The present study was aimed to archive the etnhnomedicinal knowledge of plants used by inhabitant... more The present study was aimed to archive the etnhnomedicinal knowledge of plants used by inhabitants of seven villages of Holguín, Eastern region, Cuba. The ethnomedicinal information was collected through interviews. The collected data were analyzed through use value (UV), informant consensus factor (Fic) and fidelity level (FL). A total of 195 species of plants distributed in 166 genera belonging to 70 families were identified for the treatment of 17 ailment categories. The most treated conditions were digestive and liver disorders. The most important species according to their use value were Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Br. ex Britton & P. Wilson (0.236) and Annona muricata L. (0.194). Cancer and tumors had the Fic value of 0.94. A total of 19 species has a highest FL of 100 percent. This was the first ethnobotanical survey conducted in Holguín region, which will contribute to preserve valuable information of medicinal plants that may otherwise be lost to future generations. Resumen: E...
Revista Cubana de Plantas Medicinales, Jan 29, 2015
Introduccion: excoecaria lucida Sw. (Aite), es una especie que crece en Cuba y en la region del C... more Introduccion: excoecaria lucida Sw. (Aite), es una especie que crece en Cuba y en la region del Caribe. La misma ha sido poco estudiada por cientificos a pesar de que la poblacion la utiliza con fines medicinales, en lo principal como antiasmatico, antimicrobiano y para el dolor dental. Objetivos: determinar la composicion quimica de las hojas, asi como aislar e identificar estructuralmente metabolitos secundarios. Metodos: las hojas secas y molidas, se maceraron 72 horas con etanol al 95 % y se repitio el procedimiento en 4 ocasiones. Al extracto total se le determino su composicion quimica cualitativa y posterior se fracciono con solventes. La fase de mayor rendimiento fue estudiada por Cromatografia Liquida de Alta Resolucion y aislada la sustancia mayoritaria, la cual fue caracterizada por espectroscopia infrarroja y de Resonancia Magnetica Nuclear 1 H y 13 C a 500 MHz (HMQC, HMBC, COSY y NOESY). Resultados: se determino la presencia cualitativa de alcaloides, triterpenos y esteroides, quinonas, flavonoides, cumarinas, lactonas sesquiterpenicas, fenoles y taninos. De la fase de mayor rendimiento (butanolica= 23,48 g) se logro aislar e identificar el compuesto mayoritario perteneciente a un hemiterpenoide. Conclusiones: los metabolitos secundarios detectados coinciden con los reportes para otras especies del genero. Se informa por primera vez para el genero y la especie el aislamiento e identificacion del hemiterpenoide (2 E )-2-metil-2-buten-1,4-diol-1-O-β-D-glucopiranosido. Normal 0 21 false false false ES X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
Croton linearis is a shrub that grows in Caribbean regions, which is rich in metabolites such as ... more Croton linearis is a shrub that grows in Caribbean regions, which is rich in metabolites such as alkaloids. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the antiplasmodial effect of alkaloids from this species. Three isoquinoline alkaloids, i.e. reticuline, laudanidine and 8,14-dihydrosalutaridine, were isolated from the leaves of C. linearis by flash chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC-DAD-MS. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. Antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain Plasmodium falciparum K1 and cytotoxicity against MRC-5 cells (human fetal lung fibroblast cells) were assessed in vitro. Reticuline, laudanidine and 8,14-dihydrosalutaridine showed moderate antiplasmodial activity with IC50 values of 46.8 ± 0.6, 17.7 ± 0.6 and 16.0 ± 0.5 μM, respectively, but no cytotoxicity was observed in a concentration up to 64.0 μM. This is the first report on the antiplasmodial activity of laudanidine and 8,14-dihydrosalutaridine.
Coccoloba cowellii Britton (Polygonaceae, order Caryophyllales) is an endemic and critically enda... more Coccoloba cowellii Britton (Polygonaceae, order Caryophyllales) is an endemic and critically endangered plant species that only grows in the municipality of Camagüey, a province of Cuba. A preliminary investigation of its total methanolic extract led to the discovery of promising antifungal activity. In this study, a bioassay-guided fractionation allowed the isolation of quercetin and four methoxyflavonoids: 3-O-methylquercetin, myricetin 3,3′,4′-trimethyl ether, 6-methoxymyricetin 3,4′-dimethyl ether, and 6-methoxymyricetin 3,3′,4′-trimethyl ether. The leaf extract, fractions, and compounds were tested against various fungi and showed strong in vitro antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans and various Candida spp. with no cytotoxicity (CC50 > 64.0 µg/mL) on MRC-5 SV2 cells, determined by a resazurin assay. A Candida albicans SC5314 antibiofilm assay indicated that the antifungal activity of C. cowellii extracts and constituents is mainly targeted to planktonic cells....
