipid peroxidation in lactating rats: Effect of dietary vitamin E during gestation and lactation

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a low vitamin E diet given to rat dams during gestation and lactation on the antioxidant defence enzymes and lipid peroxidation in their pups. Wistar rats were fed two different diets during gestation and lactation: a) Low vitamin E diet containing 65.8 mg Vit. E per kg of food, and b) Control diet containing 215.8 mg Vit.E per kg of food. Plasma concentration of vitamin E and in vitro spontaneous red blood cell hemolysis were determined in dams and their pups. Liver and brain superoxide dismutase, selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities were evaluated in pups. Malondialdehyde production was measured in both brain and liver homogenates from pups. The low vitamin E diet decreased significantly the plasma concentration of the vitamin both in mothers (6.1 ± 3.3 vs. 13.1 ± 0.9 μM) and pups (2.5 ± 2.3 vs. 7.4 ± 1.6 μM). The treatment decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase (0.16 ± 0.02 vs 0.26 ± 0.05 ΔAbs/4min./mg,protein) and catalase (0.31 ± 0.06 vs 0.49 ± 0.13 k/mg protein) in pups liver. This diet had no influence on selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity. Brain selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities could not be detected and superoxide dismutase activity was not modified by the diet. Red blood cells from lactating rats whose mothers had received the low diet were essentially hemolysed. The production of malondialdehyde in both brain and liver from lactating rats was higher than in the control group (p