Antibacterial activity of Leonurus sibiricus aerial parts

doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2006.03.005

Fitoterapia

Volume 77, Issue 4, June 2006, Pages 316-317

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2006.03.005 Get rights and content

Abstract

Different solvent extracts (carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, acetone and methanol) of Leonurus sibiricus were studied for their antibacterial activity. Carbon tetrachloride and chloroform extracts showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity.

Section snippets

Plant

Leonurus sibiricus L. (Labiatae): aerial parts were collected on September 2002 from the District of Pabna and identified by the experts at the National Herbarium of Bangladesh (Voucher No. 29750).

Uses in traditional medicine and previously reported activity

The plant is a respiratory stimulant, has a curare like effect on motor endings, its roots and leaves are used as febrifuge, and leaves cause contraction of uterus [1]. In Chinese medicine, the seeds are considered to be constructive and aphrodisiac, and the dried plant is prescribed as a tonic, and general remedy in puerperal and menstrual diseases [2]. In the local traditional medicine practice, leaves are used in chronic rheumatism; their juice is antibacterial and extensively applied in

Previously isolated constituents

Furanoditerpenelactones [8], guanidine derivatives [9] and alkaloids [10].

Tested material

Methanol, carbon tetrachloride, acetone and chloroform extracts.

Studied activity

Antibacterial activity by disc diffusion method [11].

Used microorganisms

Listed in Table 1.

Results

Reported in Table 1.

Conclusions

The CCl₄ and chloroform extracts of L. sibiricus showed a broad spectrum antibacterial activity against all the bacteria tested. This result supports the traditional use of this plant.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Mr. Hasibur Rahman, Associate Professor, Biotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh.

References (11)

A. Ghani
Medicinal plants of Bangladesh
K.R. Kirtikar et al.
M.A. Islam
Phytochemical and pharmacological screening of L. sibiricus
H. Nagasawa et al.
Anticancer Res
(1990)
M. Shi et al.
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi
(1995)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (31)

