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Synergy-directed fractionation of botanical medicines: a case study with goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

ABSTRACT: It is often argued that the efficacy of herbal medicines is a result of the combined action of multiple constituents that work synergistically or additively. Determining the bioactive constituents in these mixtures poses a significant challenge. We have developed an approach to address this challenge, synergy-directed fractionation, which combines comprehensive mass spectrometry profiling with synergy assays and natural products isolation. The applicability of synergy-directed fractionation was demonstrated using the botanical medicine goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) as a case study. Three synergists from goldenseal were identified, sideroxylin, 8-desmethyl-sideroxylin, and 6-desmethyl-sideroxylin. These flavonoids synergistically enhance the antimicrobial activity of the alkaloid berberine (also a constituent of H. canadensis) against Staphylococcus aureus by inhibition of the NorA multidrug resistance pump. The flavonoids possess no inherent antimicrobial activity against S. aureus; therefore, they could have been missed using traditional bioactivity-directed fractionation. The flavonoid synergists are present at higher concentration in extracts from H. canadensis leaves, while the antimicrobial alkaloid berberine is present at higher levels in H. canadensis roots. Thus, it may be possible to produce an extract with optimal activity against S. aureus using a combination of goldenseal roots and leaves.

SUBMITTER: Junio HA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3142294 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Synergy-directed fractionation of botanical medicines: a case study with goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

Junio Hiyas A HA Sy-Cordero Arlene A AA Ettefagh Keivan A KA Burns Johnna T JT Micko Kathryn T KT Graf Tyler N TN Richter Scott J SJ Cannon Robert E RE Oberlies Nicholas H NH Cech Nadja B NB

Journal of natural products 20110610 7

It is often argued that the efficacy of herbal medicines is a result of the combined action of multiple constituents that work synergistically or additively. Determining the bioactive constituents in these mixtures poses a significant challenge. We have developed an approach to address this challenge, synergy-directed fractionation, which combines comprehensive mass spectrometry profiling with synergy assays and natural products isolation. The applicability of synergy-directed fractionation was ...[more]

PMID: 21661731

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Project description:Alternative growth promoters are able to not only effectively replace the traditional use of antibiotics but also provide additional health benefits for livestock and reduce food safety concerns. This study investigated the effects of dry Hydrastis canadensis on the laying performance and fecal microbial community of laying hens. Twenty-four Lohmann (LSL, white layer strain) hens were reared from 40 to 48 weeks of age and randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (six birds/treatment). The dietary treatments comprised a basal diet with no treatment as control, a basal diet plus 0.6% powder of dry Hydrastis canadensis roots (R) or leaves (L), and a basal diet plus 0.6% powder of a mixture of dry Hydrastis canadensis roots and leaves (1:1, LR). No mortality was observed in the whole experimental period. The results indicated that albumen height in the LR group was significantly greater than that in the control group. The diet supplemented with Hydrastis canadensis had no significant effects on egg production rate, egg weight, eggshell strength, eggshell thickness, Haugh unit, or yolk height during the whole experimental phase. However, principal coordinate analysis, comparative heat map analysis, and cluster dendrogram analysis of cecal microbiota showed distinct clusters among the groups treated with Hydrastis canadensis and the control group. Regarding blood biochemical parameters, serum cholesterol levels were significantly lower in all Hydrastis canadensis-treated groups compared with those in the control group. Moreover, serum low-density lipoprotein levels were lower in hens supplemented with the leaf of Hydrastis canadensis. The abundances of the phyla Fusobacteria and Kiritimatiellaeota were increased (p < 0.05) in laying hens fed with 0.6% Hydrastis canadensis leaves, whereas the abundance of the phylum Firmicutes in cecum digesta decreased in response to treatment with Hydrastis canadensis roots and leaves. The relative abundance of the Fusobacterium genus was higher in the LR group compared with that in the control. On the contrary, we found a different trend in the Synergistes genus. The potential influences of these microbiota on the performance of laying hens were discussed. The results demonstrate that Hydrastis canadensis can improve the egg albumen height and modulate the cecum digesta microbiota composition of laying hens.

Project description:The worldwide use of medicinal plant products has been steadily increasing over the past few decades, whereas the traditional knowledge and practices of these botanical medicines appears to be diminishing. Considering the need to conserve and document these traditions, the objective of this study was to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people who are familiar with botanical medicines, as well as any factors that may influence the perceptions and behaviours associated with the use of medicinal plants. A previously validated survey instrument assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices on the use medicinal plants was randomly administered to residents of three rural Barbadian communities. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and cross tabulations (Chi-Square Test, Fisher's Exact Test), with a confidence level of 95% and significance level of p < 0.05. One hundred and fifty-four participants completed the survey with a response rate of 96%. From participant responses we found that over 75% of the study population used botanical medicines. Key findings included a diverse repertoire of traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants, which included a total of 29 medicinal applications cited across 69 different plant species and 39 families. The most popular species among respondents (irrespective of use) were Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J.W. Moore (FC = 30, RFC = 0.26), Momordica charantia L. (FC = 28, RFC = 0.24), Zingiber officinale Roscoe (FC = 22, RFC = 0.19) and Annona muricata L. (FC = 21, RFC = 0.18). The findings also show the persistence of medico-cultural concepts such as cleansing and cooling, and identified significant associations between the use of botanical medicines and related practices with demographic variables such as education (p = 0.05; Fisher's Exact Test) and health insurance, χ2 (1, n = 152) = 4.645, p = 0.003. The findings of this study can be used in the identification and archiving of the medicinal plant practices in Barbados and the wider Caribbean, as well as for the larger purposes of biocultural exploration, preservation and further scientific assessment of botanical medicine practices.

Dataset Information

Synergy-directed fractionation of botanical medicines: a case study with goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

Publications

Synergy-directed fractionation of botanical medicines: a case study with goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

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