International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research, 2018
Ocimum sanctum L. var. cubensis (OS) is a valuable medicinal plant. Some varieties have been repo... more Ocimum sanctum L. var. cubensis (OS) is a valuable medicinal plant. Some varieties have been reported and some of them remain almost unstudied. The aim of this study is therefore to evaluate the chemical composition and the in vitro/in vivo toxicity of the leaves essential oil from O. sanctum, up growing wild in the Eastern region of Cuba. The essential oil was extracted by in a Clevenger type apparatus and characterized by its chemical components helped by a Gas Chromatograph coupled to a Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). For the evaluation of cytotoxicity, primary cultures of embryonic cardiac cells (ECC) were obtained from Swiss mice and purified, uninfected ECC cultures were exposed to compound studied at 37 ºC for 24, 48 and 72 h (up to 1200µg/mL). The cell death rates were measured by the PrestoBlue colorimetric assay. For the studies of Oral Acute Toxicity and Dermal Acute Toxicity, Sprague Dawley rats were used as biological models, fulfilling the guides 423 and 402 of the Organiza...
Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmacognosy Research, 2018
Context: The synthetic insecticides used to control Diptera are harmful to the environment and hu... more Context: The synthetic insecticides used to control Diptera are harmful to the environment and humans. Extracts and compounds from plants are a more sustainable source for the development of bio-insecticides. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of a hydroalcoholic extract of Persea americana Mill seeds as an alternative control of the species Musca domestica. Methods: The extracts were obtained by two methods, the Shaker (S) and the Soxhlet extraction (SE) method, using 94% ethanol as the solvent. Also, the qualitative chemical composition was determined by phytochemical screening. The effect of the two extracts on the post-embryonic development of the fly as well as the adulticidal effect was evaluated. Results: Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of metabolites such as alkaloids, coumarins, tannins, flavonoids, sugars and amino acids. The influence on the post-embryonic development of M. domestica was demonstrated, especially on the viability of larvae and neolarvae to adults;...
Oxidative stress is an important component of many diseases including cancer, along with inflamma... more Oxidative stress is an important component of many diseases including cancer, along with inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. Natural antioxidants have emerged as promising substances to protect the human body against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The present study evaluates the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages and the free radical scavenging activity of Croton linearis Jacq. leaves. UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis identified 18 compounds: nine alkaloids with a morphinane, benzylisoquinoline or aporphine nucleus, and nine O-glycosylated-flavonoids with quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin as the aglycones. The crude extract (IC50 21.59 µg/mL) and the n-hexane fraction (IC50 4.88 µg/mL) significantly reduced the NO production in LPS-stimulated macrophages but with relatively high cytotoxicity (CC50 75.30 and CC50 70.12 µg/mL, respectively), while the ethyl acetate fraction also showed good activity (IC50 40.03 µg/mL) w...
The present study was aimed to archive the etnhnomedicinal knowledge of plants used by inhabitant... more The present study was aimed to archive the etnhnomedicinal knowledge of plants used by inhabitants of seven villages of Holguín, Eastern region, Cuba. The ethnomedicinal information was collected through interviews. The collected data were analyzed through use value (UV), informant consensus factor (Fic) and fidelity level (FL). A total of 195 species of plants distributed in 166 genera belonging to 70 families were identified for the treatment of 17 ailment categories. The most treated conditions were digestive and liver disorders. The most important species according to their use value were Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Br. ex Britton & P. Wilson (0.236) and Annona muricata L. (0.194). Cancer and tumors had the Fic value of 0.94. A total of 19 species has a highest FL of 100 percent. This was the first ethnobotanical survey conducted in Holguín region, which will contribute to preserve valuable information of medicinal plants that may otherwise be lost to future generations. Resumen: E...
Revista Cubana de Plantas Medicinales, Jan 29, 2015
Introduccion: excoecaria lucida Sw. (Aite), es una especie que crece en Cuba y en la region del C... more Introduccion: excoecaria lucida Sw. (Aite), es una especie que crece en Cuba y en la region del Caribe. La misma ha sido poco estudiada por cientificos a pesar de que la poblacion la utiliza con fines medicinales, en lo principal como antiasmatico, antimicrobiano y para el dolor dental. Objetivos: determinar la composicion quimica de las hojas, asi como aislar e identificar estructuralmente metabolitos secundarios. Metodos: las hojas secas y molidas, se maceraron 72 horas con etanol al 95 % y se repitio el procedimiento en 4 ocasiones. Al extracto total se le determino su composicion quimica cualitativa y posterior se fracciono con solventes. La fase de mayor rendimiento fue estudiada por Cromatografia Liquida de Alta Resolucion y aislada la sustancia mayoritaria, la cual fue caracterizada por espectroscopia infrarroja y de Resonancia Magnetica Nuclear 1 H y 13 C a 500 MHz (HMQC, HMBC, COSY y NOESY). Resultados: se determino la presencia cualitativa de alcaloides, triterpenos y esteroides, quinonas, flavonoides, cumarinas, lactonas sesquiterpenicas, fenoles y taninos. De la fase de mayor rendimiento (butanolica= 23,48 g) se logro aislar e identificar el compuesto mayoritario perteneciente a un hemiterpenoide. Conclusiones: los metabolitos secundarios detectados coinciden con los reportes para otras especies del genero. Se informa por primera vez para el genero y la especie el aislamiento e identificacion del hemiterpenoide (2 E )-2-metil-2-buten-1,4-diol-1-O-β-D-glucopiranosido. Normal 0 21 false false false ES X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
Croton linearis is a shrub that grows in Caribbean regions, which is rich in metabolites such as ... more Croton linearis is a shrub that grows in Caribbean regions, which is rich in metabolites such as alkaloids. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the antiplasmodial effect of alkaloids from this species. Three isoquinoline alkaloids, i.e. reticuline, laudanidine and 8,14-dihydrosalutaridine, were isolated from the leaves of C. linearis by flash chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC-DAD-MS. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. Antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain Plasmodium falciparum K1 and cytotoxicity against MRC-5 cells (human fetal lung fibroblast cells) were assessed in vitro. Reticuline, laudanidine and 8,14-dihydrosalutaridine showed moderate antiplasmodial activity with IC50 values of 46.8 ± 0.6, 17.7 ± 0.6 and 16.0 ± 0.5 μM, respectively, but no cytotoxicity was observed in a concentration up to 64.0 μM. This is the first report on the antiplasmodial activity of laudanidine and 8,14-dihydrosalutaridine.
