Medicinal plant reported with adverse reactions in Cuba: potential interactions with conventional drugs

Context: Herbal drugs are a mixture of active compounds and the chemical complexity of each formulation increase with the possibility of interactions between them and conventional drugs. Many mechanisms are implicated in the interactions; scientific community has dedicated the attentions to enzymes as P-gp and CYP450. Aims: To investigate in the literature the principal plants with suspicions of adverse reactions in Cuba and their potential interactions with conventional drugs. Methods: PubMed was the database used as source of information until February 2014. Key words: Herb-Drug, Drug-Plant, Herbal–Drug, Interactions with scientific names of plants was used. Information was structured and analysed with EndNote X4. Analysis and integration of the information: Allium sativum L. (garlic) was the plant with the high number of studies related with CYP450 and P-gp. Plants with great demand as Morinda citrifolia L. (noni), Psidium guajava L. (guayaba), Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) and Eucalyptus spp. (eucalyptus) have a very small number of studies. The professionals of the health should keep in mind the possibility of interactions between herbal products and conventional drugs to increase the effectiveness of phytotherapy. Conclusions: It is necessary enhance reports and investigations and to put to disposition of the system of health information on the interactions of plants and to stimulate the investigation that offers information for the rational use of our medicinal plants

Phytochemical study and antioxidant capacity of three fractions from the stem of Caesalpinia bahamensis Lam.

Context: Caesalpinia bahamensis Lam. is a medicinal plant used by the Cuban population to treat renal and hepatic diseases. However, this species lacks scientific studies that support its biological applications. Aims: To evaluate the chemical composition and the antioxidant capacity of fractions obtained from the stem of Caesalpinia bahamensis Lam. Methods: A continuous extraction of the stem was made by maceration using a battery of solvents of increasing polarity: chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. All fractions were analyzed by TLC and phytochemical screening. The compounds of the chloroform fraction were identified by GC/MS, while the ethyl acetate and methanol fractions were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the DPPH and FRAP assays. Results: Ten compounds were identified by GC/MS of the chloroform fraction, associated with fatty acids, terpenoids and phytosterols. The major compounds of this fraction were octacosanol, monopalmitin and palmitic acid. The presence of flavonoids in the ethyl acetate and methanol fractions was demonstrated by phytochemical screening, TLC and UV spectroscopy. The three fractions showed antioxidant capacity in the DPPH assay, with the methanol fraction (IC50=11.1 µg/mL) being the most active. The ethyl acetate fraction (equivalent to 100.7 µmol ascorbic acid) and the methanol fraction (equivalent to 37.3 µmol ascorbic acid) showed antioxidant capacity in the FRAP assay at concentrations of 125 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL, respectively. Conclusions: The fractions evaluated showed antioxidant capacity in the DPPH and FRAP assays, possibly associated with the presence of phenols and flavonoids

Social Class, Gender and Ethnic Differences in Subjects Taken at Age 14

In this paper we identify patterns of subject and qualification choices made at age 14. Much of the previous research on ‘subject choice’ has focussed on the later stages of educational trajectories, particularly Higher Education. However, the choices made at early branching points can limit pupils’ subsequent options, potentially contributing to educational inequalities. This paper identifies the patterns of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subjects chosen by a cohort of young people born in 1989/1990. We make use of the Next Steps data (formerly the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE)) which is linked to the National Pupil Database. We develop an approach to measuring the academic selectivity of subjects and qualifications. We examine the roles of social class, parental education, income, gender and ethnicity in determining participation in these curriculum groupings. Using measures of prior attainment from age thirteen, we address the question of whether curriculum differentials simply reflect differences in prior attainment or whether they actually operate above and beyond existing inequalities. We find clear socio-economic, gender, ethnic and school-level differences in subjects studied which cannot be accounted for by prior attainment

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

14 p.Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change

In vitro effects of Mangifera indica and polyphenols derived on ABCB1/P-glycoprotein activity

Many plant-derived compounds, including polyphenols, are able to affect the function of MDR-1/P-glycoprotein (P-gp ABCB1) multidrug transporter, leading to potential herb-drug interactions. This study evaluated the effects of mango (Mangifera indica L.) stem bark extract, MSBE, and related phenols on P-gp activity in both the HK-2 proximal tubule cell line, constitutively expressing P-gp, and in a Caco-2 cell sub-line selected by resistance to vincristine (Caco-2/VCR) and overexpressing P-gp. The effects of MSBE, mangiferin, norathyriol, catechin, quercetin and gallic acid on P-gp activity were tested by the rhodamine-123 accumulation as well as by the Calcein-AM assays. Effects on esterase activity, which could influence the results of Calcein-AM test, were also assessed. All investigated compounds except for catechin and gallic acid inhibited P-gp activity in HK-2 cells, in the order of mangiferin<norathyriol<quercetin<MSBE. MSBE, quercetin and norathyriol also inhibited significantly esterase activity. Similar effects were obtained in resistant Caco-2/VCR cells, but were negligible in the wild-type ones, expressing low amounts of P-gp. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that M. indica and polyphenols derived may affect the activity of the multidrug transporter P-gp ABCB1, suggesting the possibility of herb-drug interactions to be explored in depth