Estrogenic and mutagenic activities of crotalaria pallida measured by recombinant yeast assay and ames test

Background: Crotalaria pallida Ailton is a plant belonging to the Fabaceae family, popularly known as rattle or rattlesnake and used in traditional medicine to treat swelling of the joints and as a vermifuge. Previous pharmacological studies have also reported anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antifungal activities. Nevertheless, scientific information regarding this species is scarce, and there are no reports related to its possible estrogenic and mutagenic effects. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the estrogenic potential of C. pallida leaves by means of the Recombinant Yeast Assay (RYA), seeking an alternative for estrogen replacement therapy during menopause; and to reflect on the safe use of natural products to assess the mutagenic activity of the crude extract from C. pallida leaves, the dichloromethane fraction and stigmasterol by means of the Ames test.Methods: The recombinant yeast assay with the strain BY4741 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was performed with the ethanolic extract, dichloromethane fraction and stigmasterol isolated from the leaves of C. pallida. Mutagenic activity was evaluated by the Salmonella/microsome assay (Ames test), using the Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA100, TA98, TA97 and TA102, with (+S9) and without (-S9) metabolization, by the preincubation method.Results: All samples showed estrogenic activity, mainly stigmasterol. The ethanolic extract from C. pallida leaves showed mutagenic activity in the TA98 strain (-S9), whereas dichloromethane fraction and stigmasterol were found devoid of activity.Conclusion: Considering the excellent estrogenic activity performed by stigmasterol in the RYA associated with the absence of mutagenic activity when evaluated by the Ames test, stigmasterol becomes a strong candidate to be used in hormone replacement therapy during menopause. © 2013 Boldrin et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Evidências clínico-patológicas de ovinos intoxicados experimentalmente com sementes de Crotalaria spectabilis (Leg.papilionoidea)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Intoxicação experimental de cães com sementes de Crotalaria spectabilis (Leg. Papilionoideae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação das atividades mutagênica, pró-inflamatória e estrogênica de Machaerium hirtum e Crotalaria pallida

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Potencial Fisiológico de sementes de Crotalaria juncea L

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Determinação da atividade antimicrobiana dos extrativos das folhas/galhos, pericarpo e sementes da Crotalaria pallida (Leguminosae)

O estudo de novas alternativas terapêuticas no tratamento de infecções microbianas tornou-se crescente no cenário científico devido à grande variação genética desses micro-organismos, que resultou na resistência aos antimicrobianos existentes. A grande diversidade na flora brasileira e a ampla utilização das plantas como medicamentos pela população justificam os estudos e o crescente interesse pela descoberta de novos compostos bioativos isolados dos vegetais. Plantas usualmente utilizadas na agricultura, apenas como adubação verde, por exemplo, são atualmente alvo de estudos científicos com potenciais promissores de atuação como de produtos terapêuticos. Plantas da família Leguminosae, amplamente conhecidas e utilizadas como fornecedoras de nitrogênio ao solo, vem sendo estudadas por diversas áreas da saúde para comprovarem a ação de compostos isolados entre estes os alcalóides pirrolidizínicos como antiinflamatórios, antibióticos e até como veneno para pragas. O objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar, a partir de extrativos de Crotalaria pallida, a atividade antimicrobiana in vitro utilizando cepas padrões de: Staphylococccus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp e da levedura Candida albicans. Para determinação dessa atividade foi utilizada a técnica de diluição em microplaca que possibilitou o estudo da atividade do extrativo vegetal e da concentração inibitória mínima, isto é, concentração bactericida e/ou bacteriostática mínima e concentração fungiostática e/ou fungicida mínima. A Crotalaria pallida, não apresentou atividade frente aos micro-organismos testados nas condições padronizadas neste estudo

Alterações hepáticas em cães intoxicados experimentalmente por sementes de Crotalaria spectabilis

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV

Seletividade dos herbicidas Bentazon e Nicosulfuron para Crotalaria juncea e Crotalaria spectabilis em consórcio com a cultura do milho

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Karyotype characterization reveals an up and down of 45S and 5S rDNA sites in Crotalaria (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) species of the section Hedriocarpae subsection Macrostachyae

The genus Crotalaria is one of the largest within the family Leguminosae-Papilionoideae, with more than 600 species. However, few karyotypes have been described. In the present paper, five species belonging to the section Hedriocarpae were studied (subsection Machrostachyae), in order to better understand chromosomal evolution in Crotalaria. The results reveals that all species presented 2n = 2x = 16 with symmetrical karyotypes, and slight differences in the chromosome morphology. A secondary constriction was identified at short arm of the pair 1. The 45S rDNA was mapped in the secondary constriction and adjacent heterochromatin (NOR-heterochromatin) and a minor site was identified in C. ochroleuca. The 5S rDNA was mapped linked to 45S rDNA at chromosome 1 short arm in all species. Additional sites for 5S rDNA were identified in C. pallida, C. striata and C. mucronata. Heterochromatin blocks around the centromeres are not CMA(+) neither DAPI(+). The karyotypes of the subsection Macrostachyae are characterized by an inversion at chromosome pair one in relation to previous specialized floral species analyzed. Additional sites of 45S and 5S rDNA were assumed to be a result of transposition events by different ways. The results suggest heterochromatin differentiation and the position of ribosomal genes indicates chromosomal rearrangements during evolution. Karyotype characteristics corroborate the morphological infrageneric classification.

