Project description:Background: Medicinal plants are widely used to treat infectious diseases, metabolic disorders and cancer. Argemone mexicana L. (A. mexicana), commonly found on desolate land of Marathwada (Maharashtra, India) has been used to treat oral cavity infections. Methods: In this study, cold aqueous and methanolic extracts were prepared from A. mexicana stem and leaves. These extracts were tested for their antifungal and anticancer activities. The antifungal activity was tested using the agar well diffusion method, while the anticancer activity against immortalized cell lines was assessed by trypan blue assay. Results: It was observed that both cold aqueous and methanolic extracts of A. mexicana stem and leaves inhibited the growth of Mucor indicus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Penicillum notatum. Antifungal activity of the extract was comparable to that of Amphoterecin-B. A. mexicana extracts had a cytotoxic effect on A549, SiHa and KB immortalized cell lines that were similar to that of berberine. Conclusion: The A. mexicana leaf and stems exhibit strong antifungal and anticancer potential.
Project description:The main antimicrobial resistance (AMR) nosocomial strains (ESKAPE pathogens such as Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.) are the most widespread bacteria in cutaneous infections. In this work we report the synthesis, in silico skin permeability prediction, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and wound healing properties of novel cinnamic acid-based antimicrobials (DM1-11) as novel antibacterial drugs for the treatment of ESKAPE-related skin infections. Antimicrobial and wound healing scratch assays were performed to evaluate the antibacterial properties of DM1-11. In silico skin permeability capabilities of DM1-11 were evaluated using Swiss-ADME online database. Cytotoxicity assays were performed on keratinocytes and fibroblasts. DM2, bearing a catechol group on the aromatic ring of the cinnamic portion of the molecule, possesses a significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus (MIC range 16-64 mg/L) and contrasts the biofilm-mediated S. epidermidis infection at low concentrations. Wound healing assays showed that wound closure in 48 h was observed in DM2-treated keratinocytes with a better healing pattern at all the used concentrations (0.1, 1.0, and 10 µM). A potential good skin permeation for DM2, that could guarantee its effectiveness at the target site, was also observed. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that DM2 may be a safe compound for topical use. Taking together all these data confirm that DM2 could represent a safe wound-healing topical agent for the treatment of skin wound infections caused by two of main Gram-positive bacteria belonging to ESKAPE microorganisms.
Project description:Commonly called the Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana is a stress-resistant member of the Papaveraceae family of plants that has been used in traditional medicine for centuries by indigenous communities in Mexico and Western parts of the United States. This plant has been exploited to treat a wide variety of ailments, with reported antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, as well as cytotoxic effects against some human cancer cell lines. Due to its various therapeutic uses and its abundance of secondary metabolites, A. mexicana has great potential as a drug discovery candidate. Herein, the germination conditions of A. mexicana are described and the cytotoxic activities of different parts (seeds, leaves, inner vs. outer roots) of the plant from methanol or hexane extracts are preliminarily characterized against cells of seven unique organisms. When comparing 1 mg of each sample normalized to background solvent alone, A. mexicana methanol outer root and leaf extracts possessed the strongest antimicrobial activity, with greatest effects against the Gram-positive bacteria tested, and less activity against the Gram-negative bacteria and fungi tested. Additionally, using the MTT colorimetric assay, the outer root methanol and seed hexane extracts displayed pronounced inhibitory effects against human colon cancer cells. Quantification of c-MYC (oncogene) and APC (tumor suppressor) mRNA levels help elucidate how the A. mexicana root methanol extract may be affecting colon cancer cells. After ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and subsequent nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the root and leaf methanol fractions, two main antibacterial compounds, chelerythrine and berberine, have been identified. The roots were found to possess both phytocompounds, while the leaf lacked chelerythrine. These data highlight the importance of plants as an invaluable pharmaceutical resource at a time when antimicrobial and anticancer drug discovery has plateaued.
Project description:A bio-inspired investigation of the reactions of substrates of type 1 with VOF(3) and PIFA [phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate)] led to a collection of colchicine-like compounds 2-5 and related systems. Biological evaluation revealed that some of the synthesized products had significant cytotoxic properties against the colon cancer cell line HT-29.
Project description:This study identified phytochemicals in Argemone mexicana (A. mexicana) extracts that are responsible for its medicinal properties, and the best solvent for their extraction. The extracts of the stem, leaves, flowers, and fruits of A. mexicana were prepared at low (corresponding to room temperature) and high temperatures (corresponding to the boiling points) in various solvents, viz., hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and H2O. The UV-visible absorption spectra of various phytoconstituents in the isolated extracts were determined through spectrophotometry. Qualitative tests for the screening of phytoconstituents in the extracts were performed to identify various phytochemicals. We identified the presence of terpenoids, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, and carbohydrates in the plant extracts. The antioxidant and anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase (anti-HIV-1RT) potential, as well as the antibacterial activity of various A. mexicana extracts were determined. These extracts showed strong antioxidant activities. The extracts exhibited antimicrobial activities against Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus epidermis, Citrobacter, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Shigella flexineri. These extracts significantly inhibited HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity. The aqueous leaf extract prepared at a temperature equivalent to the boiling point, i.e., 100 °C, was identified to be the most active against pathogenic bacteria and HIV-1 RT.
Project description:BackgroundFungal diseases can cause significant losses in the tomato crop. Phytophthora infestans causes the late blight disease, which considerably affects tomato production worldwide. Weed-based plant extracts are a promising ecological alternative for disease control.MethodsIn this study, we analyzed the plant extract of Argemone mexicana L. using chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). We evaluated its impact on the severity of P. infestans, as well as its effect on the components of the antioxidant defense system in tomato plants.ResultsThe extract from A. mexicana contains twelve compounds most have antifungal and biostimulant properties. The findings of the study indicate that applying the A. mexicana extract can reduce the severity of P. infestans, increase tomato fruit yield, enhance the levels of photosynthetic pigments, ascorbic acid, phenols, and flavonoids, as well as decrease the biosynthesis of H2O2, malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide anion in the leaves of plants infected with this pathogen. These results suggest that using the extract from A. mexicana could be a viable solution to control the disease caused by P. infestans in tomato crop.