Mariana Belén Joray

Antibacterial activity of extracts from plants of central Argentina--isolation of an active principle from Achyrocline satureioides.

The great increase in bacterial infections is fueling interest in the search for antibacterial products of plant origin. Extracts obtained from 51 native and naturalized plants from central Argentina were therefore evaluated for their IN VITRO inhibitory activity on pathogenic bacteria with the aim of selecting the most active ones as new sources of effective antibiotics. The susceptibility of reference and clinical strains of Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus was determined. Extracts from Achyrocline satureioides, Flourensia oolepis, Lepechinia floribunda, and Lithrea molleoides were the most potent, with MIC and MBC values ranging from 0.006 to 2 and 0.012 to 10 mg/mL, respectively, on both gram-positive and negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity-guided isolation of A. satureioides ethanol extract showed 23-methyl-6-O-desmethylauricepyrone (1) to be the most active compound. This compound showed inhibitory effects against gram-positive bacteria with MIC and MBC values of 0.002 and 0.008 mg/mL, respectively, while on gram-negative strains, the MIC and MBC were 0.062-0.250 and 0.062-0.500 mg/mL, respectively. The strong antibacterial activity shown by the four plant extracts or the compound isolated from A. satureioides suggests that they could become part of the arsenal of antibacterial drugs currently used.

Antibacterial activity of the plant-derived compounds 23-methyl-6-O-desmethylauricepyrone and (Z,Z)-5-(trideca-4,7-dienyl)resorcinol and their synergy with antibiotics against methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The present study investigated the antibacterial activity of two plant-derived compounds, 23-methyl-6-O-desmethylauricepyrone (1) and (Z,Z)-5-(trideca-4,7-dienyl)resorcinol (2), and their synergistic effects with erythromycin and gentamicin against methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and gentamicin- and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Studies of the individual antibacterial activity of each plant-derived compound and synergy experiments were carried out, by the microdilution test in agar and by the checkerboard method, respectively. Compound 1 showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 2 and 8 μg/mL, respectively, against both strains of S. aureus, while compound 2 exhibited anti-MSSA and anti-MRSA activity with MICs and MBCs of 4 and 8 and 2 and 8 μg/mL, respectively. Time-kill curves showed that, while compound 1 produced complete killing of both strains at 24 h from the beginning of the experiment, 2 produced the same effect in the first hour. Combinations of 1 with erythromycin or gentamicin showed a notable synergism against MSSA, which enabled the antibiotic concentration to decrease by up to 300 or 260 times, respectively. When the aminoglycoside was placed together with compound 2, only an additive effect was observed. The assayed compounds did not produce erythrocyte hemolysis or genotoxicity and they did not affect macrophage viability at the effective or higher concentrations. These results suggest that both compounds could be considered as promising antibacterial agents while compound 1 could be used in combinatory therapies with erythromycin and gentamicin.

Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Activity of Compounds Isolated from Flourensia oolepis

The antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of metabolites isolated from an antibacterial extract of Flourensia oolepis were evaluated. Bioguided fractionation led to five flavonoids, identified as 2′,4′-dihydroxychalcone (1), isoliquiritigenin (2), pinocembrin (3), 7-hydroxyflavanone (4), and 7,4′-dihydroxy-3′-methoxyflavanone (5). Compound 1 showed the highest antibacterial effect, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 31 to 62 and 62 to 250 μg/mL, against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, respectively. On further assays, the cytotoxic effect of compounds 1–5 was determined by MTT assay on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell lines including their multidrug resistant (MDR) phenotypes. Compound 1 induced a remarkable cytotoxic activity toward ALL cells (IC50 = 6.6–9.9 μM) and a lower effect against CML cells (IC50 = 27.5–30.0 μM). Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell cycle distribution and cell death by PI-labeled cells and by Annexin V/PI staining, respectively. Upon treatment, 1 induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase accompanied by a strong induction of apoptosis. These results describe for the first time the antibacterial metabolites of F. oolepis extract, with 1 being the most effective. This chalcone also emerges as a selective cytotoxic agent against sensitive and resistant leukemic cells, highlighting its potential as a lead compound.

Understanding the interactions between metabolites isolated from Achyrocline satureioides in relation to its antibacterial activity

As part of our ongoing research on the antibacterial activity of Achyrocline satureioides, this study seeks to better understand the interactions between the metabolites isolated from this plant. For this purpose, the combined effect of 23-methyl-6-O-desmethylauricepyrone (1), quercetin (2) and 3-O-methylquercetin (3), obtained through bioguided fractionation from A. satureioides ethanol extract, was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In first place, the antibacterial effect of the combination of flavonols 2 and 3 was assessed, as these showed individual effectiveness lower than or equal to that of the fraction from which they were obtained. When the flavonols were applied together at concentrations below their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, a synergistic effect (FICI<0.30) against S. aureus was observed. In addition, compounds 2 and 3 in combination reduced 1000 times the MIC of compound 1, showing a clear synergistic interaction (FICI<0.15) in treatments against the Gram (+) bacterium. The most active combination against E. coli showed an additive interaction (FICI<0.62) between the three assayed compounds 1-3. These results indicated the existence of concerted action between these metabolites, evidence of the importance of the synergistic interactions between the components of plant-derived extracts for the control of pathogenic bacteria.

