RESUMO
Drimys brasiliensis (Winteraceae) has been investigated in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties to treat gastric ulcers and allergic and respiratory system diseases as well as for cancer treatment. In this work, we investigate the ability of the sesquiterpene polygodial, isolated from D. brasiliensis stem barks, to modulate the chronic inflammatory response induced by polyester-polyurethane sponge implants in C57BL/6J mice. Daily treatment with polygodial inhibited the macrophage content in the implants as determined by the activity of the N-acetyl-ß-d-glucosaminidase enzyme as well as decreased the levels of CXCL1/KC and CCL2/JE/MCP-1 pro-inflammatory chemokines and the presence of mast cells along the formed fibrovascular tissue. Similarly, the deposition of a new extracellular matrix (total collagen and type I and III collagen fibers) as well as the production of the TGF-ß1 cytokine were attenuated in implants treated with polygodial, showing for the first time its antifibrogenic capacity. The hemoglobin content, the number of newly formed vessels, and the levels of VEGF cytokine, which were used as parameters for the assessment of the neovascularization of the implants, did not change after treatment with polygodial. The anti-inflammatory and antifibrogenic effects of polygodial over the components of the granulation tissue induced by the sponge implant indicate a therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases associated with the development of fibrovascular tissue.
Assuntos
Regulação para Baixo , Drimys/química , Inflamação/prevenção & controle , Sesquiterpenos/isolamento & purificação , Winteraceae/química , Animais , Fibrose/prevenção & controle , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BLRESUMO
Trees from tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF) display very dynamic patterns of water use. They are capable of downwards water transport towards the soil during leaf-wetting events, likely a consequence of foliar water uptake (FWU), as well as high rates of night-time transpiration (Enight) during drier nights. These two processes might represent important sources of water losses and gains to the plant, but little is known about the environmental factors controlling these water fluxes. We evaluated how contrasting atmospheric and soil water conditions control diurnal, nocturnal and seasonal dynamics of sap flow in Drimys brasiliensis (Miers), a common Neotropical cloud forest species. We monitored the seasonal variation of soil water content, micrometeorological conditions and sap flow of D. brasiliensis trees in the field during wet and dry seasons. We also conducted a greenhouse experiment exposing D. brasiliensis saplings under contrasting soil water conditions to deuterium-labelled fog water. We found that during the night D. brasiliensis possesses heightened stomatal sensitivity to soil drought and vapour pressure deficit, which reduces night-time water loss. Leaf-wetting events had a strong suppressive effect on tree transpiration (E). Foliar water uptake increased in magnitude with drier soil and during longer leaf-wetting events. The difference between diurnal and nocturnal stomatal behaviour in D. brasiliensis could be attributed to an optimization of carbon gain when leaves are dry, as well as minimization of nocturnal water loss. The leaf-wetting events on the other hand seem important to D. brasiliensis water balance, especially during soil droughts, both by suppressing tree transpiration (E) and as a small additional water supply through FWU. Our results suggest that decreases in leaf-wetting events in TMCF might increase D. brasiliensis water loss and decrease its water gains, which could compromise its ecophysiological performance and survival during dry periods.
Assuntos
Atmosfera , Drimys/fisiologia , Ecossistema , Folhas de Planta/fisiologia , Solo , Árvores/fisiologia , Água/fisiologia , Carbono/metabolismo , Secas , Florestas , Fotossíntese , Caules de Planta , Transpiração Vegetal , Estações do Ano , Clima Tropical , Winteraceae , Xilema/fisiologiaRESUMO
Drimys granadensis L.f., a native plant from Colombia, has been included in the Vademecum de Plantas Medicinales de Colombia by the Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, due to its widespread use in the folk medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments. The chemical composition of the essential oil of Drimys granadensis obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves was analyzed by GC and GC/MS analyses. A total of 85 components were identified, with the major compounds germacrene D (1, 14.7%), sclarene (9.5%), a-cadinol (7.3%), longiborneol acetate (2, 6.3%), drimenol (4.2%), (Z)-ß-ocimene (3, 4.2%), a-pinene (4, 3.2%), and ß-elemene (5, 2.7%). The essential oil was also tested against eight bacteria using the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method. Most of the Gram-positive bacteria tested were susceptible to the D. granadensis essential oil, while the Gram-negative bacteria tested were not.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Bactérias Gram-Positivas/efeitos dos fármacos , Óleos Voláteis/farmacologia , Folhas de Planta/química , Winteraceae/química , Antibacterianos/química , Antibacterianos/isolamento & purificação , Colômbia , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Estrutura Molecular , Óleos Voláteis/química , Óleos Voláteis/isolamento & purificação , Folhas de Planta/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Estereoisomerismo , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Winteraceae/crescimento & desenvolvimentoRESUMO
