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Biomedicines
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Plant Derived Biomedicines
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Plant Derived Biomedicines

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Discovery and Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2018) | Viewed by 51505

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Solomon Habtemariam

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Guest Editor
Herbal Analysis Services UK, Greenwich, University of Greenwich, London, UK
Interests: natural products chemistry; pharmacology; drug discovery; pharmacognosy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giovanni Lentini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
Interests: medicinal chemistry; drug discovery; chirality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mankind might have used serendipity or luck in identifying the first few natural products (e.g., choosing one or two medicinal plants out of millions) as good sources of medicine, and also perfected the selection process via experience and knowledge transfer through thousands of generations. While serendipity could still play some role in modern drug therapy today, as exemplified by our continued use of antibiotics discovered in the 20th century, advances in chemical and biological fields have given us opportunity that could not even been dreamt of half a century ago. Our capability in analytical methodologies, for example, have allowed us to identify potential novel compounds from natural sources that exist in minute concentrations and sometimes even without the need to isolate them from their sources. On the other hand, one may get valuable information on potential drugs through in silico studies, without even stepping foot in a pharmacology laboratory. We are, however, continually challenged by new and existing complex diseases, with some cases growing to epidemic proportions. The search for novel potential therapeutic agents for such challenging diseases of the present and next generations must continue and to this end we have to double our efforts on identifying, documenting and scrutinising natural medicines. In this Special Issue (“Plant Derived Biomedicines”), we are aiming to focus on recent developments on the chemistry, pharmacology and medical implications of bioactive natural products. We therefore take the pleasure of inviting colleagues to join us in contributing their valuable work to this Special Issue in Biomedicines.

Prof. Solomon Habtemariam
Prof. Giovanni Lentini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Drugs from natural sources
  • Natural products
  • Novel pharmacology
  • Phytochemistry
  • Drug discovery