The ethanol extract of Leonurus sibiricus L. induces antioxidant, antinociceptive and topical anti-inflammatory effects
2017, Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Citation Excerpt :
Also, the ethanol extract of this plant showed anti-adipogenic effects in 3T3 cells (Park et al., 2016). Antibacterial property and cytotoxic effects against cancer cell lines were also reported for this plant (Ahmed et al., 2006; Sitarek et al., 2016a, 2016b). Regarding inflammation and nociception, Islam et al. (2005) observed that a methanol extract of L. sibiricus reduced rat paw edema induced by carrageenan and abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid.
Leonurus sibiricus L. (Lamiaceae), popularly known as motherwort, or “erva-de-macaé” or “rubim” in Brazil, is a plant used for the treatment of inflammatory conditions, but few studies have evaluated this anti-inflammatory activity or other activities that may be relevant.
This study was undertaken to investigate the antioxidant, antinociceptive and topical anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanol extract of L. sibiricus (EELs).
Chromatographic analysis, determination of total phenolic and flavonoid contents and in vitro antioxidant assays were performed, while the formalin test and ear inflammation induced by 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) were performed in mice.
We observed that total phenolic and flavonoids content in EELs were respectively 60.1 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g of extract and 15.4 mg of catechin equivalent/g of extract. Chlorogenic, caffeic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids, as well as quercetin were identified in EELs. This extract also led to the consumption of the radicals 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) and nitric oxide, increased the ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and inhibited the spontaneous or FeSO₄-induced in vitro lipid peroxidation. In the formalin test, oral pretreatment with EELs (400 mg/kg) reduced (p<0.001) the licking/biting time in the second phase, but not in the first phase. In the ear inflammation induced by TPA, the concomitant topical administration of EELs (0.3–3 mg/ear) significantly reduced the edema, myeloperoxidase activity, levels of tumoral necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β and lipoperoxidation, as well as increased FRAP in ear tissue when compared to vehicle-treated ears.
These results indicate that EELs has antioxidant, antinociceptive and topical anti-inflammatory activities, supporting the use of this plant in folk medicine.
Leonurus sibiricus L. (honeyweed): A review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology
2016, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
Citation Excerpt :
Leonurus sibiricus (L. sibiricus) is a ubiquitous herbaceous plant grown in crop fields in many countries in Asia and South America [1–5].
Leonurus sibiricus is a herbaceous plant found in many countries in Asia and America. This plant is widely practiced as a remedy for the treatment of diabetes, menstrual irregularities, and bronchitis. The approval of therapeutic implications of any drugs depends on the well characterized mode of actions of the compounds. The bioactive compounds like diterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids and phenolic acids in Leonurus sibiricus show analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-atherogenic and anti-hemorrhagic, anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial and allelopathic potency. Interestingly, the expression level of some genes is altered by the crude extract treatments, which are effective against cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases where the molecular mechanisms are yet to be explored. Intriguingly, the extracts significantly induce nitric oxide production by endothelial nitric oxide synthase, a signaling molecule of vasodilation in combination with interferon-γ indicating positive effect on atherosclerosis. Further investigations are required to unlock the effects of bioactive compounds found in extracts at clinical settings.
Leonurus cardiaca L. herb extracts and their constituents promote lactoperoxidase activity
2015, Journal of Functional Foods
Citation Excerpt :
While L. cardiaca L. is regarded as a medical plant for versatile pharmacological application and has a long tradition in folk medicine, to date the key players and the exact biochemical mechanisms of the beneficial health effects are still often unknown (Wojtyniak, Szymanski, & Matlawska, 2013). This also holds regarding possible anti-microbial properties of L. cardiaca: Several closely related plants show bactericidal effects, including Ballota nigra L. (Didry, Seidel, Dubreuil, Tillequin, & Bailleul, 1999), Leonurus sibiricus (Ahmed, Islam, & Rahman, 2006; de Souza, Haas, von Poser, Schapoval, & Elisabetsky, 2004), Leonurus japonicus (Xiong et al., 2013) and Leonotis leonurus (Stafford et al., 2005), indicating similar properties of LCH. Yet as different extraction methods were used in these studies, the microbicidal properties were assigned to totally different substance classes, including phenylpropanoids or terpenoids (Didry et al., 1999; Jimenez & Riguera, 1994; Xiong et al., 2013).
Besides other applications, motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca L., Ph. Eur.) is used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory remedy. In order to gain more insights into the underlying mechanisms in this study we prepared different Leonurus extracts, which were characterized by determining their polyphenolic contents using RP-HPLC separation and quantification. Afterwards the extracts as well as ten of their phenolic components and five Laminaceae-typical caffeic acid derivatives were tested for their ability to regenerate the pseudo-halogenating activity of lactoperoxidase (LPO). During this enzymatic activity the bactericidal product hypothiocyanite is formed which contributes to the humoral immune defence against pathogens. Moreover, hypothiocyanite production may contribute to the regulation of inflammatory reactions. In fact, phenolic Leonurus components with a 3,4-dihydroxyphenylic partial structure (e.g. caffeic acid derivatives or phenylethanoids) emerged as efficient LPO activity regenerators. This is also reflected by results obtained from the LCH whole extracts, where especially the ethanol extract, which is rich in such compounds, showed the strongest effects. These results may explain the anti-inflammatory properties of motherwort.
Leonurus japonicus Houtt.: Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine
2014, Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Citation Excerpt :
These results indicated that stachydrine may disrupt Oncomelania hupensisps by affecting energy metabolism. Ahmed et al. (2006) investigated the antibacterial activity of the carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, acetone and methanol extracts of the aerial part of Leonurus sibiricus in vitro. Their results demonstrated that the carbon tetrachloride and chloroform extracts have a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity.
Leonurus japonicus Houtt. (Labiatae), commonly called Chinese motherwort (
), is an herbaceous flowering plant native to Asia. For thousands of years in China, the aerial part of Leonurus japonicus has been used to treat menoxenia, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, lochia, edema of the body, oliguresis, sores, ulcerations and other diseases in women. Now, Leonurus japonicus is listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological actions and toxicology of Leonurus japonicus.
Information on Leonurus japonicus was gathered via the Internet (using Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI, VIP, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Baidu Scholar) and libraries.
Approximately 140 chemical compounds have been isolated from Leonurus japonicus, and the major components have been determined to be alkaloids, diterpenes and flavones. Among these active compounds, the effects of leonurine and stachydrine have been widely investigated. The primary active components in Leonurus japonicus possess wide pharmacological actions, such as effects on the uterus as well as cardioprotective, anti-oxidative, neuroprotective and anti-cancer activities.
Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Leonurus japonicus has marked bioactivities, especially on the uterus and as a cardioprotective agent. These activities are related to its traditional use and provide prospects for the development of novel drugs, therapeutics and health care products for women. However, the toxicity of Leonurus japonicus will require further study, and the nomenclature for Leonurus japonicus will require additional clarification.
Extracts from Leonurus sibiricus L. increase insulin secretion and proliferation of rat INS-1E insulinoma cells
2013, Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Citation Excerpt :
Moreover, LS can induce expression of nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-α in mouse peritoneal macrophages (An et al., 2008) and stimulate the murine uterus in vitro (Shi et al., 1995). Furthermore, it was shown to exert antibacterial activity (Ahmed et al., 2006), to have analgesic as well as anti-inflammatory activity in rats (Islam et al., 2005), and to possess potent antioxidant capacity (Lee et al., 2010). In Mongolian literature, LS is mentioned as a treatment for typical symptoms of T2DM such as thirst ((Khaidav and Choijamts, 1965) and personal communication with Prof. Narantuya Samdan, WHO).
Traditional Mongolian medicine (TMM) uses preparations from herbs as one form of medication for the treatment of a diversity of diseases including diabetes mellitus (DM). We evaluated the effect of extracts from the plant Leonurus sibiricus L. (LS), used in TMM to treat typical symptoms of type 2 DM, on insulin secretion, electrophysiological properties, intracellular calcium concentration and cell proliferation of INS-1E insulinoma cells under standard cell culture conditions (SCC; 11.1 mM glucose).
Insulin secretion was measured by ELISA, electrical properties were assessed by whole cell patch clamping, intracellular calcium concentration (Ca_i) by Fluo-4 time lapse imaging, insulin receptor expression was verified by RT-PCR and cell proliferation assessed by CellTiter-Glo® cell viability assay.
Insulin released from INS-1E cells into the culture medium over 24 h was significantly increased in presence of 500 mg/L aqueous LS extract (LS OWE) as well as methanolic LS extract (LS MeOH/H2O) but not in the presence of the butanol-soluble extract (LS MeOH/BuOH). Acute application of LS OWE resulted in a depolarization of the cell membrane potential paralleled by an initial increase and subsequent decline and silencing of action potential frequency, by KATP channel inhibition, persisting depolarization and an increase in Ca_i. The electrophysiological effects were comparable to those of 100 μM tolbutamide, which, however failed to elevate insulin secretion under SCC. Furthermore all LS extracts stimulated INS-1E cell proliferation.
The finding that extracts from Leonurus sibiricus L. enhance insulin secretion and/or foster cell proliferation may provide possible explanations for the underlying therapeutic principles in the empirical use of LS-containing formulations in DM and DM-related disorders as applied in TMM.
Cytotoxicity of Chinese motherwort (YiMuCao) aqueous ethanol extract is non-apoptotic and estrogen receptor independent on human breast cancer cells
2009, Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Motherwort has been used as medicinal herb for many years in both China and Europe. In particular, Chinese motherwort has been commonly used to treat disorders of mammary gland in Chinese traditional medicine (TCM). Chinese motherwort aqueous extract (MAE) was previously reported to have anti-cancer activity in breast cancer cells with low potency (IC50s in a range of 8–40 mg/mL). However, treatment of motherwort ethanol extract in vivo markedly suppressed the development of uterine adenomyosis and mammary cancers in mice. Therefore, anti-cancer activity of Chinese motherwort, especially in a form of ethanol extract, needs to be confirmed further at cellular level.
Aerial part of Chinese motherwort (Leonurus japonicus Houtt) dry powder is extracted with 70% ethanol and the chemical components were characterized with HPLC finger print as well as mass spectrometry. Cytotoxicity of the motherwort aqueous ethanol extract (MAEE) was analyzed with MTT assay on ER negative MDA-MB-231 and ER positive MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines. Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry were used to verify whether the cell death induced by MAEE is apoptosis in nature. Cell cycle status of MAEE treated cells were analyzed with flow cytometry.
Our results showed that MAEE caused cell death in a dose-dependent and time-dependent fashion in both ER positive and negative breast cancer cells. Morphology, Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry evidence all indicated the cell death is not in an apoptotic nature. Furthermore, low concentrations of MAEE caused cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase.
These data suggest that Chinese motherwort aqueous ethanol extract may effectively inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells through mechanisms of both cytotoxicity and cell cycle arrest. The cellular effects of MAEE are non-apoptotic and ER independent on breast cancer cells.

