Cnidoscolus

In Mexico, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (chaya) has been used to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Because CVD are the number one cause of mortality, chaya use has become a health strategy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antithrombotic activity and identify the metabolites in the most active extract. Aqueous (Aq), ethanolic (EtOH), acetonic (An), ethyl acetate (AcOEt), diethyl ether (Et2 O), and hexanic (Hx) extracts were obtained. Platelet aggregation, phospholipase A2 , prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and clot lysis were evaluated...

Begomoviruses have circular, single-stranded DNA genomes encapsidated into twinned quasi-icosahedral particles and are transmitted by whiteflies of the Bemisia tabaci sibling group. Begomoviruses infect cultivated and non-cultivated plants, causing great losses in economically important crops worldwide. To better understand the genetic diversity of begomoviruses infecting the non-cultivated host Cnidoscolus urens, leaf samples exhibiting virus-like symptoms were collected in different localities in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, during 2015 and 2016...

The consumption of medicinal plants has increased in recent decades due to the fact that they biosynthesize compounds with many biological activities; thus, some plant species with biological potential are being utilized as raw material by the industries for preparation of drugs, phytodrugs, or food supplements. This has the consequence of overexploitation and deforestation, which endangers plant species-of-interest. In recent years, alternatives have been sought to eradicate this problem. A solution that was given and is maintained is plant biotechnology, which favors the production of secondary metabolites (SMt) with important biological activity...

OBJECTIVES: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius have been investigated to have abundant phytochemicals. However, study on the effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius on neurobehavioral performance when supplemented with diet is lacking. The study is aimed at investigating the memory-enhancing effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius -supplemented diet (CAD) using Morris water maze and Novel object recognition test. METHODS: Ninety male Wistar rats (80-100 g) were fed with CAD (1, 2...

Extracts of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (CA) have been reported to possess medicinal properties ranging from potential hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, and anti-cardiovascular. In our previous study, gas chromatography mass spectroscopy check of CA extract showed the inclusion of 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-phenol, a phenolic phyto-compound that constitutes about 45 %, carotene and linoleic acid sources, and silicon-rich components. Hence we compare the preventive and ameliorative potentials of CA with ascorbate in dimethyl nitrosamine (DMN)-induced renal toxicity and sperm abnormalities in rats...

BACKGROUND: Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is one of the most devastating viral diseases for cassava production in Africa and Asia. Accurate yet affordable diagnostics are one of the fundamental tools supporting successful CMD management, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to develop an antibody-based immunoassay for the detection of Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV), the only cassava mosaic begomovirus currently causing CMD outbreaks in Southeast Asia (SEA). METHODS: Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the recombinant coat protein of SLCMV were generated using hybridoma technology...

Objective: Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) leaf has been found to be an important source of protein, vitamins, minerals, as well as phytonutrients. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Chaya leaf pellet (CHYP) with various level of protein of concentrate (CP) on rumen fermentation characteristics and nutrient degradability. Methods: In an in vitro rumen fermentation study the dietary treatments were arranged according to a 3 × 5 factorial arrangement in a Completely randomized design (CRD), consisting of Factor A: three levels of CP of concentrate mixtures (14, 16 and 18 %CP, respectively) and Factor B: five levels of CHYP supplementation (at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8% of dry matter substrates)...

The lack of prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has caused an increase in the mortality rate including conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and liver disease (LD). The high complexity of CKD and LD results in alterations in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. One of the changes observed in CKD and LD is the decrease in albumin, elevation of PO4 -3 , K+ , creatinine, urea, and transaminase enzymes. The pharmacological treatment is expensive. Nowadays, phytotherapy is an option to treat NCDs...

Caatinga is a Brazilian semi-arid ecosystem that stands out for presenting unique environmental characteristics with a dry, spiny and deciduous shrub/forest vegetation with several species that can be renewable oil sources with potential applicability in oleochemical and nutrition. Caatinga oilseeds have a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and sterols, and this composition is related to its nutritional potential. The present review summarizes the knowledge on the oil contents and fatty acid profiles of seeds from six representatives caatinga species...

Faveleira (Cnidoscolus quercifolius) is an emerging Brazilian plant, with seeds rich in edible oil. This study investigates physicochemical properties, chemical composition, thermal and oxidative stability, in vitro and in vivo toxicity, antioxidant, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of faveleira seed oil. It was observed that the oil has low acidity, value of peroxide, chlorophyll, carotenoids, β-carotene and high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to presenting thermal and oxidative stability and high total phenolic content, with vanillin, eugenol and quercetin were predominating...

Pacific Islanders have paid dearly for abandoning traditional diets, with diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCD) widespread. Starchy root crops like sweet potato, taro, and cassava are difficult to grow on the potassium-deficient soils of atolls, and high energy, low nutrient imported foods and drinks are popular. Nutritious, leafy food plants adapted to alkaline, salty, coral soils could form part of a food system strategy to reduce NCD rates. This project targeted four atolls south of Tarawa, Kiribati, and was later extended to Tuvalu...

