Nutraceutical Properties of Herbal Infusions from Six Native Plants of Argentine Patagonia.

Six native plants of South America traditionally consumed in the Patagonian region (southern Argentina and Chile), namely: Adesmia boronioides Hook. f., Apium australe Thouars, Buddleja globosa Hope, Drimys andina (Reiche) R. Rodr. & Quezada, Dysphania multifida L. and Solidago chilensis Meyen were investigated to determine the nutraceutical properties of infusions of their aerial parts. The infusions were characterized in terms of their antioxidant activity, phenolic and flavonoid content, profile of phenolic compounds, general toxicity and cytotoxicity on two different human cell lines: T84 (derived from colon cancer) and HTR8/SVneo (not derived from cancer). Twenty-nine compounds, mainly phenolic acids and flavonoids, were identified. This is the first analysis of phenolic compounds in infusions from native plants of Patagonia. D. andina, B. globosa and S. chilensis showed high levels of antioxidants, even higher than those of Green Tea. The content of phenolic compounds correlated significantly with the antioxidant activity of the samples analyzed. The toxicity test indicated that the use of A. australe, B. globosa and D. multifida seems safe, but a moderate consumption is suggested for A. boronioides, D. andina and S. chilensis until more exhaustive and long-term results are available. Moreover, A. boronioides and S. chilensis showed anticancer potential due to their antiproliferative activity on human cancer cell lines.

The activity against leukocyte eicosanoid generation of essential oil and polar fractions of Adesmia boronioides Hook.f.

The polar fractions (methanol and aqueous extract) and essential oil of Adesmia boronioides aerial parts were tested in vitro at concentrations of 15 and 50 microg/mL, for their effects on the COX and 5-LOX pathways of eicosanoid generation (TXB2, PGE2 and LTB4) in stimulated rat peritoneal leukocytes. Potent inhibition of LTB4 generation was displayed by the methanol extract and the essential oil, whereas the aqueous extract was essentially inactive. The methanol extract also caused potent inhibition of TXB2 generation but the essential oil and the aqueous extract were much less active. The effects on PGE2 production were much less striking, implying that the main effect is on thromboxane synthetase rather than on COX. Although the essential oil caused LDH release in leukocytes treated concurrently with ionophore, suggesting substantial toxicity to the cells, this extract did not affect cell viability according to the MTT test when incubated with the cells in the absence of ionophore. The two other extracts did not affect cell viability at the concentrations tested. It is concluded that Adesmia boronioides contains substance(s) that preferentially inhibit the 5-lipoxygenase activity of arachidonic acid metabolism and suggest that this may contribute to the antiinflammatory actions of extracts of this plant.

Histopathologic diagnosis of pigmented lesions of the skin.

The present review deals with the histopathologic diagnosis of the commonest pigmented lesions of the skin with emphasis on melanocytic tumors. The discussed entities are systematized in pigmented lesions with and without an increase in the number of melanocytes, i.e. melanocytic hyperplasia, and in those that actually are melanocytic neoplasias. Histopathological, ultrastructural, and immunohistochemical features of relevance for the differential diagnosis are discussed in depth. One section is dedicated to the immunohistochemical markers of melanocytic lesions, the other one to the electron microscopy of malignant melanoma. Neoplasms simulating malignant melanoma and the less frequent variants of this tumor are also discussed. The diagnosis of pigmented lesions of the skin represents one of the most frequent and difficult challenges in dermatopathology, and useful clues for the differential diagnosis, especially of melanocytic dysplasias and neoplasias, are presented in the present article.

Colloid keratosis. Morphologic characterization of a nonspecific reaction pattern of squamous epithelium.

Colloid keratosis is characterized by homogeneous eosinophilic masses of variable size and number within the upper layers of squamous epithelia, including epidermis. It has been observed as the characteristic feature of many onychoses and inflammatory conditions of oral epithelium, and as an incidental finding in neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions in the skin and respiratory tract. Its nature remains obscure, but knowledge at present suggests that it may represent a disorder of an early phase of keratinization. Current evidence supports the hypothesis that colloid keratosis represents a nonspecific cellular reaction pattern of squamous epithelium.