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

The amplification and chromosomal localization of tandem repeated DNA sequences from Helianthus annuus (clone HAG004N15) and the phys. organization of ribosomal DNA were studied in annual and perennial species of Helianthus. HAG004N15-related sequences, which did not show amplification in other Asteraceae except for Viguiera multiflora, were redundant in all the Helianthus species tested, but their frequency was significantly higher in perennials than in annuals. These sequences were located at the ends and intercalary regions of all chromosome pairs of annual species. A similar pattern was found in the perennials, but a metacentric pair in their complement was not labeled. Ribosomal cistrons were carried on two chromosome pairs in perennials and on three pairs in annuals except for H. annuus, where rDNA loci were on four pairs. No difference was obsd. between cultivated H. annuus and its wild accessions in the hybridization pattern of the HAG004N15 and ribosomal probes. These findings support the hypothesis that the sepn. between annual and perennial Helianthus species occurred through interspecific hybridization involving at least one different parent. However, GISH in H. annuus using genomic DNA from the perennial Helianthus giganteus as blocking DNA failed to reveal different genomic assets in annual and perennial species. 

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

1) The content of polyphenols and chlorogenic acid in artichoke was detd. in different parts of artichoke, different growing stages, and different extn. solvents.  The results showed as follows: 1) Polyphenols and chlorogenic acid showed the highest concn. in leaves compared with that in receptacle and brackets.  2) Chlorogenic acid reached the highest amt. during the flowering stage.  3) Compared with different ext. solvents, 40% methanol, 60% methanol, 80% methanol, 50% ethanol, 70% ethanol and water, 60% methanol as solvent showed the highest ext. efficiency on polyphenols and chlorogenic acid.  The results suggest that the content of polyphenols and chlorogenic acid varied with parts of the plant, ripeness, and ext. solvent.

2) Yielding and pharmacol. value of an artichoke herb obtained from direct seed sowing and transplants were evaluated in the climate conditions of Poland.  The influence of cultivation method on individual plant wt. and no. of leaves in a rosette was also proved.  During the whole vegetation period, direct-seeded plants had definitely more leaves and higher individual plant wt.  Higher yield of fresh and air-dry herb was obtained from direct-seeded plants (8.3 kg/m-2 and 0.92 kg/m-2, resp.) in comparison to those cultivated from transplants (4.7 kg/m-2 and 0.47 kg/m-2, resp.).  More polyphenolic acids (0.5980%) and flavonoids (0.2664%) were found in the material obtained from artichoke plants cultivated from transplants than from those cultivated from seeds (0.4348 and 0.1977%, resp.).  The obtained results showed that herb obtained from the cultivation of artichoke from seeds was characterized by a higher total content of polyphenolic acids and flavonoids than the material obtained from transplants.  From the economical point of view, the cultivation of artichoke for the pharmaceutical industry from direct sowing in the climate conditions of Poland is less expensive.

3) The effect of an artichoke ext. on induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in cultured human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) and its reductive properties were evaluated.  Preincubation of HUVEC cells with the artichoke ext. at concns. of 25-100 mg/mL for 24 h abolished ROS generation induced by LPS and oxyLDL as evaluated by the fluorescence intensity of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF).  Potent, concn.-dependent reductive properties of the artichoke ext. were demonstrated by the redn. kinetics of cytochrome c in ref. to ascorbate were also revealed.  The results of the present study the warrant application of artichoke exts. as endothelium protecting agents.

PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Raíz, hojas, tallos. 

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Diuréticas, aperitivas, digestivo, afecciones hepáticas, antirreumática y sirve contra las hemorroides. 

POSOLOGÍA= Posology: Se recomienda una dosis media diaria de 6 g de droga o la equivalente de otras preparaciones. 

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Acido fenólico : destacan los ácidos cafeilquímiocoas (1-4 %), como el ácido clorogénico, criptoclorogénico, neoclorogénico, y la cinarina. Flavonoides (0,5 %): cinarósido, escolimosido, cinarotriósido y luteolina. Lactonas sesquiterpénicas: cinaropricrina, dehidrocinaropicrina, grosheimina y cinaratriol. Además, contiene ácidos orgánicos, sales potasicas y magnésicas, mucílagos, aceite esencial, fitoesteroles, alcoholes triterpenicos y vitaminas A,B2, C. 

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Tallos-hojas

Usos tradicionales: enfermedades hepáticas y biliares; retención de líquidos por mal funcionamiento hepático; colesterol alto; gota.

La infusión se prepara con 1 cucharada del vegetal para 1 litro de agua recién hervida: beber 1 taza 3 veces en el día.

Efectos: colagogo, colerético, depurativo, diurético, protector hepático, hipolipemiante.

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Origen y ecología:
Cynara scolymus L. se tata de una hibridación de alcachofas silvestres realizadas al parecer por agricultores italianos en el siglo XV. Introducida. Cultivada. No amenazada.

Propiedades e indicaciones terapéuticas:
- Derivadas de la experiencia de uso tradicional:
Seg´n la tradición popular la alcachofera es útil como diurética, como hipoglucemiante, hipocolesterolemiante, favorece la secreción de bilis en la vesícula y hepatoprotectora.
- Según el contenido en principios activos o ensayos farmacológicos:
Se han documentado pruebas farmacológicas de los principios activos, fundamentalmente cinarina y flavonoides, pero también otros, que determinan la utilidad terapéutica de esta planta como: hipotrigliceremiante, hipocolesterolémica, colerética, antioxidante y hepatoprotectora.

Origin:
Monastery gardens of Europe. Now cultivated in India.

Action:
Herb—antitoxic, liver restorative, hypocholesterolaemic. Water soluble extract is used for liver and renal diseases for its cholagogic and choleretic  action (flow of bile increases up to 60 per cent). Artichokes assist digestion of fats, are known as diabetic’s potato in Europe.

1) GONZALEZ, Matías ; LOMBARDO, Atilio ; VALLARINO, Aida. Plantas de la medicina vulgar del Uruguay. Montevideo : Talleres Gráficos, 1937, p.14.

2) ALONSO, Jorge R. Tratado de fitomedicina : bases clínicas y farmacológicas. Buenos Aires : ISIS, 1998, p.222-227.

3) NATALI, L., et al. Phylogenetic relationships between annual and perennial species of Helianthus: evolution of a tandem repeated DNA sequence and cytological hybridization experiments. Genome. 2008, vol.51, nº12, p.1047-1053.
 
4) Fitoterapia : vademecum de prescripcion.  4ª ed.  Barcelona : Masson, 2003, p. 104-105.

5) SONG, Shuhui, et al.  Determination of polyphenols and chlorogenic acid in artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.).   Acta Horticulturae. 2010,  Vol.856 (Proceedings of the International Symposium on Vegetable Safety and Human Health). 2006, p.167-171.
 
6) SALATA, A. Yielding and pharmacological value of artichoke herb depending on the cultivation method.  Acta Horticulturae. 2009. vol.826 (Proceedings of the First International Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Conference on Culinary Herbs). 2007, p.427-430.
 
7) JUZYSZYN, Z., et al.  The effect of artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) extract on ROS generation in HUVEC cells. Phytotherapy Research. 2008, vol.22, nº9, p.1159-1161.

8) Hierbas medicinales/ Chile. Ministerio de Agricultura.  p.64

9) Cruz Suárez, Jorge S. / Más de 100 plantas medicinaes : Medicina popular Canaria. La obra Social de Gran Canarias: Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, 2007. - 258 p.

10) Khare, C.P./ Indian Medicinal Plants. -- Nueva Dheli: Springer, 2007 . - p. 836.