Neural mechanisms underlying the onset and maintenance of epileptic seizures involve alterations in inhibitory and/or excitatory neurotransmitter pathways. Thus, the prospecting of novel molecules from natural products that target both inhibition and excitation systems has deserved interest in the rational design of new anticonvulsants. We isolated the alkaloids (+)-erythravine and (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine from the flowers of Erythrina mulungu and evaluated the action of these compounds against chemically induced seizures in rats. Our results showed that the administration of different doses of (+)-erythravine inhibited seizures evoked by bicuculline, pentylenetetrazole, and kainic acid at maximum of 80, 100, and 100%, respectively, whereas different doses of (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine inhibited seizures at a maximum of 100% when induced by bicuculline, NMDA, and kainic acid, and, to a lesser extent, PTZ (60%). The analysis of mean latency to seizure onset of nonprotected animals, for specific doses of alkaloids, showed that (+)-erythravine increased latencies to seizures induced by bicuculline. Although (+)-erythravine exhibited very weak anticonvulsant action against seizures induced by NMDA, this alkaloid increased the latency in this assay. The increase in latency to onset of seizures promoted by (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine reached a maximum of threefold in the bicuculline test. All animals were protected against death when treated with different doses of (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine in the tests using the four chemical convulsants. Identical results were obtained when using (+)-erythravine in the tests of bicuculline, NMDA, and PTZ, and, to a lesser extent, kainic acid. Therefore, these data validate the anticonvulsant properties of the tested alkaloids, which is of relevance in consideration of the ethnopharmacological/biotechnological potential of E. mulungu.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the nematocidal effects of natural phytoregulators jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl-jasmonate (MJ) against plant parasitic nematodes Pratylenchus zeae (Graham) (Pratylenchidae) and Helicotylenchus spp. (Hoplolaimidae). Both JA and MJ promoted elevated percentages of mortality in P. zeae and Helicotylenchus spp. after 12 and 24 h of nematodes exposition at different concentrations of jasmonates. Considering the potential use of jasmonates as biofertiliser added now for their nematocidal effects, our results are of relevance in terms of biotechnological application.
Erythrinian alkaloids ((+)-erythravine and (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine) have been pointed as the main responsible agents for the anticonvulsant and anxiolytic properties of Erythrina mulungu Mart ex Benth. The present work provides a new set of information about the mode of action of these alkaloids by the use of a complementary approach of neurochemical and electrophysiological assays. We propose here that the antiepileptic and anxiolytic properties exhibited by both alkaloids appear not to be related to the inhibition of glutamate binding or GABA uptake, or even to the increase of glutamate uptake or GABA binding, as investiga ted here by the use of rat cortical synaptosomes. Similarly, and even in a high concentration, (+)erythravine and (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine did not modulate the main sodium and potassium channel isoforms checked by the use of voltage-clamp studies on Xenopus laevis oocytes. However, unlike (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine, which presented a little effect, it was possible to observe that the (+)-erythravine alkaloid produced a significant inhibitory modulation on α4β2, α4β4 and α7 isoforms of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors also checked by the use of voltage-clamp studies, which could explain at least partially its anxiolytic and anticonvuls a nt properties. Since (+)-11-α-hydroxy-erythravine and erythravine modulated nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to different extents, it is possible to reinforce that small differe nces between the chemical structure of these alkaloids can affect the selectivity and affinity of targetligand interactions, conferring distinct potency and/or pharmacological properties to them, as previously suggested by differential experimental comparison between different erythrinia n alkaloids.
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