ABSTRACT
Daphne gnidium L. (Thymeleacees) is a famous Moroccan plant with cancer-related ethnobotanical use. Previously, we demonstrated that ethyl acetate extract of D. gnidium had antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic potential on human breast tumor MCF-7 cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the antiproliferative effect of this extract was similar for different human cancer cell lines such as A549 lung cancer and SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells. Moreover, this work essentially focused on the intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide on A549 and SMMC-7721 cells. The characterization of the mechanisms involved in this effect was determined by lactate dehydrogenase test, apoptosis assays and western blot analyses. Our present study has shown that this extract strongly inhibited proliferation of A549 (IC50: 213 ± 15 µg/ml) and SMMC-7721 (IC50: 170 ± 13 µLg/ml) cells. The characterization of antiproliferative effect demonstrated that this extract was an apoptosis inducer in both cell lines tested. The results of western blot analyses have shown in SMMC-7721 cells that this extract activated caspase signaling triggered by the modulation of Bcl-2 family proteins. These findings suggest that this natural extract-induced effects may have novel therapeutic applications for the treatment of different cancer types.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/chemistry , Apoptosis/drug effects , Daphne/chemistry , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/drug therapy , Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Animals , Cell Line, Tumor , DNA Fragmentation/drug effects , Humans , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/metabolism , Mitochondria/drug effects , Plant Roots/chemistryABSTRACT
Periodontal diseases are among the most common infectious diseases that lead to the destruction of periodontal tissues. Anaerobic gram-negative bacteria (Aggregatibacter actinomecetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum...) isolated from periodontal lesions, have been shown to be related to the onset and progression of periodontal disease. Given the incidence of periodontitis, increased resistance of oral bacteria to antibiotics and adverse effects of some antibacterial agents currently used in dentistry, there is a need for alternative products that are safe and effective, for prevention and treatment of these diseases. Essential oils considered traditional medicines are viewed as good alternatives. In Morocco, a wide producer of essential oils, the high prevalence of aggressive periodontitis, related to virulent periodontal bacteria isolated from pockets in Moroccan adolescents and because of the reasons evoked above, the search of a new natural agent has become a necessity. In this qualitative systematic review, the virulence and increased antibiotic resistance of periopathogens, involved in periodontitis, will be exposed, justifying the use of alternative natural agents such as essential oils-based. Studies that have investigated the efficacy of such plant-derived medicines on periodontal pathogens will be described and discussed.
Subject(s)
Bacteria, Anaerobic/drug effects , Biofilms/drug effects , Oils, Volatile/pharmacology , Periodontitis/microbiology , Adolescent , Bacteria, Anaerobic/classification , Bacteria, Anaerobic/physiology , Dental Plaque/microbiology , Drug Resistance, Bacterial , Humans , Morocco , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plant Oils/pharmacology , VirulenceABSTRACT
Daphne gnidium L. is a well-known Moroccan plant with cancer-related ethnobotanical use. In order to systematically evaluate its potential activity in breast cancer, four extracts from this plant of different polarity were tested for their antiproliferative effects on MCF-7 cells. The second aspect of this study related to understanding the nature and mechanism of the antiproliferative effect. Results from a viability assay showed the potent antiproliferative capacity of the hexane (IC(50)-48 h: 630 +/- 16 microg/ml), dichloromethane (IC(50)-48 h: 112 +/- 7 microg/ml) and ethyl acetate extracts (IC(50)-48 h: 263 +/- 9 microg/ml). On the other hand the methanol extract was inactive. LDH test revealed the cytotoxicity of the hexane extract as opposed to two others. The characterization of the ethyl acetate extract showed its dose-dependent pro-apoptotic effect. Surprisingly, we observed that activation of the inducible cyclooxygenase-2 followed the kinetics of apoptosis development. On the other hand, the dichloromethane extract showed a distinct effect on COX-2 activity as a function of the used dose. A low dose seemed to inhibit COX-2 activity whereas a high dose seemed to increase it. These findings suggest that Daphne gnidium L. might be of potential chemopreventive interest. Other studies are in hand to isolate the active agents responsible for the antiproliferative effect.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/chemistry , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Daphne/chemistry , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Dinoprostone/biosynthesis , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Female , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/metabolism , Plant Roots/chemistryABSTRACT
