Inhibitory effects of Syzygium jambos extract on biomarkers of endothelial cell activation.

BACKGROUND: Disordered endothelial cell activation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, cancer, sepsis, viral infections, and inflammatory responses. There is interest in developing novel therapeutics to regulate endothelial cell function in atherothrombotic, metabolic, vascular, and hematological diseases. Extracts from leaves of the Syzygium jambos (L.) Alston (S. jambos) trees have been proposed to treat cardiovascular diseases and diabetes through unclear mechanisms. We investigated the effects of the S. jambos extract on biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and immune responses in the human endothelial cell line, EA.hy926. METHODS: Leaves of S. jambos were collected, concocted and lyophilized. To study the effects of S. jambos on endothelial cell activation, we used the human endothelial cell line. IL-6 levels were measured using qPCR and ELISA. PDI activity was measured using Insulin Turbidity and Di-E-GSSG assays. CM-H2DCFDA was used to study ROS levels. Migration assay was used to study S. jambos effect on ex vivo human polymorphonuclear and human mononuclear cells. RESULTS: Our results show that incubation of EA.hy926 cells with ET-1 led to a 6.5 ± 1.6 fold increase in IL-6 expression by qPCR, an event that was blocked by S. jambos. Also, we observed that ET-1 increased extracellular protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) activity that was likewise dose-dependently blocked by S. jambos (IC50 = 14 µg/mL). Consistent with these observations, ET-1 stimulated ex vivo human polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cell migration that also was dose-dependently blocked by S. jambos. In addition, ET-1 stimulation led to significant increases in ROS production that were sensitive to S. jambos. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the S. jambos extract represents a novel cardiovascular protective pharmacological approach to regulate endothelial cell activation, IL-6 expression, and immune-cell responses.

A screening for antimicrobial activities of Caribbean herbal remedies.

BACKGROUND: The TRAMIL program aims to understand, validate and expand health practices based on the use of medicinal plants in the Caribbean, which is a "biodiversity hotspot" due to high species endemism, intense development pressure and habitat loss. The antibacterial activity was examined for thirteen plant species from several genera that were identified as a result of TRAMIL ethnopharmacological surveys or were reported in ethnobotanical accounts from Puerto Rico. The aim of this study was to validate the traditional use of these plant species for the treatment of bacterial infections, such as conjunctivitis, fever, otitis media and furuncles. METHODS: An agar disc diffusion assay was used to examine five bacterial strains that are associated with the reported infections, including Staphylococcus saprophyticus (ATCC 15305), S. aureus (ATCC 6341), Escherichia coli (ATCC 4157), Haemophilus influenzae (ATCC 8142), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 7700) and Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 6896), as well as the fungus Candida albicans (ATCC 752). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were determined for each of the extracts that showed inhibitory activity. RESULTS: The decoctions of Pityrogramma calomelanos, Tapeinochilus ananassae, and Syzygium jambos, as well as the juice of Gossypium barbadense, showed > 20% growth inhibition against several bacteria relative to the positive control, which was the antibiotic Streptomycin. Extracts with the best antimicrobial activities were S. jambos that showed MIC = 31 µg/mL and MBC = 1.0 mg/mL against P. vulgaris and T. ananassae that showed MIC = 15 µg/mL against S. aureus. CONCLUSION: This report confirms the traditional use of P. calomelanos for the treatment of kidney infections that are associated with stones, as well as the antimicrobial and bactericidal effects of T. ananassae against P. vulgaris and S. saprophyticus and the effects of S. jambos against S. aureus and S. saprophyticus.

Macromolecular protein signaling complexes and mast cell responses: a view of the organization of IgE-dependent mast cell signaling.

The generation of signals following engagement of cell surface receptors is an ordered process that requires tight regulation as spurious signals could result in unwanted, and possibly deleterious, cellular responses. Like other cell surface receptors, stimulation of a mast cell via the high affinity IgE receptor (FcepsilonRI) causes multiple biochemical events that ultimately result in cell activation and effector responses. Recently, our knowledge of how these events are ordered has increased. We now have identified some of the molecules involved, how they are organized into macromolecular complexes by FcepsilonRI stimulation, and the role of some of the constituents of these macromolecular signaling complexes in mast cell effector responses. In brief, we review the knowledge on macromolecular signaling complexes used by FcepsilonRI in mast cell activation and provide our view on the regulation of signal generation and its effect on mast cell activation.