Amazon biodiversity – quo vadis?

Kellner, Alexander W. A.

doi:10.1590/0001-376520212021932

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…1 The Plantae kingdom has already supplied many important drugs, for instance, aspirin used as an analgesic, paclitaxel used in chemotherapy as well as artemisinin (a plant-derived molecule used to treat malaria). [2][3][4] Thus, given the vast "untapped" chemical diversity of Amazonian plants, many natural products hold potential for the discovery of novel drugs that can act against human diseases. 5,6 Therefore, those caused by viruses deserve to be highlighted, since they have affected the world population for a long time and are responsible for recent devastating outbreaks, for instance, influenza A/H1N1 and SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It includes searching for potential antiviral plant-based, once-natural products from plants that have an exciting history of several pharmacological properties. [2][3][4] In many countries, plants of the genus Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) are often used in folk medicine for the treatment of different diseases, including viruses, such as hepatitis B. 8,9 Furthermore, a large number of plants from this genus have been employed to treat other types of viral infections, such as smallpox, mumps, chickenpox, dengue, influenza, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), adenovirus type 7 (Ad7), and mengovirus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Brazilian Amazon has one of the main centres of biodiversity in the world, which includes animals, fungi, plants, and so on 1 . The Plantae kingdom has already supplied many important drugs, for instance, aspirin used as an analgesic, paclitaxel used in chemotherapy as well as artemisinin (a plant‐derived molecule used to treat malaria) 2–4 . Thus, given the vast “untapped” chemical diversity of Amazonian plants, many natural products hold potential for the discovery of novel drugs that can act against human diseases 5,6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, new studies have been developed on antiviral drug discovery. It includes searching for potential antiviral plant‐based, once‐natural products from plants that have an exciting history of several pharmacological properties 2–4 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Untargeted‐based metabolomics analysis and in vitro/in silico antiviral activity of extracts from Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir

Carvalho

Reis

Gomes

et al. 2023

Phytochemical Analysis

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IntroductionThis study describes the molecular profile and the potential antiviral activity of extracts from Phyllanthus brasiliensis, a plant widely found in the Brazilian Amazon. The research aims to shed light on the potential use of this species as a natural antiviral agent.MethodsThe extracts were analysed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) system, a potent analytical technique to discover drug candidates. In the meantime, in vitro antiviral assays were performed against Mayaro, Oropouche, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. In addition, the antiviral activity of annotated compounds was predicted by in silico methods.ResultsOverall, 44 compounds were annotated in this study. The results revealed that P. brasiliensis has a high content of fatty acids, flavones, flavan‐3‐ols, and lignans. Furthermore, in vitro assays revealed potent antiviral activity against different arboviruses, especially lignan‐rich extracts against Zika virus (ZIKV), as follows: methanolic extract from bark (MEB) [effective concentration for 50% of the cells (EC50) = 0.80 μg/mL, selectivity index (SI) = 377.59], methanolic extract from the leaf (MEL) (EC50 = 0.84 μg/mL, SI = 297.62), and hydroalcoholic extract from the leaf (HEL) (EC50 = 1.36 μg/mL, SI = 735.29). These results were supported by interesting in silico prediction, where tuberculatin (a lignan) showed a high antiviral activity score.ConclusionsPhyllanthus brasiliensis extracts contain metabolites that could be a new kick‐off point for the discovery of candidates for antiviral drug development, with lignans becoming a promising trend for further virology research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Untargeted‐based metabolomics analysis and in vitro/in silico antiviral activity of extracts from Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir

Carvalho

Reis

Gomes

et al. 2023

Phytochemical Analysis

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Chemical Diversity and In Vitro/In Silico Antiviral Activity of Extracts from Different Parts of Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir

Carvalho

Reis

Gomes

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction: Plants of the genus Phyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae), the “stone breaker” has long been used in folk medicine to treat hepatitis B, an important viral disease. In this regard some species of this genus were tested against viruses as Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), COVID and Hepatitis C virus (HCV), showing expressive inhibition in some of them, attracting attention to the genus and to its chemical constituents. Although P. brasiliensis has no traditional use as an antiviral plant, these findings urge us to consider whether P. brasiliensis, plant widely distributed in the Brazilian Amazon and its compounds have antiviral activity against Vero cell lines infected with Mayaro, Oropouche, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Objectives: Thus, herein we describe a study of extracts' chemical diversity, antiviral activity, and specialized metabolites detected in different parts of the Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir., Methods: In this context, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is a crucial analytical method to reveal the identity of many drug candidates from extracts from medicinal plants used to treat diseases, including for instance infections by viruses. Results: As result, 44 compounds were annotated by mass spectrometry-based molecular networking approach. Along, the extracts were tested against Vero cell lines infected with Mayaro, Oropouche, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Overall, the results revealed that this species is high in fatty acids, flavones, flavan-3-ols, and lignans. Among them, especially lignans are known to have promising antiviral properties. In this context, in vitro assays revealed potent antiviral activity against different viruses, especially lignan-rich extracts MEB (EC50 = 0.80 µg.mL− 1, SI = 377.59), MEL (EC50 = 0.84 µg.mL− 1, SI = 297.62), and HEL (EC50 = 1.36 µg.mL− 1, SI = 735.29) against Zika virus (ZIKV). Conclusions: The potential of lignans was also supported by in silico antiviral prediction, and Tuberculatin (a lignan) stood out with high activity score and as a strong candidate from MEL extract. Therefore, authors believe that P. brasiliensis extracts contain metabolites that could be a new kick-off point with candidates for antiviral drug development, with lignans becoming a promising trend for further virology research.

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Amazon biodiversity – quo vadis?

Cited by 2 publications

References 11 publications

Untargeted‐based metabolomics analysis and in vitro/in silico antiviral activity of extracts from Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir

Untargeted‐based metabolomics analysis and in vitro/in silico antiviral activity of extracts from Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir

Chemical Diversity and In Vitro/In Silico Antiviral Activity of Extracts from Different Parts of Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir

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