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Fitoterapia

Abstract

Section snippets

Plant

Uses in traditional medicine and previously reported activity

Previously isolated constituents

Tested material

Studied activity

Used microorganisms

Results

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References (11)

Medicinal plants of Bangladesh

Phytochemical and pharmacological screening of L. sibiricus

Anticancer Res

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi

Cited by (31)

The ethanol extract of Leonurus sibiricus L. induces antioxidant, antinociceptive and topical anti-inflammatory effects

Leonurus sibiricus L. (honeyweed): A review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology

Leonurus cardiaca L. herb extracts and their constituents promote lactoperoxidase activity

Leonurus japonicus Houtt.: Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine

Extracts from Leonurus sibiricus L. increase insulin secretion and proliferation of rat INS-1E insulinoma cells

Cytotoxicity of Chinese motherwort (YiMuCao) aqueous ethanol extract is non-apoptotic and estrogen receptor independent on human breast cancer cells

Short reportAntibacterial activity of Leonurus sibiricus aerial parts

Abstract

Section snippets

Plant

Uses in traditional medicine and previously reported activity

Previously isolated constituents

Tested material

Studied activity

Used microorganisms

Results

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

Medicinal plants of Bangladesh

Phytochemical and pharmacological screening of L. sibiricus

Anticancer Res

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi

Short report
Antibacterial activity of Leonurus sibiricus aerial parts