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1849 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Citrus Water-Extracts Obtained by Microwave-Assisted and Conventional Methods
by Leonardo Caputo, Laura Quintieri, Maria Maddalena Cavalluzzi, Giovanni Lentini and Solomon Habtemariam
Biomedicines 2018, 6(2), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines6020070 - 17 Jun 2018
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6325
Abstract
Citrus pomace is a huge agro-food industrial waste mostly composed of peels and traditionally used as compost or animal feed. Owing to its high content of compounds beneficial to humans (e.g., flavonoids, phenol-like acids, and terpenoids), citrus waste is increasingly used to produce [...] Read more.
Citrus pomace is a huge agro-food industrial waste mostly composed of peels and traditionally used as compost or animal feed. Owing to its high content of compounds beneficial to humans (e.g., flavonoids, phenol-like acids, and terpenoids), citrus waste is increasingly used to produce valuable supplements, fragrance, or antimicrobials. However, such processes require sustainable and efficient extraction strategies by solvent-free techniques for environmentally-friendly good practices. In this work, we evaluated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of water extracts of three citrus peels (orange, lemon, and citron) against ten different sanitary relevant bacteria. Both conventional extraction methods using hot water (HWE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were used. Even though no extract fully inhibited the growth of the target bacteria, these latter (mostly pseudomonads) showed a significant reduction in biofilm biomass. The most active extracts were obtained from orange and lemon peel by using MAE at 100 °C for 8 min. These results showed that citrus peel water infusions by MAE may reduce biofilm formation possibly enhancing the susceptibility of sanitary-related bacteria to disinfection procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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9 pages, 544 KiB  
Communication
Bryonolic Acid Blocks Cancer Cell Clonogenicity and Invasiveness through the Inhibition of Fatty Acid: Cholesteryl Ester Formation
by Farid Khallouki, Robert Wyn Owen, Sandrine Silvente-Poirot and Marc Poirot
Biomedicines 2018, 6(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines6010021 - 12 Feb 2018
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4522
Abstract
Bryonolic acid (BrA) is a pentacyclic triterpene present in several plants used in African traditional medicine such as Anisophyllea dichostyla R. Br. Here we investigated the in vitro anticancer properties of BrA. We report that BrA inhibits acyl-coA: cholesterol acyl transferase (ACAT) activity [...] Read more.
Bryonolic acid (BrA) is a pentacyclic triterpene present in several plants used in African traditional medicine such as Anisophyllea dichostyla R. Br. Here we investigated the in vitro anticancer properties of BrA. We report that BrA inhibits acyl-coA: cholesterol acyl transferase (ACAT) activity in rat liver microsomes in a concentration-dependent manner, blocking the biosynthesis of the cholesterol fatty acid ester tumour promoter. We next demonstrated that BrA inhibits ACAT in intact cancer cells with an IC50 of 12.6 ± 2.4 µM. BrA inhibited both clonogenicity and invasiveness of several cancer cell lines, establishing that BrA displays specific anticancer properties. BrA appears to be more potent than the other pentacyclic triterpenes, betulinic acid and ursolic acid studied under similar conditions. The inhibitory effect of BrA was reversed by exogenous addition of cholesteryl oleate, showing that ACAT inhibition is responsible for the anticancer effect of BrA. This report reveals new anticancer properties for BrA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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1956 KiB  
Article
In Vitro and In Vivo Biological Activities of Cissus adnata (Roxb.)
by Mohammed Shoibe, Md. Nazim Uddin Chy, Morshed Alam, Md. Adnan, Md. Zobidul Islam, Shababa Wajida Nihar, Nishat Rahman and Ehsan Suez
Biomedicines 2017, 5(4), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines5040063 - 30 Oct 2017
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6243
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro polyphenol content, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antibacterial, anthelmintic properties, and in vivo antinociceptive activity of the ethanol extract of Cissus adnata leaves (EECA) in different experimental models. Polyphenol contents were investigated using spectrophotometric techniques. Antioxidant activity [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro polyphenol content, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antibacterial, anthelmintic properties, and in vivo antinociceptive activity of the ethanol extract of Cissus adnata leaves (EECA) in different experimental models. Polyphenol contents were investigated using spectrophotometric techniques. Antioxidant activity was determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) radical-scavenging, ferric reducing power, and total antioxidant capacity assays. Cytotoxicity was determined by brine shrimp lethality bioassay and disc diffusion method was used for the antibacterial activity. Anthelmintic activity was studied using aquarium worm (Tubifex tubifex) whereas antinociceptive activity was evaluated in mice by acetic acid and formalin test. Phytochemical screening of EECA revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, saponins, and tannins. EECA showed strong antioxidant activity with high polyphenol contents. It was observed that EECA possessed significant antibacterial activity with a low toxicity profile. EECA also demonstrated dose-dependent and statistically significant anthelmintic and antinociceptive activities. Our study shows that ethanol extract of C. adnata leaves possess strong antioxidant, antibacterial, anthelmintic and antinociceptive activities with lower toxicity. Further studies are needed to identify bioactive phytomolecules and to understand the mechanism of such actions better. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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1106 KiB  
Article
Supplementation with Achyrocline satureioides Inflorescence Extracts to Pregnant and Breastfeeding Rats Induces Tissue-Specific Changes in Enzymatic Activity and Lower Neonatal Survival
by Karla Suzana Moresco, Alexandre Kleber Silveira, Carlos Eduardo Schnorr, Fares Zeidán-Chuliá, Rafael Calixto Bortolin, Leonardo Da Silva Bittencourt, Moara Mingori, Luana Heimfarth, Thallita Kelly Rabelo, Maurilio Da Silva Morrone, Juliana Poglia Carini, Daniel Pens Gelain, Valquiria Linck Bassani and José Cláudio Fonseca Moreira
Biomedicines 2017, 5(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines5030053 - 29 Aug 2017
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4595
Abstract
Achyrocline satureioides (AS, family Asteraceae) is a plant widely used in traditional medicine for stomach, digestive, and gastrointestinal disorders during pregnancy. Studies regarding the indiscriminate use of plant infusions during pregnancy are limited. Recent reports have shown that chronic flavonoid supplementation induces toxicity [...] Read more.
