Human schistosomiasis, caused by trematode worms of the genus Schistosoma, is one of the most significant neglected tropical diseases, affecting more than 200 million individuals worldwide and praziquantel is the only available drug to treat this disease. Artemisia absinthium L. and Tanacetum parthenium L. are species popularly used as anthelmintics. We investigated the in vitro schistosomicidal activity of crude extracts of A. absinthium (AA) and T. parthenium (TP) and their isolated compounds. AA and TP, at 200 μg/mL, were active, causing 100% mortality of all adult worms. Chromatographic fractionation of AA leads to isolation of artemetin and hydroxypelenolide, while santin, apigenin, and parthenolide were isolated from TP. Artemetin, hydroxypelenolide, santin, and apigenin, at 100 μM, were inactive against adult worms. Parthenolide (12.5 to 100 μM) caused 100% mortality, tegumental alterations, and reduction of motor activity of all adult worms of S. mansoni, without affecting mammalian cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed tegumental morphological alterations and changes on the numbers of tubercles of S. mansoni worms. This report provides the first evidence for the in vitro activity of parthenolide against adult worms of S. mansoni, opening the route to further schistosomicidal studies with this compound.

Rationale Solanum paniculatum L., popularly known as jurubeba, has traditionally been used in Brazilian folk medicine for liver diseases. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the chemical characterization of 3‐aminospirostane alkaloids, an important class related to pharmacological activities. This work aimed to characterize the alkaloids using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) supported by molecular networking and theoretical calculations as well as to evaluate the contribution to hepatoprotective activity. Methods S. paniculatum roots were collected and macerated with MeOH/H2O (8:2) obtaining the crude extract (SP‐CE). From this, partition using EtOAc with pH variation yielded the alkaloidic fraction (SP‐AF). Both were evaluated in an acute liver injury model (100 and 200 mg/kg), after intraperitoneal administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice. AST (aspartate transaminase) and ALT (alanine transaminase) serum levels were investigated, as well as the histopathological characteristics. The SP‐CE and SP‐AF were analyzed by LC/MS/MS, using quadrupole/time‐of‐flight and ion‐trap systems. The alkaloids annotated by the GNPS molecular network had their structures defined using gas‐phase ionization and fragmentation reaction supported by theoretical calculations. Results The SP‐CE and SP‐AF decreased the ALT serum levels compared with the negative control. The group treated with the SP‐CE (at the highest dose) demonstrated a significant decrease of ALT. Hepatic cell degeneration decrease was observed mainly at the highest dose of the treatment. Detailed electrospray ionization MS/MS data allowed us to identify alkaloids not previously reported, to propose their gas‐phase reactions and to redefine the initial open ring fragmentation mechanism of the steroidal alkaloids with the jurubidine moiety. Conclusions The results allowed us to identify seven steroidal alkaloids from jurubeba and redefine the initial mechanism of fragmentation. A significant hepatoprotective effect was also demonstrated, corroborating its traditional use.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that affects more than 2.5 million people worldwide. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is a murine autoimmune disease used to study multiple sclerosis. Parthenolide, a natural sesquiterpene lactone found in L., is known for its strong anti-inflammatory activity. Herein, we have investigated the immunomodulatory effects of parthenolide on cytokine production and nitric oxide in cultured cells from myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 amino acid peptide mice. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis was induced in C57BL/6 mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 amino acid peptide, and parthenolide was isolated from . Splenocytes and peritoneal cells were obtained from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis-induced mice and incubated with parthenolide (1, 5, and 20 µM). After treatment with parthenolide, supernatants were collected, and nitric oxide and cytokines were measured. The results suggested that parthenolide may regulate the activity of Th17 and Th1 cells, mainly by decreasing IL-17, TNF-, and interferon gamma production. This modulation may be related to the lower levels of IL-12p40 and IL-6 after treatment with parthenolide. It was shown, for the first time, that parthenolide presents immunomodulatory effects on inflammatory mediators produced by cells from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis-induced mice.

Background: Effective cancer treatment still challenges medicine since the strategies employed so far are not sufficiently safe and capable of specifically eliminating tumor cells. Prostate cancer (PCa) is a highly incident malignant neoplasm, and the outcome of patients, especially those with advanced castration-resistant PCa (CRPC), depends directly on the efficacy of the therapeutic agents, such as docetaxel (DOC). background: Effective cancer treatment still challenges medicine, since the strategies employed so far are not sufficiently safe and capable of specifically eliminating tumor cells. Prostate cancer (PCa) is a highly incident malignant neoplasm and the outcome of patients, especially those with advanced castration resistant PCa (CRPC), depends directly on the efficacy of the therapeutic agents, such as DOC. Objective: This study investigated the synergistic potentiation of 4-nerolidylcatechol (4-NC) with DOC in inhibiting androgen-independent PCa cells. objective: This study investigates 4-nerolidylcatechol (4-NC)’s synergistic potentiation with DOC in inhibiting androgen-independent PCa cells. Methods: The cytotoxic effect of 4-NC was evaluated against non-tumorigenic (RWPE-01) and PCa cell lines (LNCaP and PC-3), and the antiproliferative potential of 4-NC was assessed by flow cytometry and colony formation. The Chou-Talalay method was applied to detect the synergistic effect of 4-NC and DOC, and the mechanism of anticancer activities of this combination was investigated by analyzing players in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). method: The cytotoxic effect of 4-NC was evaluated against non-tumorigenic (RWPE-01) and PCa cell lines (LNCaP and PC-3), and the antiproliferative potential of 4-NC was assessed by flow cytometry and colony formation. The Chou-Talalay method was applied to detect the synergistic effect of 4-NC and DOC, and the mechanism of anticancer activities of this combination was investigated by analyzing players in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Results: 4-NC significantly reduced the viability of PC-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner, decreasing colony formation and proliferation. The combination of 4-NC and DOC was synergistic in the androgen-independent cells and allowed the reduction of DOC concentration, with increased cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis when compared to compounds alone. Furthermore, when 4-NC was co-administered with DOC, higher expression levels of proteins associated with the epithelial phenotype were observed, controlling EMT in PC-3 cells. Conclusion: Collectively, these data demonstrated, for the first time, that the combination of 4-NC with reduced doses of DOC could be especially valuable in the suppression of oncogenic mechanisms of androgen-independent PCa cells. other: Our results pave the way for new therapeutic strategies to be incorporated in the treatment of PCa.