Effects on mammalian cell transcriptome reveal a plant extract's medicinal properties: Potential anti-COVID-19 and anti-cancer properties of Sarcopoterium spinosum

Plants with medicinal properties are usually identified based on traditional medicine knowledge or using low-throughput screens for specific pharmacological activities. Here, we suggest a different approach to uncover a range of pharmacological activities of a chosen plant extract without the need for functional screening. This tactic predicts biological activities of a plant extract based on pathway analysis of transcriptome changes caused by the extract in mammalian cell culture. In this work, we identified transcriptome changes after exposure of cultured cells to an extract of the medicinal plant Sarcopoterium spinosum. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) confirmed known anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of the extract and predicted novel biological effects on oxidative phosphorylation and interferon pathways. Experimental validation of these pathways uncovered strong activation of autophagy, including mitophagy, and astounding protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study shows that gene expression analysis alone is insufficient for predicting biological effects since some of the changes reflect compensatory effects, and additional biochemical tests provide necessary corrections. In conclusion, this study defines the advantages and limitations of an approach towards predicting the biological and medicinal effects of plant extracts based on transcriptome changes caused by these extracts in mammalian cells.

In Vitro Cytotoxic Effects of Secondary Metabolites Present in Sarcopoterium Spinosum L.

Sarcopoterium spinosum (L.) is a medicinal plant traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases including cancer in the Near- and Middle East. The fractions and constituents of the ethanol extract of S. spinosum were screened for in vitro cytotoxic activities on Jurkat (acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia), HeLa (cervical adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (mammary gland adenocarcinoma), Caco-2 (human colorectal adenocarcinoma), and MDA-MB-231 (mammary gland adenocarcinoma) cell lines using the MTT (3-(dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The ethanol extract was subsequently re-extracted with ethyl acetate and in its sub-fraction obtained by column chromatography three compounds (stachydrine, benzalkonium chloride and rutine) were the first time identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. The most active subfraction showed cytotoxic activity against HeLa, MCF-7, and Caco-2 cell lines. The three compounds mentioned, as standards of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) quality, were studied individually and in combination. Cytotoxic activity observed might be due to the presence of benzalkonium chloride and rutin. Benzalkonium chloride showed the strongest growth suppression effect against HeLa cells (IC50 8.10−7 M) and MCF-7 cells (IC50 5.10−6 M). The mixture of stachydrine and benzalkonium chloride allowed a synergistic cytotoxic effect against all tested cancer and normal cells to be obtained. Anti-cancer activity of the plant extract of S. spinosum remains under-investigated, so this research describes how the three major compounds identified in the ethyl acetate extract can exert a significant dose dependent in vitro cytotoxicity.

Potential Applications of Sarcopoterium spinosum as Medicinal Plants: Overview and Future Trends

Abstract:: Sarcopoterium spinosum (L.) sp., is a common plant in the Mediterranean region. Over the years, S.spinosum has been used as a remedy for many diseases. One of the most known medicinal uses of the S.spinosum is the remedy for type II diabetes. Early studies were more focused on the extraction and characterization of the S.spinosum. Few pentacy-clic triterpenoids were identified in S. spinosum such as tormentic acid, ursolic acid. Due to the presence of these triterpe-noids antidiabetic, anticancer, and hepatoprotective properties of the S.spinosum have been investigated in the literature. And these studies revealed the various health benefits of the S.spinosum extract. While gathering the studies for this re-view it was seen that the effect of isolated triterpenes more preferred rather than crude extract. For this reason, studies done with both crude extract and the isolated molecules were summarized. The objective of this work is to provide a start-ing point for possible health applications for S.spinosum. This review could provide a summary of these studies on Sar-copoterium spinosum’s health benefits and its possible applications.