Crotalaria seed morphology, anatomy, and identification /

Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-73).

Effect of trypsin inhibitor from Crotalaria pallida seeds on Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil) and Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly)

GOMES, Carlos E. M. et al. Effect of trypsin inhibitor from Crotalaria pallida seeds on Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil) and Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (Paris), v. 43, n. 12, p. 1095-1102, 2005.ISSN 0981-9428. DOI:10.1016/j.plaphy.2005.11.004.

Effect of trypsin inhibitor from Crotalaria pallida seeds on Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil) and Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly)

GOMES, Carlos E. M. et al. Effect of trypsin inhibitor from Crotalaria pallida seeds on Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil) and Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (Paris), v. 43, n. 12, p. 1095-1102, 2005.ISSN 0981-9428. DOI:10.1016/j.plaphy.2005.11.004.

Purificação, caracterização e atividade bioinseticida de um inibidor de tripsina de sementes de Crotalaria pallida

A proteinaceous trypsin inhibitor was purified from Crotalaria pallida seeds by ammonium sulphate fractionation, affinity chromatography on immobilized Trypsin-Sepharose and TCA precipitation. The trypsin inhibitor, named ITC, had Mr of 32.5 kDa by SDS-PAGE and was composed by two subunits with 27.7 and 5.6 kDa linked by disulphide bridges, a typical characteristic of Kunitz-Inhibitor family. ITC was stable until 50°C, and at 100°C its residual activity was of about 60%. Also, ITC was stable at pHs 2 to 12. The inhibition of trypsin by ITC was non-competitive, with a Ki of 8,8 x 10-7M. ITC inhibits weakly other serine proteinases such as chymotrypsin and elastase. The inhibition of papain (44% of inhibition), a cysteine proteinase was an indicative of the bi-functionality of ITC. In vitro assays against digestive proteinases from several Lepdoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera pests were made. ITC inhibited in 100% digestive enzymes of Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly), Spodoptera frugiperda and Alabama argillacea, the last one being a cotton pest. It also inhibited in 74.4% Callosobruchus maculatus (bean weevil) digestive enzymes, a Coleoptera pest. ITC, when added in artificial diet models, affected weakly the development of C. capitata larvae and it had a WD50 of 2.65% to C. maculatus larvae

Determinación de metales pesados (plomo y arsénico) y oligoelementos (hierro, cobre y zinc) en hojas de Crotalaria longirostrata (chipilin) por el método de absorción atómica

La presente investigación tuvo como finalidad analizar esta especie vegetal cultivada en la zona Central y Occidental del territorio salvadoreño; para ello, se llevó a cabo una investigación de campo visitando los Municipios de Colón y Ciudad Arce ubicados en el Departamento de la Libertad; y los Municipios de Izalco y Nahuizalco, ambos pertenecientes al Departamento de Sonsonate; donde se recolectaron las muestras (hojas de C. longirostrata); Se elaboraron encuestas dirigidas a Técnicos ó Ingenieros agrónomos que laboraran en Agroservicios de mayor afluencia en el país y a los productores de los cultivos seleccionados; con la finalidad de conocer los productos agroquímicos aplicados al tratamiento del cultivo de esta hortaliza. Se realizó un análisis químico e instrumental para determinar elementos metálicos como metales pesados (plomo y arsénico) y oligoelementos (hierro, cobre y zinc) utilizando las técnicas de Espectrofotometría de Absorción Atómica (EAA): - Horno de grafíto para plomo. - Generador de Hidruros para arsénico. - Llama para hierro, cobre y zinc. Los resultados se compararon con los límites máximos establecidos por la normativa de JECFA - Comité Mixto FAO/OMS de Expertos en Aditivos Alimentarios y Codex Alimentarius; y se evaluaron estadísticamente a través del análisis de varianza de un factor (ANOVA), las pruebas de comparación DMS y Bonferroni; para evaluar el comportamiento de los datos experimentales obtenidos en el análisis. Según los resultados obtenidos se encontraron trazas de plomo y arsénico en algunas muestras analizadas; así como un alto contenido de hierro, cobre y zinc en todas las muestras de C. longirostrata. Se recomienda que se analicen muestras de suelos, agua de riego y otros cultivos de C. longirostrata ubicados en diversas zonas geográficas de El Salvador; con la finalidad de evaluar la calidad de las distintas hortalizas de esta especie vegetal existentes en el país.

Risks from plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids for livestock and meat quality in Northern Australia.

This chapter describes poisoning associated with consumption of pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA)-containing plants (Crotalaria spp., Heliotropium spp. and Senecio spp.) by cattle and horses in rangelands of northern Australia, as well as the risks for meat quality of PA residues and potential health hazards to consumers.