AIM OF STUDY: Within the scope of the European project RUBIA (ICA3-2002-10023), research has been performed on the traditional use and handling of plant species in several Mediterranean countries, Albania, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Morocco, and Spain. This paper synthesises the chief results related to the medicinal utilization of those plants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The information has been gathered by means of semi-structured interviews (1256) and techniques of participant observation with 803 informants. In each of the participating countries the study areas were selected by means of uniform criteria defined at the beginning of the study. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: A total of 985 species have been catalogued, of which 406 have medicinal use. This work constitutes the first comparative study performed with ethnobotanical data gathered by a coordinated methodology in the Mediterranean area. An exhaustive list is provided for the species catalogued, indicating the regions where each plant was mentioned. ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: This information underlines the ethnobotanical richness of the region and the need to broaden this study to other areas of the Mediterranean. Furthermore, this constitutes a base for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies which could lead to new therapeutic products.
Subject(s)
Plants, Medicinal , Mediterranean Region , Species SpecificityABSTRACT
A new synthetic strategy toward puupehenone-related bioactive metabolites from sclareol oxide, based on a Diels-Alder cycloaddition approach, is described. Utilizing this, marine ent-chromazonarol and the potent angiogenesis inhibitor 8-epipuupehedione have been synthesized.
Subject(s)
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/chemical synthesis , Chemistry, Organic/methods , Sesquiterpenes/metabolism , Terpenes/chemical synthesis , Xanthones/metabolism , Angiogenesis Inhibitors/chemistry , Sesquiterpenes/chemistry , Terpenes/chemistry , Xanthenes/chemical synthesis , Xanthones/chemistryABSTRACT
The potential health benefits of various dietary oils in relation to cardiovascular disease and cancer are recently receiving considerable attention. The main proposal of this study is to investigate the effect of dietary argan oil, obtained from seeds of Argania spinosa L. (Sapotaceae) endemic from Morocco, on serum lipids composition. Hyperlipidemia was induced by high calorie and cholesterol (HCC) diet administration in 16 rats (Meriones shawi, a rodent of the Gerbillideae family). Eight rats were treated with argan oil (1ml/100g weight) daily by oral route during 7 weeks (treated group). Control animals were also fed with HCC diet for 7 weeks. After 7-week treatment with argan oil, blood lipoproteins were significantly reduced. Total cholesterol decreased with 36.67% (P<0.01), low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol in 67.70% (P<0.001), triglycerides in 30.67% (P<0.05) and body weight in 12.7% (P<0.05). High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol concentration remained unaltered. These results indicate the beneficial effect of argan oil in the treatment of the hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia. This effect will be related with the polyunsaturated fatty acids and other constituents of studied oil.
Subject(s)
Hyperlipidemias/drug therapy , Hypolipidemic Agents/therapeutic use , Phytotherapy , Plant Oils/therapeutic use , Sapotaceae , Animals , Anticholesteremic Agents/therapeutic use , Gerbillinae , Lipid Metabolism , Lipids/blood , Male , Morocco , SeedsABSTRACT
The activity of methanolic extract from the seeds of Peganum harmala L. (MEP) on vascular smooth muscle (rat aorta) was investigated. MEP induced relaxation in aorta precontracted with noradrenaline (10(-6) M) or KCl (80 mM) (IC50 = 14.49 +/- 1.15 and 5.93 +/- 1.26 micrograms/mL, respectively) in a dose-dependent manner and this relaxant effect was not endothelium-dependent. The vasodilatory effects were potentiated by isoprenaline (10(-9) M) (1.08 +/- 0.14 micrograms/mL) and negatively affected by a non-specific inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, IBMX (10(-4) M) (20.81 +/- 1.06 micrograms/mL). Pretreatment with MEP (3, 6, 18 micrograms/ml) shifted the phenylephrine-induced dose-response curves to the right and the maximum response was attenuated, indicating that the antagonist effect of MEP on alpha 1-adrenoceptors was non-competitive. These results suggest that MEP exerts a vasodilatory effect not related to the presence of endothelium and the main mechanism may be related to the inhibition of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase.
