Amazonian Siparuna extracts as potential anti-influenza agents: Metabolic fingerprinting.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Siparuna species are used in Brazilian Folk Medicine for the treatment and prophylaxis of colds, fever, headache, gastrointestinal disorders and rheumatic pain.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to investigate a possible anti-influenza activity of 25 extracts from leaves of Amazonian S. cristata, S. decipiens, S. glycycarpa, S. reginae and S. sarmentosa based on their folk medicinal uses as well as to investigate their metabolic fingerprinting. The chemical composition of the active extracts was further dereplicated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The chemical composition of the crude EtOH extracts from five Siparuna species were investigated by ESI (±) LC-QTOF-MS. Organic extracts were obtained by liquid-liquid partition with solvents of increasing polarity, generating 25 extracts which were subjected to a quick DI-ESI (±) IT-MS fingerprint analysis. These extracts were tested against influenza virus replication and cellular toxicity using MDCK cells and influenza A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09 virus. The compounds in the active BuOH extracts from S. glycycarpa and S. sarmentosa were annotated by ESI (±) LC-QTOF-MS.

RESULTS

Analysis of the EtOH extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids and flavonoids, in the positive and negative ionization modes. Out of the 25 organic extracts screened for their antiviral activity, the BuOH extracts from S. glycycarpa and S. sarmentosa were the most active, inhibiting 96.0 ± 1.3% and 89.5 ± 0.8% of influenza virus replication 24 h post-infection. These inhibitory effects were maintained until 72hpi. Alkaloids, O- and C-flavonoid glycosides, dihydrochalcones and a procyanidin dimer were annotated in these extracts.

CONCLUSIONS

The inhibitory effect against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus replication shown by Amazonian Siparuna species corroborates the use of these plants in Brazilian Folk Medicine, showing their potential as anti-influenza agents. These promising results stimulate the continuation of this study with the aim of isolating the compound(s) responsible for this bioactivity, thus contributing to a better knowledge of those species and to the research of natural products with potential anti-influenza activity.