Evaluation of clastogenic potential of the antimalarial plant Solanum nudum

Abstract

Compounds isolated from Solanum nudum have shown in vitro antimalarial activity against the FCB-2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Diosgenone (C27H40O3) the main component isolated from the hexane extract and an aqueous extract were evaluated to measure their clastogenic potential using the micronucleus test. Three concentrations (16, 32 and 64 g/kg of weight) of the aqueous extract were administered intraperitoneally into mice, (the highest concentration corresponded to 80% LD50) and diosgenone solubilized in olive oil was inoculated at the highest concentration possible (11.187 g/kg of weight). After administration of the compounds, no induction of micronucleus was observed either in polychromatic or normochromatic erythrocytes. Interestingly, a reduction of 51% in the young/mature erythrocytes ratio was seen in cells treated with aqueous extract. We conclude that neither diosgenone nor the aqueous extract have clastogenic activity, and that the aqueous extract showed some toxicity at the above mentioned concentrations. These results are significant since diosgenone could be a new therapeutic alternative for the treatment of malaria.

Effect of Solanum nudum steroids on uninfected and Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

“…These compounds have shown in vitro antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum strain FCB-2 (Pabón et al 2002). This report demonstrates that compounds from S. nudum are not mutagenic (Pabón et al 2003), clastogenic (Alvarez et al 2004) or cytotoxic to mammalian cells (Londono et al 2006).…”

Evaluación del efecto citotóxico y del daño genético de extractos estandarizados de Solanum nudum con actividad antiplasmodial

“…Aun la adición de activación metabólica a los tratamientos, no alteró los resultados, lo que demuestra que este comportamiento no se debe a carencias enzimáticas en la maquinaria metabólica de estas células que no hayan sido suficientes para la transformación de los extractos y la detección de agentes genotóxicos. Resultados similares fueron encontrados por Álvarez, et al, en el 2004, quienes utilizaron el ensayo de micronúcleos para evaluar el efecto clastogénico de la diosgenona y el extracto acuoso de S. nudum, y encontraron que tampoco causaron resultados positivos (14).…”

“…Por otro lado, la evaluación in vivo de la actividad clastogénica de la diosgenona y el extracto acuoso de las hojas y tallos, utilizando la prueba de micronúcleos, mostró resultados negativos, así como la actividad mutagénica realizada a la diosgenona y a los extractos acuoso, hexánico, metanólico y diclorometano de la planta (10,14). En trabajos previos se encontró que los esteroides SN2 y SN4 inhiben la invasión de esporozoítos de P. vivax en células HepG2 (9) y, a su vez, SN2 disminuye el número de ooquistes de P. vivax en Anopheles albimanus (13).…”

Direct Biotransformation of Dioscin into Diosgenin in Rhizome of Dioscorea zingiberensis by Penicillium dioscin

“…In the Chinese medicine monographs shennongbencaojing and bencaogangmu, dioscorea plants were recorded as ''reducing rheumatism, strengthening, nourishing muscles, enhancing ear and eyesight''. In recent years, there were many reports on the medicinal value of diosgenin, such as anticancer activity [1], antagonistic effect on rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular action, and antimalarial action [2][3][4]. To date, diosgenin present in dioscorea plants has been used as the precursor for synthesis of more than 200 kinds of steroids hormone medicines [5].…”