Diversity of Phytophthora Communities across Different Types of Mediterranean Vegetation in a Nature Reserve Area

Research Highlights: Protected natural areas are a reservoir of Phytophthora species and represent the most suitable sites to study their ecology, being less disturbed by human activities than other environments. Background and Objectives: The specific objective of this study was to correlate the diversity and distribution of Phytophthora species with the vegetation in aquatic, riparian and terrestrial habitats within a protected area in Eastern Sicily, Southern Italy. Materials and Methods: Environmental samples (water and soil) were sourced from two streams running through the reserve and six different types of vegetation, including Platano-Salicetum pedicellatae, the Sarcopoterium spinosum community, Myrto communis-Pistacietum lentisci, Pistacio-Quercetum ilicis,Oleo-Quercetum virgilianae and a gallery forest dominated by Nerium oleander (Natura 2000 classification of habitats). Phytophthora species were recovered from samples using leaf baiting and were classified on the basis of morphological characteristics and sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Results: As many as 11 Phytophthora species, within five different ITS clades, were identified, including P. asparagi, P. bilorbang, P. cryptogea, P. gonapodyides, P. lacustris, P. multivora, P. nicotianae, P. oleae, P. parvispora, P. plurivora and P. syringae. No Phytophthora species were found in the Sarcopoterium spinosum comm. Phytophthora asparagi, P. lacustris and P. plurivora were the prevalent species in the other five plant communities, but only P. plurivora was present in all of them. Overall aquatic species from clade 6 (100 out of 228 isolates) were the most common; they were recovered from all five types of vegetation, streams and riparian habitats. Phytophthora populations found in the Platano-Salicetum pedicellatae and Oleo-Quercetum virgilianae show the highest diversity, while no correlation was found with the physicochemical characteristics of the soil. Conclusions: The vegetation type and the aquatic or terrestrial habitat were identified as major environmental factors correlated with the diversity of Phytophthora communities in this reserve.

Sarcopoterium spinosum Inhibited the Development of Non-Alcoholic Steatosis and Steatohepatitis in Mice

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a comorbidity of obesity, which gradually develops from hepatic steatosis into steatohepatitis (NASH) and eventually even into fibrosis or hepatic carcinoma. To date, there has been no specific and effective treatment for NAFLD. Sarcopoterium spinosum extract (SSE) was found to improve insulin sensitivity. Recognizing the intimate link between insulin resistance and NAFLD, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectivity of SSE in the prevention and management of NAFLD at various severities. SSE was given to high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice (steatosis model) or to mice given a Western diet (WD) in the short or long term (NASH prevention or treatment, respectively). SSE reduced body weight accumulation, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and prevented the development of hepatic steatosis. SSE also blocked the progression of liver disease toward NASH in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, inflammation, and antioxidant machinery was regulated by SSE in both models of steatosis and NASH development. However, SSE failed to reverse the hepatic damage in the advanced model of NASH. In summary, SSE might be considered as a botanical supplement for the prevention and treatment of hepatic steatosis, and for slowing the deterioration toward NASH.

Electrospraying of zein for the preparation of micro/nano-particles loaded with sarcopoterium spinosum extract

Natural compounds that are isolated from various plant species have been the focus of folk medicine due to their bioactivities. Pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries also utilize these natural compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Harsh processing and storage conditions causing loss of their bioactivities limit their applications. Therefore, biopolymeric carrier systems are required to preserve the natural bioactive compounds stability. Sarcopoterium spinosum is used in folkloric medicine for curing diabetes, gastrointestinal illnesses, cancer and pain. In this study, both solution and process parameters for electrospraying technique were investigated to encapsulate S. spinosum extract including natural bioactive compounds in zein particles. The best results were observed in 5% (w/v) of zein concentration in 70% aqueous ethanol. 0.3 ml/hour flow rate and 14 kV applied voltage were used in order to obtain narrow size distributionorbicular and smooth particle structure. The best mixture of S. spinosum extract and zein was achieved at weight ratio of 1:5. The zein microparticles with extract showed remarkable antioxidant activity.