Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in 88 countries, with a total of 12 million people infected and 350 million at risk. In the search for new leishmanicidal agents, alkaloids and acetogenins isolated from leaves of Annona squamosa and seeds of Annona muricata were tested against promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania chagasi. Methods: extracts of A. squamosa leaves and A. muricata seeds were extracted with 10% phosphoric acid and organic solvents to obtain the alkaloid and acetogenin-rich extracts. These extracts were chromatographed on a silica gel column and eluted with a mixture of several solvents in crescent order of polarity. The compounds were identified by spectroscopic analysis. The isolated compounds were tested against Leishmania chagasi, which is responsible for American visceral leishmaniasis, using the MTT test assay. The cytotoxicity assay was evaluated for all isolated compounds, and for this assay, RAW 264.7 cells were used. Results: O-methylarmepavine, a benzylisoquinolinic alkaloid, and a C 37 trihydroxy adjacent bistetrahydrofuran acetogenin were isolated from A. squamosa, while two acetogenins, annonacinone and corossolone, were isolated from A. muricata. Against promastigotes, the alkaloid showed an IC 50 of 23.3 µg/mL, and the acetogenins showed an IC 50 ranging from 25.9 to 37.6 µg/mL; in the amastigote assay, the IC 50 values ranged from 13.5 to 28.7 µg/mL. The cytotoxicity assay showed results ranging from 43.5 to 79.9 µg/mL. Conclusions: These results characterize A. squamosa and A. muricata as potential sources of leishmanicidal agents. Plants from Annonaceae are rich sources of natural compounds and an important tool in the search for new leishmanicidal therapies.
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is characterized by an accumulation of unfolded proteins induced by several adverse conditions, such as drought, salinity, and pathogens. Both tunicamycin (TM) and dithiothreitol (DTT) are applied to study the ER stress in plants. Although there is not a consensus of the concentration and chemicals used as well as physiological markers, it triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR) composed by sensors into the ER membrane, which start a signaling process to restore homeostasis or induce cell death. In this way, this review includes the advances in the knowledge of ER response induced by TM and DTT treatments, especially their downstream physiological effects. From low TM (≤ 0.5 µg ml-1) and DTT (0.5 to 1.0 mM) concentrations, the chlorophyll loss is linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS), and SA and JA signaling that result in growth impairment associated with UPR genes unbalance. Above 0.5 μg.ml-1 of TM or 1.0 mM DTT, a ROS cytoprotective role is crucial to stress acclimation or cell death. From 1.0 to 10 μg.ml-1 TM or 2.0 to 10 mM DTT, necrotic lesions are linked to electrolyte leakage, and fatty acid oxidation, which was more aggravated/intense at high concentration (50 and 200 μg.ml-1). Overall, this work associates crescent concentrations of two ER stressors and its downstream physiological responses, which helps to elucidate possible mechanisms to adjust to environmental stresses starting the mechanisms of adaptation to survival or death.
Differential rootstock tolerance to Fusarium spp. supports viticulture worldwide. However, how plants stand against the fungus still needs to be explored. We hypothesize it involves a differential metabolite modulation. Thus, we performed a gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of Paulsen P1103 and BDMG573 rootstocks, co‐cultured with Fusarium oxysporum (FUS) for short, medium, and long time (0, 4, and 8 days after treatment [DAT]). In shoots, principal component analysis (PCA) showed a complete overlap between BDMG573 non‐co‐cultivated and FUS at 0 DAT, and P1103 treatments showed a slight overlap at both 4 and 8 DAT. In roots, PCA exhibited overlapping between BDMG573 treatments at 0 DAT, while P1103 treatments showed overlapping at 0 and 4 DAT. Further, there is a complete overlapping between BDMG573 and P1103 FUS profiles at 8 DAT. In shoots, 1,3‐dihydroxyacetone at 0 and 4 DAT and maltose at 4 and 8 DAT were biomarkers for BDMG573. For P1103, glyceric acid, proline, and sorbitol stood out at 0, 4, and 8 DAT, respectively. In BDMG573 roots, the biomarkers were β‐alanine at 0 DAT, cellobiose and sorbitol at both 4 and 8 DAT. While in P1103 roots, they were galactose at 0 and 4 DAT and 1,3‐dihydroxyacetone at 8 DAT. Overall, there is an increase in amino acids, glycolysis, and tricarboxylic acid components in tolerant Paulsen P1103 shoots. Thus, it provides a new perspective on the primary metabolism of grapevine rootstocks to F. oxysporum that may contribute to strategies for genotype tolerance and early disease identification.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.