Drimys brasiliensis Miers, conhecida como cataia ou casca-de-anta, é árvore nativa da Mata Atlântica e as cascas tem sido utilizadas medicinalmente a partir da exploração de plantas em populações naturais. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a demografia de duas populações naturais de D. brasiliensis, (1) Reserva Genética Florestal de Caçador (RGFC) e (2) Floresta Nacional de Caçador (FLONA), ambas no município de Caçador (SC), visando fundamentar estratégias de exploração sustentável e conservação deste recurso florestal não-madeireiro. A maior luminosidade no sub-bosque existente na FLONA atuou positivamente na espécie, aumentado a capacidade de incremento em diâmetro à altura do peito (DAP), altura (H) e área basal (AB), além de antecipar a reprodução em plantas de menor porte. A análise do padrão espacial das plantas reprodutivas na RGFC mostrou padrão agregado, e na FLONA até a distância de 25 metros. Esse comportamento indicou que a espécie apresenta potencial de manejo em florestas secundárias, formação sucessional em que se encontra a maioria dos remanescentes de Mata Atlântica, além de indicar potencial para cultivo em sistemas agroflorestais.
Known as "cataia" or "casca-de-anta", Drimys brasiliensis Miers is a tree native to the Atlantic Forest and its barks have been medicinally used by exploring natural populations. The present work aimed to study the demography of two D. brasiliensis natural populations, (1) Caçador Forest Genetic Reserve (RGFC) and(2) Caçador National Forest (FLONA), both located in Caçador Municipality, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, in order to establish strategies for sustainable exploration and conservation of such non-timber forest resource. The higher luminosity in FLONA understory was beneficial to the species by increasing their increment capability regarding diameter at breast height (DBH), height (H) and basal area (BA), and made the reproduction in smaller plants earlier. The spatial analysis of reproductive plants in RGFC had an aggregate pattern, whereas in FLONA until 25m distance was detected. Such results indicated that this species presents potential for management in secondary forests, the successional formation where the major Atlantic Forest remnants are found, as well as potential for cultivation in agroforestry systems.
Assuntos
Drimys/anatomia & histologia , Drimys/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Drimys/fisiologia , Winteraceae/anatomia & histologia , Winteraceae/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Brasil , Florestas , Comportamento Reprodutivo/fisiologia , Agricultura FlorestalRESUMO
Phylogenetic analyses of representative species from the five genera of Winteraceae (Drimys, Pseudowintera, Takhtajania, Tasmannia, and Zygogynum s.l.) were performed using ITS nuclear sequences and a combined data-set of ITS+psbA-trnH+rpS16 sequences (sampling of 30 and 15 species, respectively). Indel informativity using simple gap coding or gaps as a fifth character was examined in both data-sets. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses support the monophyly of Drimys, Tasmannia, and Zygogynum s.l., but do not support the monophyly of Belliolum, Zygogynum s.s., and Bubbia. Within Drimys, the combined data-set recovers two subclades. Divergence time estimates suggest that the splitting between Drimys and its sister clade (Pseudowintera+Zygogynum s.l.) occurred around the end of the Cretaceous; in contrast, the divergence between the two subclades within Drimys is more recent (15.5-18.5MY) and coincides in time with the Andean uplift. Estimates suggest that the earliest divergences within Winteraceae could have predated the first events of Gondwana fragmentation.
Assuntos
DNA Espaçador Ribossômico/genética , Evolução Molecular , Filogenia , Plastídeos/genética , Winteraceae/genética , DNA de Plantas/genética , Geografia , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Winteraceae/classificaçãoRESUMO
Natural products including those derived from plants, have over the years greatly contributed to the development of therapeutic drugs. Polygodial and drimanial are sesquiterpenes isolated from the bark of the plant Drymis Winteri (Winteraceae) that exhibit antinociceptive properties. Since peripheral glutamate presents nociceptive actions, in this study it was investigated the effects of hydroalcooholic extracts from Drymis winteri (polygodial and drimanial) on the glutamatergic system in rat brain. Polygodial and drimanial inhibited glutamate uptake by astrocytes, as well as by cortical, hippocampal and striatal slices, and increased synaptosomal glutamate release. These concurrent effects would predispose to an increase in the extracellular glutamate concentrations, leading to possible neurotoxic effects (excitotoxicity) of these natural compounds, which would suggest the need for some caution in their therapeutic application.