Achyrocline satureioides (AS, family Asteraceae) is a plant widely used in traditional medicine for stomach, digestive, and gastrointestinal disorders during pregnancy. Studies regarding the indiscriminate use of plant infusions during pregnancy are limited. Recent reports have shown that chronic flavonoid supplementation induces toxicity in vivo and raises the mortality rates of healthy subjects. Therefore, we investigated whether supplementation of pregnant and lactating Wistar rats with two AS inflorescence extracts, consisting of an aqueous (AQ) extract similar to a tea (47 mg·kg−1·day) and a hydroethanolic (HA) extract (35 mg·kg−1·day−1) with a higher flavonoid content, could induce redox-related side effects. Total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP), thiobarbituric reactive species (TBARS), and total reduced thiol (SH) content were evaluated. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were additionally quantified. Our data suggest that both AQ and HA of AS inflorescence extracts may induce symptoms of toxicity in concentrations of (47 mg·kg−1·day) and (35 mg·kg−1·day−1), respectively, in mothers regarding the delivery index and further decrease of neonatal survival. Of note, significant tissue-specific changes in maternal (liver, kidney, heart, and hippocampus) and pups (liver and kidney) biochemical oxidative parameters were observed. Our findings provide evidence that may support the need to control supplementation with the AQ of AS inflorescence extracts during gestation due to potential toxicity in vivo, which might be related, at least in part, to changes in tissue-specific redox homeostasis and enzymatic activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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1339 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Testing of Crude Natural Plant Extracts from Costa Rica for Their Ability to Boost Innate Immune Cells against Staphylococcus aureus
by Ragheda Yaseen, Katja Branitzki-Heinemann, Hani Moubasher, William N. Setzer, Hassan Y. Naim and Maren Von Köckritz-Blickwede
Biomedicines 2017, 5(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines5030040 - 05 Jul 2017
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4186
Abstract
The increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus (S.) aureus tremendously limits the antibiotic-based treatment options; therefore, an open discussion of alternative treatment strategies is urgently needed. The use of naturally derived materials might become a more promising concept, not only as directly [...] Read more.
The increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus (S.) aureus tremendously limits the antibiotic-based treatment options; therefore, an open discussion of alternative treatment strategies is urgently needed. The use of naturally derived materials might become a more promising concept, not only as directly acting antimicrobials, but also for stimulation of the immune system. Costa Rican plant extracts were screened for their ability to enhance the antimicrobial activity of human blood-derived cells against S. aureus infections. We identified three plant extracts which significantly reduced the growth of S. aureus in the presence of human blood without directly acting as antibacterials: Byrsonima crassifolia acetone bark extract, Mandevilla veraguasensis acetone vine extract and Verbesina oerstediana acetone bark extract (VEOEBA). The effect of VEOEBA was studied in more detail, and revealed that VEOEBA increases the antimicrobial activity of neutrophils by enhancing the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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1047 KiB  
Article
The Protective Effects of p-Coumaric Acid on Acute Liver and Kidney Damages Induced by Cisplatin
by Fazile Nur Ekinci Akdemir, Mevlüt Albayrak, Muhammet Çalik, Yasin Bayir and İlhami Gülçin
Biomedicines 2017, 5(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines5020018 - 28 Apr 2017
Cited by 92 | Viewed by 7647
Abstract
In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of p-Coumaric acid (PCA) on cisplatin (CIS)-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in Wistar adult rats for 24 h compared to untreated control groups. In this experiment, 40 Wistar adult rats were utilized and divided [...] Read more.
In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of p-Coumaric acid (PCA) on cisplatin (CIS)-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in Wistar adult rats for 24 h compared to untreated control groups. In this experiment, 40 Wistar adult rats were utilized and divided randomly into five groups. After 24 h of CIS administration, liver and kidneys were harvested and assessed by H&E staining. Also, markers for oxidative stress and antioxidants were analyzed in theses tissues. Compared to the control group, accumulation of malondialdehyde was increased in groups treated CIS, whereas superoxide dismutase activities and glutathione levels were distinctly diminished in this group. The study’s histopathological findings such as hydropic degeneration, vascular congestion, sinusoidal dilatation in hepatocytes and tubular necrosis in kidneys were in accordance with the results of markers for oxidative stress. PCA may prevent hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity by increased antioxidant enzymes and reduced oxidant parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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28 pages, 13983 KiB  
Review
Plant-Derived Anticancer Agents: Lessons from the Pharmacology of Geniposide and Its Aglycone, Genipin
by Solomon Habtemariam and Giovanni Lentini
Biomedicines 2018, 6(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines6020039 - 26 Mar 2018
Cited by 77 | Viewed by 9983
Abstract
For centuries, plants have been exploited by mankind as sources of numerous cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Good examples of anticancer compounds of clinical significance today include the taxanes (e.g., taxol), vincristine, vinblastine, and the podophyllotoxin analogues that all trace their origin to higher plants. [...] Read more.
For centuries, plants have been exploited by mankind as sources of numerous cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Good examples of anticancer compounds of clinical significance today include the taxanes (e.g., taxol), vincristine, vinblastine, and the podophyllotoxin analogues that all trace their origin to higher plants. While all these drugs, along with the various other available therapeutic options, brought some relief in cancer management, a real breakthrough or cure has not yet been achieved. This critical review is a reflection on the lessons learnt from decades of research on the iridoid glycoside geniposide and its aglycone, genipin, which are currently used as gold standard reference compounds in cancer studies. Their effects on tumour development (carcinogenesis), cancer cell survival, and death, with particular emphasis on their mechanisms of actions, are discussed. Particular attention is also given to mechanisms related to the dual pro-oxidant and antioxidant effects of these compounds, the mitochondrial mechanism of cancer cell killing through reactive oxygen species (ROS), including that generated through the uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2), the inflammatory mechanism, and cell cycle regulation. The implications of various studies for the evaluation of glycosidic and aglycone forms of natural products in vitro and in vivo through pharmacokinetic scrutiny are also addressed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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235 KiB  
Review
Plant Virus Expression Vectors: A Powerhouse for Global Health
by Kathleen Hefferon
Biomedicines 2017, 5(3), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines5030044 - 30 Jul 2017
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 6945
Abstract
Plant-made biopharmaceuticals have long been considered a promising technology for providing inexpensive and efficacious medicines for developing countries, as well as for combating pandemic infectious diseases and for use in personalized medicine. Plant virus expression vectors produce high levels of pharmaceutical proteins within [...] Read more.
Plant-made biopharmaceuticals have long been considered a promising technology for providing inexpensive and efficacious medicines for developing countries, as well as for combating pandemic infectious diseases and for use in personalized medicine. Plant virus expression vectors produce high levels of pharmaceutical proteins within a very short time period. Recently, plant viruses have been employed as nanoparticles for novel forms of cancer treatment. This review provides a glimpse into the development of plant virus expression systems both for pharmaceutical production as well as for immunotherapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Derived Biomedicines)
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