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Catalog of Herbs
Published in James A. Duke, Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, 2018
Sometimes cultivated as an Easter-blooming flower. It is a popular rock garden plant in the U.S. Juice of the purple sepals gives a temporary green stain to paper, linen, and Easter eggs. Anemonin and protoanemonin are bactericidal.11
Current medicines hold promise in the treatment of orphan infections due to brain-eating amoebae
Published in Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs, 2021
Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Mohamed Yehia Abouleish, Mustafa Khamis, Taleb Ibrahim, Naveed Ahmed Khan
Among related protozoa, Entamoeba histolytica is a parasitic amoeba and a causative agent of amoebiasis that has remained a significant problem in human health. Intensive drug discovery research has identified a plethora of compounds to target E. histolytica[7]. Given the similarities in the cell biology, virulence traits such as proteases, motility, physiology, cellular differentiation, biochemistry etc., it is reasonable to test anti-E. histolytica compounds against pathogenic amoebae. Using the recently available genome information for brain-eating amoebae, it makes sense to investigate compounds with known parasite-specific target(s). As long as targets are confirmed in the brain-eating amoebae, this approach can be fruitful in identifying potentially novel bioactive molecules. Anti-protozoal compounds with demonstrated activity against E. histolytica are listed below and include synthetic as well as natural products[7]. Among synthetic thiosemicarbazones, two thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazones containing 4- benzylpiperidine and adamantamine moieties at N4 position are most active against amoebiasis. 2-Acetylpyridine dithiocarbazates, 1,2,4-triazine showed potent effects against E. histolytica. Among oxime ethers, µ-bis(oxo)bis{oxovanadium(V)} complexes of 2-acetylpyridine hydrazones derived from nicotinic acid & 2-furoic acid hydrazide displayed higher activity than metronidazole. Among bisphosphonates, bisphosphonates containing nitrogen were found bioactive against E. histolytica. Among alkaloids, emetine, isolated from Cephaelis ipecacuanha showed potent activity against Entamoeba. Naturally occurring alkaloid cryptopleurine, usambarensine, matrine, conessine, and benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, berberine exhibited activity. Among bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, aromoline, isotrilobine, and insularine were found active against E. histolytica. Among quassinoids, triterpenes, quassin, glaucarubin showed bioactivity. Among nonalkaloid natural products, anemonin, mangostin, marmelosin, were anti-protozoal. Among iridoids, specioside, verminoside, and minecoside, showed anti-protozoal effects similar to metronidazole. Among flavonoids, luteolin, kaempferol, apigenin, showed potent effects. Among polyphenolic compounds, gossypol showed remarkably greater anti-protozoal effects when compared with metronidazole and worth investigation against pathogenic free-living amoebae.