Assuntos
Anti-Inflamatórios não Esteroides/farmacologia , Encéfalo/efeitos dos fármacos , Ácido Glutâmico/metabolismo , Sesquiterpenos/farmacologia , Animais , Astrócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Astrócitos/metabolismo , Transporte Biológico , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Células Cultivadas , Córtex Cerebral/efeitos dos fármacos , Córtex Cerebral/metabolismo , Corpo Estriado/efeitos dos fármacos , Corpo Estriado/metabolismo , Hipocampo/efeitos dos fármacos , Hipocampo/metabolismo , Técnicas In Vitro , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Sinaptossomos/efeitos dos fármacos , Sinaptossomos/metabolismo , WinteraceaeRESUMO
This study was designed to assess the participation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in the biological effects induced by the plant-derived sesquiterpenes polygodial and drimanial. In rat isolated urinary bladder, polygodial and drimanial produced a tachykinin-mediated contraction that was inhibited by combination of NK(1) and NK(2) tachykinin receptor antagonists, SR 140333 and SR 48968. Furthermore, two different TRPV1 antagonists, capsazepine and ruthenium red prevented the contraction induced by both compounds. In addition, capsaicin, polygodial and drimanial displaced in a concentration-dependent manner the specific binding sites of [(3)H]-resiniferatoxin to rat spinal cord membranes, with a IC(50) values of 0.48, 4.2 and 3.2 microM, respectively. Likewise, capsaicin, polygodial and drimanial promoted an increase of [(45)Ca(2+)] uptake in rat spinal cord synaptosomes. In cultured rat trigeminal neurons, polygodial, drimanial and capsaicin were also able to significantly increase the intracellular Ca(2+) levels, effect that was significantly prevented by capsazepine. Together, the present results strongly suggest that the pharmacological actions of plant-derived sesquiterpenes polygodial and drimanial, seem to be partially mediated by activation of TRPV1. Additional investigations are needed to completely define the pharmacodynamic properties of these sesquiterpenes.
Assuntos
Sesquiterpenos/farmacologia , Canais de Cátion TRPV/agonistas , Winteraceae/química , Animais , Animais Recém-Nascidos , Ligação Competitiva , Cálcio/metabolismo , Membrana Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Técnicas In Vitro , Contração Muscular/efeitos dos fármacos , Neurônios/efeitos dos fármacos , Neurônios/metabolismo , Casca de Planta/química , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Sesquiterpenos/isolamento & purificação , Medula Espinal/citologia , Medula Espinal/efeitos dos fármacos , Medula Espinal/metabolismo , Sinaptossomos/efeitos dos fármacos , Sinaptossomos/metabolismo , Gânglio Trigeminal/citologia , Gânglio Trigeminal/efeitos dos fármacos , Gânglio Trigeminal/metabolismo , Bexiga Urinária/efeitos dos fármacos , Bexiga Urinária/metabolismoRESUMO
This study examines the relaxation produced by the sesquiterpene polygodial and compares its action with those caused by acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in the rabbit corpus cavernosum (RbCC) in vitro. RbCC was set up in a 5-ml bath containing Krebs solution at 37 degrees C, at pH 7.2, and under 2 g of tension. Polygodial, ACh, and SNP elicited graded relaxation in RbCC with mean EC50 values of 46.70 microM, 0.38 microM, and 0.30 microM, respectively. The nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor L-NOARG and the guanylate cyclase inhibitors LY 83583 and ODQ markedly inhibited the relaxation induced by polygodial (% of inhibition of 79, 48, and 51, respectively) and those caused by ACh (% of inhibition of 100, 49, and 32, respectively). Tetraethylammonium (TEA) and glibenclamide inhibited the relaxation induced by polygodial (52% and 43%, respectively), but only TEA caused shift to the right on ACh-mediated relaxation. In contrast, apamin, charybdotoxin, and 4-aminopyridine or the protein kinase A inhibitor KT 5720 all failed to affect either polygodial or ACh-mediated relaxation in these preparations. The authors concluded that polygodial produced graded relaxation in the RbCC in vitro via a mechanism that was partially dependent on the release of NO or a NO-derived substance through an activation of guanylate cyclase but was independent of adenylate cyclase mechanism. In addition, the opening of K+ channels sensitive to TEA and glibenclamide, but not those sensitive to apamin, 4-aminopyridine, or charybdotoxin, also contributed to the relaxant action produced by polygodial in the RbCC.