Mechanism Underlying the Reversal of Drug Resistance in P-Glycoprotein-Expressing Leukemia Cells by Pinoresinol and the Study of a Derivative

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a membrane protein associated with multidrug resistance (MDR) due to its key role in mediating the traffic of chemotherapeutic drugs outside cancer cells, leading to a cellular response that hinders efforts toward successful therapy. With the aim of finding agents that circumvent the MDR phenotype mediated by P-gp, 15 compounds isolated from native and naturalized plants of Argentina were screened. Among these, the non-cytotoxic lignan (±) pinoresinol successfully restored sensitivity to doxorubicin from 7 μM in the P-gp overexpressed human myelogenous leukemia cells, Lucena 1. This resistance-reversing effect was confirmed by competitively increasing the intracellular doxorubicin accumulation and by significantly inhibiting the efflux of doxorubicin and, to a lesser extent, that of rhodamine 123. The activity obtained was similar to that observed with verapamil. No such results were observed in the sensitive parental K562 cell line. To gain deeper insight into the mode of action of pinoresinol, its effect on P-gp function and expression was examined. The docking simulations indicated that the lignan bound to P-gp at the apex of the V-shaped transmembrane cavity, involving transmembrane helices 4, 5, and 6, and partially overlapped the binding region of tariquidar, which was used as a positive control. These results would shed some light on the nature of its interaction with P-gp at molecular level and merit further mechanistic and kinetic studies. In addition, it showed a maximum 29% activation of ATP hydrolysis and antagonized verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity with an IC50 of 20.9 μM. On the other hand, pinoresinol decreased the presence of P-gp in the cell surface. Derivatives of pinoresinol with improved activity were identified by docking studies. The most promising one, the non-cytotoxic 1-acetoxypinoresinol, caused a reversion of doxorubicin resistance from 0.11 μM and thus higher activity than the lead compound. It also caused a significant increase in doxorubicin accumulation. Results were similar to those observed with verapamil. The results obtained positioned these compounds as potential candidates for effective agents to overcome P-gp-mediated MDR, leading to better outcomes for leukemia chemotherapy.

The Inhibitory Activity of Plants from Central Argentina on p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase. Isolation and Mechanism of Inhibition of a Flavanone from Flourensia oolepis.

The enzyme 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase catalyzes the second step in the tyrosine degradation pathway. In mammals, this enzyme is the molecular target of drugs used for the treatment of metabolic disorders associated with defects in the tyrosine catabolism, mainly the fatal hereditary disease tyrosinemia type 1. This study evaluated the inhibitory effect of 91 extracts on 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase from mostly native plants from central Argentina. Flourensia oolepis ethanol extract showed itself to be the most effective, and bioguided fractionation yielded pinocembrin (1) as its active principle. This flavanone, with an IC50 value of 73.1 µM and a KI of 13.7 µM, behaved as a reversible inhibitor of the enzyme and as a noncompetitive inhibitor. Molecular modeling studies confirmed the inhibitory potency of 1 and explained its activity by means of in silico determination of its binding mode in comparison to inhibitors of known activity, cocrystallized with 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. The main structural determinants that confer its potency are discussed. Analysis of the binding mode of the flavanone 1 with 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase revealed the basis of the noncompetitive reversible mechanism of inhibition at the molecular level, which seems to be a common feature in this ubiquitous family of natural compounds. The resulting information may establish the basis for obtaining novel 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase inhibitors for the treatment of tyrosinemia type 1 and other disorders associated with tyrosinase catabolism.

Cytotoxic Activity of Extracts from Plants of Central Argentina on Sensitive and Multidrug-Resistant Leukemia Cells: Isolation of an Active Principle from Gaillardia megapotamica

Plants are a significant reservoir of cytotoxic agents, including compounds with the ability to interfere with multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells. With the aim of finding promising candidates for chemotherapy, 91 native and naturalized plants collected from the central region of Argentina were screened for their cytotoxic effect toward sensitive and MDR P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpressing human leukemia cells by means of MTT assays. The ethanol extracts obtained from Aldama tucumanensis, Ambrosia elatior, Baccharis artemisioides, Baccharis coridifolia, Dimerostemma aspilioides, Gaillardia megapotamica, and Vernonanthura nudiflora presented outstanding antiproliferative activity at 50 μg/mL, with inhibitory values from 93 to 100%, when tested on the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line CCRF-CEM and the resistant derivative CEM-ADR5000, while 70–90% inhibition was observed against the chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cell K562 and its corresponding resistant subline, Lucena 1. Subsequent investigation showed these extracts to possess marked cytotoxicity with IC50 values ranging from 0.37 to 29.44 μg/mL, with most of them being below 7 μg/mL and with ALL cells, including the drug-resistant phenotype, being the most affected. G. megapotamica extract found to be one of the most effective and bioguided fractionation yielded helenalin (1). The sesquiterpene lactone displayed IC50 values of 0.63, 0.19, 0.74, and 0.16 μg/mL against K562, CCRF-CEM, Lucena 1, and CEM/ADR5000, respectively. These results support the potential of these extracts as a source of compounds for treating sensitive and multidrug-resistant leukemia cells and support compound 1 as a lead for developing effective anticancer agents.