PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Partes aéreas.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Descongestivo.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Phoradendron liga (Loranthaceae) is a hemiparasitic plant growing in Argentina. The infusion of the plant living on Prunus persica is sometimes taken orally by the rural population in the Province of Misiones. The plant is known to contain tyramine and ligatoxine A. Nevertheless, people using it in Misiones did not show either hypertension or toxicity. An exhaustive ethanol extract of the same material was prepared and tested. No traces of tyramine were detected by TLC. After coprecipitation with povidone and dispersion in water the extract was injected to mice (CF 1, male) via i.p. No acute toxicity was shown at a dose equivalent to 5 g of dried plant material per kg of weight. The same result was obtained after the daily administration of the same dose for 30 days. All the results were in concordance with the apparent innocuity of the plant as used by the population.

ZONA GEOGRAFICA= Geografical zone: Argentina.

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:

Reduced and S-carboxamidomethylated mistletoe ligatoxin A was digested with trypsin and chymotrypsin and the resulting peptides sepd. and subjected to amino acid sequence detn. by Edman degrdn.  The sequences of 4 tryptic and 9 chymotryptic peptides give a complete 46-residue amino acid sequence for ligatoxin A.    

ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants, last advances on chemistry and bacteria activities on the medicinal herbs

Phoradendron liga (Gill. ex H. et A.) Eichl. is a Viscaceae widely distributed in Argentina.  It has been commonly used in folk medicine as a substitute of the European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) to decrease high blood pressure due to their external similarity.  In this study, the anatomical features as well as micromol. and macromol. anal. of this species are reported.  Anatomical study has shown that Phoradendron liga presents as anatomical features: papillous cuticle, clusters in leaves and stems, and isodiametric stone cells only in stems.  The anal. of flavonoids showed that this species produces C-glycosylflavones and 3-desoxyproanthocyanidins.  Protein study showed a protein pattern with components ranging from 14 to 90 kDa and the presence of related epitopes between the species was demonstrated by cross recognition using anti-Phoradendron and anti-Viscum antisera of both species by Western blot assay.  In addn., a galactose specific lectin (L-Phl) was isolated form Phoradendron liga exts.  These results are part of a comprehensive project on Argentine hemiparasite species destinated to be applied to quality control of com. samples and disclosed their potential use as a potential source for immunomodulatory compds.

1) TOURSARKISSIAN, Martín. Plantas medicinales de Argentina : sus nombres botánicos, vulgares, usos y distribución geográfica. Buenos Aires : Hemisferio Sur, 1980, p.79.

2) DEL CARMEN VACCARO, M.; DE RONDINA, D.C.; ACOSTA, M.L. Preliminary phytochemical and toxicological testing of the leaves of Phoradendron liga. IRCS Medical Science. 1985, vol.13, nº12, p.1199.
 
3) THUNBERG, Eva; SAMUELSSON, Gunnar. The amino acid sequence of ligatoxin A, from the mistletoe  Phoradendron   liga.  Acta Pharmaceutica Suecica. 1982, vol.19, nº6, p.447-456.
 
4) VARELA, Beatriz G., et al. Phoradendron liga (Gill. ex H. et A.) Eichl. (Viscaceae) used in folk medicine: anatomical, phytochemical, and immunochemical studies. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2004, vol.94, nº1, p.109-116.