Subject(s)
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/drug effects , Peganum/chemistry , Animals , Aorta, Thoracic/drug effects , Female , In Vitro Techniques , Male , Methanol , Muscle Relaxation/drug effects , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Seeds/chemistry , Solvents , Vasoconstrictor Agents/antagonists & inhibitors , Vasoconstrictor Agents/pharmacologySubject(s)
Culex , Pest Control, Biological , Plant Extracts/toxicity , Plants, Medicinal/toxicity , Animals , Larva , MoroccoSubject(s)
Bulinus/physiology , Molluscacides/toxicity , Oils, Volatile/toxicity , Animals , Lethal Dose 50 , Morocco , Plants/chemistry , Terpenes/toxicityABSTRACT
From the aerial parts of Chrysanthemum viscidehirtum, a new flavonoid, 2"-glucosyl-8-C-glucosyl-4'-O-methylapigenin (1) was isolated.
Subject(s)
Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium , Flavonoids/chemistry , Plants, Medicinal , Humans , Medicine, African Traditional , Morocco , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts/chemistryABSTRACT
Among 14 plants of Moroccan folk medicine tested for molluscicidal activity, ethyl acetate extract from Origanum compactum and hexane extracts from both Chenopodium ambrosioides and Ruta chalepensis were the most active (LC(90)=2.00, 2.23 and 2.23 mg l(-1), respectively) against the schistosomiasis-transmitting snail Bulinus truncatus.
Subject(s)
Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts/toxicity , Plants, Medicinal/therapeutic use , Schistosomiasis/prevention & control , Snails/drug effects , Animals , Medicine, Traditional , Morocco , Plant Extracts/therapeutic useABSTRACT
The volatile fraction of Chrysanthemum viscidehirtum aerial parts, consisting mainly of limonene, beta-farnesene and many oxygenated sesquiterpenes, was screened for activity against 21 microbial strains. This essential oil exhibited activity against all germs tested, in particular Salmonella typhi and Proteus mirabilis. It also showed molluscicidal activity against Bulinus truncatus.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Asteraceae , Bacteria/drug effects , Bulinus/drug effects , Molluscacides/pharmacology , Plants, Medicinal , Terpenes/pharmacology , Animals , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Humans , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Plant StructuresABSTRACT
L'activite hypoglycemiante d'extraits acqueux de Marribium vulgare L.; d'artemesia herba-alba; d'olea europeae et de zygophylum cornutum a ete etudie. un decode de 20 pour cent de chaque plante a ete administre par gavage a des rats soumis a une hyperglycemie provoquee. L'effet de ces plantes a ete compare a un sulfamide Hypoglycemiant: le glibenclamide. Les extraits du zygophillum cornutum et d'artemesia herba alba exercent une activite interessante chez le rat soumis a une epreuve d'hyperglycemie provoquee par voie orale par surcharge de glucose
Subject(s)
Animals , Hypoglycemia , Plants , RatsABSTRACT
15 huiles essentielles d'eucalyptus ont ete analysees par chromatographie en phase gazeuse et testees vis-a-vis de 9 souches bacteriennes. La composition et la proportion relative des composes des huiles essentielles analysees varient d'une espece a une autre. Les essais antimicrobiens ont permis de remarquer d'interessantes proprietes antimicrobiennes
