ABSTRACT
AIMS: To evaluate the antiviral activity of Bignoniaceae species occurring in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ethanol extracts of different anatomical parts of bignoniaceous plant species have been evaluated in vitro against human herpesvirus type 1 (HSV-1), vaccinia virus (VACV) and murine encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. A total of 34 extracts from 18 plant species selected according to ethnopharmacological and taxonomic criteria were screened. Fifteen of the 34 extracts (44.1%) have disclosed antiviral activity against one or more of the viruses assayed with EC(50) values in the range of 23.2 ± 2.5-422.7 ± 10.9 µg ml(-1). CONCLUSIONS: Twelve of the 34 extracts (35.3%) might be considered promising sources of antiviral natural products, as they have shown EC50 ≤ 100 µg ml(-1). The present screening discloses the high potential of the Bignoniaceae family as source of antiviral agents. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Active extracts were identified and deserve bioguided studies for the isolation of antiviral compounds and studies on mechanism of action.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Bignoniaceae/chemistry , Encephalomyocarditis virus/drug effects , Herpesvirus 1, Human/drug effects , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Vaccinia virus/drug effects , Animals , Bignoniaceae/classification , Brazil , Chlorocebus aethiops , Humans , L Cells , Mice , Microbial Sensitivity Tests/methods , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Vero CellsABSTRACT
A new method for the in vitro screening of plant extracts with potential angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity is proposed. The method is based on the cleavage of the substrate hippuryl-glycyl-glycine by ACE and subsequent reaction with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid to form 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-glycyl-glycine, whose absorbance is determined at 415 nm in a microtitre plate reader. Rabbit lung dehydrated by acetone was employed as an enzyme source. Validation of the method showed satisfactory intra-day (CV = 7.63%) and inter-day precision (CV = 13.61%), recovery (97-102.1%), sensitivity (IC50 = 14.1 nmol/l) and linearity in the range 7.5-120 mmol/l of glycyl-glycine (r2 = 0.9921). Besides, the method showed good correlation with a HPLC assay already established for the screening of ACE inhibitors (r = 0.9935 and 0.9034, respectively, for captopril solutions and for plant extracts). The method involves only inexpensive reagents and apparatus.
Subject(s)
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plants, Medicinal , Animals , Brazil , Colorimetry , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Humans , Medicine, Traditional , Oligopeptides/chemistry , Rabbits , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid/chemistryABSTRACT
Cardenolides from a Brazilian cultivar of Digitalis lanata were isolated by rotation locular countercurrent chromatography (RLCC), employing dichloromethane-methanol-water (5:6:4, v/v) as the solvent system. Highly pure lanatoside C was obtained from the Digitalis lanata hydromethanolic extract, pre-purified either by silica gel or reversed-phase chromatography.