Background: Ficus capensis Moraceae and Cnidoscolus aconitifolius Euphorbiaceae leaves have been used separately in traditional medical practice to treat different ailments, of which anemia is one. This study aims to evaluate the effect of F. capensis and C. aconitifolius on hepatic, renal parameters and oxidative stress of phenylhydrazine-induced anemic rats. Methods: Thirty-five rats were randomized into seven groups (A-G) of five rats each. Groups A and B served as the normal control and anemic control, respectively, while Groups C, D, E, F, and G were treated with a standard drug (vitamin B12 ), 200mg/kg bw...

Phenotypic changes in plants during domestication may disrupt plant-herbivore interactions. Because wild and cultivated plants have different habitats and some anti-herbivore defences exhibit some plasticity, their defences may be also influenced by the environment. Our goal was to assess the effects of domestication and the environment on herbivory and some anti-herbivore defences in chaya ( Cnidoscolus aconitifolius ) in its centre of domestication. Herbivores, herbivory, and direct and indirect anti-herbivore defences were assessed in wild and cultivated plants...

Reproductive isolation is a necessary condition for plant domestication in their domestication centre where crops co-occur with their wild progenitors. However, the identification of reproductive barriers and their relative contribution to reproductive isolation have been overlooked in plants under domestication. We assessed pre- and post-pollination reproductive barriers and their relative contribution to reproductive isolation between wild and domesticated chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) in its domestication centre...

Objectives: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius Mill. I.M.Johnst. is a medicinal plant widely used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Materials and Methods: The effects of methanol extracts of the leaf, stem, and root barks were evaluated on breast (MCF-7) and lung (NCI-H460) cancer cells at 1-250 μg/mL using the SRB assay and the extracts were screened for phytochemicals using the standard method. Results: The stem and root extracts showed no activity at the maximum concentration, while the leaf extract at 100 μg/mL showed remarkable cell growth inhibition against breast (-14...

Chemical investigation of the aerial parts of Cnidoscolus spinosus resulted in the isolation of relatively infrequent hopane-type triterpenes, 3β-acetoxy-hop-22(29)-ene (1), first reported here as natural product, together with 3-oxo-hop-22(29)-ene (2), and 3β-hydroxy-hop-22(29)-ene (3). β-Amyrin palmitate and three phytosterols were also characterized. The structures of the compounds were established using spectroscopic methods, and those of 1 and 2 were confirmed by crystallographic analysis. Selected biological activities for the isolated hopane-type triterpenes were tested through a series of assays for determining the cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, α-glucosidase inhibition and antiparasitic activities...

The genus Cnidoscolus (Euphorbiaceae) is widely distributed in tropical areas. In the Northeast of Brazil, the species C. quercifolius is endemic and has been used in traditional medicine. In this study, a novel protein was isolated from C. quercifolius seeds and characterized by its molecular weight, primary structure, isoelectric point (pI), and carbohydrate content. The hypoglycemic activity of this protein was investigated by in vitro assay with the RIN-5F glucose-responsive cell line and in vivo test using alloxan-induced diabetic mice models...

Background The folkloric claim that Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Chaya) could ameliorate anaemia requires scientific revalidation in anaemic models. Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-anaemic effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius on cyclophosphamide-induced anaemia in rats. Methods The leaves of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius were collected, dried and extracted with ethanol. Twenty five Wistar Albino rats weighing 120-180 kg were used. Anaemia was induced in groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 with a single injection of cyclophosphamide, while group 1 served as a negative control without anemia and was treated with 0...

Cnidoscolus quercifolius is an Euphorbiaceae endemic to the northeast region of Brazil, which is used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibiotic. An ethanolic extract was prepared with the leaves from C. quercifolius , and also partitioned and chromatographed leading to the isolation of cyanoglucoside linamarin ( 1 ), cinnamic acid ( 2 ), as well as a mixture of steroids and terpenoids ( 3-6 ). Structural elucidation of the compounds was done by IR, MS and NMR analysis. For the cyanoglucoside ( 1 ) were also evaluated its antimicrobial and antileishmanial viabilities by plaque microdilution and MTT test, respectively...

Cnidoscolus aconitifolius is one of the plants used in folk medicine for the treatment of peptic ulcer. However, the present study was designed to validate the gastro-protective effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius leaves using diclofenac-induced ulcer model. The gastro-protective effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius leaves was evaluated by employing diclofenac-induced gastric ulcer in rats. Gastric mucosal lesions were induced by oral administration of diclofenac in rats. The pH of gastric juice from pylorus-ligated rats was measured...