Coccoloba cowellii Britton (Polygonaceae, order Caryophyllales) is an endemic and critically enda... more Coccoloba cowellii Britton (Polygonaceae, order Caryophyllales) is an endemic and critically endangered plant species that only grows in the municipality of Camagüey, a province of Cuba. A preliminary investigation of its total methanolic extract led to the discovery of promising antifungal activity. In this study, a bioassay-guided fractionation allowed the isolation of quercetin and four methoxyflavonoids: 3-O-methylquercetin, myricetin 3,3′,4′-trimethyl ether, 6-methoxymyricetin 3,4′-dimethyl ether, and 6-methoxymyricetin 3,3′,4′-trimethyl ether. The leaf extract, fractions, and compounds were tested against various fungi and showed strong in vitro antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans and various Candida spp. with no cytotoxicity (CC50 > 64.0 µg/mL) on MRC-5 SV2 cells, determined by a resazurin assay. A Candida albicans SC5314 antibiofilm assay indicated that the antifungal activity of C. cowellii extracts and constituents is mainly targeted to planktonic cells....
International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research, 2018
Ocimum sanctum L. var. cubensis (OS) is a valuable medicinal plant. Some varieties have been repo... more Ocimum sanctum L. var. cubensis (OS) is a valuable medicinal plant. Some varieties have been reported and some of them remain almost unstudied. The aim of this study is therefore to evaluate the chemical composition and the in vitro/in vivo toxicity of the leaves essential oil from O. sanctum, up growing wild in the Eastern region of Cuba. The essential oil was extracted by in a Clevenger type apparatus and characterized by its chemical components helped by a Gas Chromatograph coupled to a Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). For the evaluation of cytotoxicity, primary cultures of embryonic cardiac cells (ECC) were obtained from Swiss mice and purified, uninfected ECC cultures were exposed to compound studied at 37 ºC for 24, 48 and 72 h (up to 1200µg/mL). The cell death rates were measured by the PrestoBlue colorimetric assay. For the studies of Oral Acute Toxicity and Dermal Acute Toxicity, Sprague Dawley rats were used as biological models, fulfilling the guides 423 and 402 of the Organiza...
Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmacognosy Research, 2018
Context: The synthetic insecticides used to control Diptera are harmful to the environment and hu... more Context: The synthetic insecticides used to control Diptera are harmful to the environment and humans. Extracts and compounds from plants are a more sustainable source for the development of bio-insecticides. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of a hydroalcoholic extract of Persea americana Mill seeds as an alternative control of the species Musca domestica. Methods: The extracts were obtained by two methods, the Shaker (S) and the Soxhlet extraction (SE) method, using 94% ethanol as the solvent. Also, the qualitative chemical composition was determined by phytochemical screening. The effect of the two extracts on the post-embryonic development of the fly as well as the adulticidal effect was evaluated. Results: Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of metabolites such as alkaloids, coumarins, tannins, flavonoids, sugars and amino acids. The influence on the post-embryonic development of M. domestica was demonstrated, especially on the viability of larvae and neolarvae to adults;...
Oxidative stress is an important component of many diseases including cancer, along with inflamma... more Oxidative stress is an important component of many diseases including cancer, along with inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. Natural antioxidants have emerged as promising substances to protect the human body against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The present study evaluates the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages and the free radical scavenging activity of Croton linearis Jacq. leaves. UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis identified 18 compounds: nine alkaloids with a morphinane, benzylisoquinoline or aporphine nucleus, and nine O-glycosylated-flavonoids with quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin as the aglycones. The crude extract (IC50 21.59 µg/mL) and the n-hexane fraction (IC50 4.88 µg/mL) significantly reduced the NO production in LPS-stimulated macrophages but with relatively high cytotoxicity (CC50 75.30 and CC50 70.12 µg/mL, respectively), while the ethyl acetate fraction also showed good activity (IC50 40.03 µg/mL) w...
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Papers by Julio César Escalona Arranz