Characterization of Polyphenolic Compounds from Bacopa procumbens and Their Effects on Wound-Healing Process.

Wounds represent a medical problem that contributes importantly to patient morbidity and to healthcare costs in several pathologies. In Hidalgo, Mexico, the Bacopa procumbens plant has been traditionally used for wound-healing care for several generations; in vitro and in vivo experiments were designed to evaluate the effects of bioactive compounds obtained from a B. procumbens aqueous fraction and to determine the key pathways involved in wound regeneration. Bioactive compounds were characterized by HPLC/QTOF-MS, and proliferation, migration, adhesion, and differentiation studies were conducted on NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. Polyphenolic compounds from Bacopa procumbens (PB) regulated proliferation and cell adhesion; enhanced migration, reducing the artificial scratch area; and modulated cell differentiation. PB compounds were included in a hydrogel for topical administration in a rat excision wound model. Histological, histochemical, and mechanical analyses showed that PB treatment accelerates wound closure in at least 48 h and reduces inflammation, increasing cell proliferation and deposition and organization of collagen at earlier times. These changes resulted in the formation of a scar with better tensile properties. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR molecular analyses demonstrated that treatment induces (i) overexpression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) and (ii) the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and ERK1/2, suggesting the central role of some PB compounds to enhance wound healing, modulating TGF-ß activation.

Calpain-like: A Ca(2+) dependent cystein protease in Entamoeba histolytica cell death.

Entamoeba histolytica programmed cell death (PCD) induced by G418 is characterized by the release of important amounts of intracellular calcium from reservoirs. Nevertheless, no typical caspases have been detected in the parasite, the PCD phenotype is inhibited by the cysteine protease inhibitor E-64. These results strongly suggest that Ca(2+)-dependent proteases could be involved in PCD. In this study, we evaluate the expression and activity of a specific dependent Ca(2+) protease, the calpain-like protease, by real-time quantitative PCR (RTq-PCR), Western blot assays and a enzymatic method during the induction of PCD by G418. Alternatively, using cell viability and TUNEL assays, we also demonstrated that the Z-Leu-Leu-Leu-al calpain inhibitor reduced the rate of cell death. The results demonstrated 4.9-fold overexpression of calpain-like gene 1.5 h after G418 PCD induction, while calpain-like protein increased almost two-fold with respect to basal calpain-like expression after 3 h of induction, and calpain activity was found to be approximately three-fold higher 6 h after treatment compared with untreated trophozoites. Taken together, these results suggest that this Ca(2+)-dependent protease could be involved in the executory phase of PCD.