Elsa Liliana Rengifo-Salgado

Introducción y objetivos: La ayahuasca es una bebida tradicionalmente empleada con fines curativos, tanto físicos como espirituales. Su uso se ha popularizado globalmente, generando interés turístico y una creciente demanda. Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo documentar y analizar los conocimientos locales, las prácticas asociadas a la toma y los usos contemporáneos de la ayahuasca en el noroeste de la Amazonia peruana, mediante un enfoque de métodos mixtos. M&M: El trabajo de campo se desarrolló en mercados y centros naturistas, donde se aplicaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a informantes y chamanes locales. Los datos se analizaron mediante estadística descriptiva e inferencial (χ² y prueba exacta de Fisher), complementados con indicadores de frecuencia de citación para etnovariedades y usos terapéuticos de la ayahuasca. Resultados: La mayoría de los informantes y los chamanes conocen sobre la ayahuasca, atribuyéndole usos como purgante espiritual, digestivo y terapéutico, aunque reconocen efectos secundarios. Ambos grupos señalaron su empleo en el tratamiento de brujería, enfermedades psicológicas y digestivas, bajo prácticas rituales dirigidas por chamanes. Se identificaron 26 etnovariedades, siendo cielo ayahuasca la más conocida y utilizada. Conclusiones: El uso de la ayahuasca persiste gracias al conocimiento local y su adaptación a las dinámicas del mercado, donde los chamanes son quienes mayoritariamente han conservado la memoria sobre su preparación y diversidad, ajustando los rituales a una demanda progresiva. Así, la práctica chamanística se convierte en una experiencia terapéutica accesible a un público más amplio, haciendo que su uso no sea exclusivamente local.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by the presence of chronic hyper-glycemia that is accompanied, to a greater or lesser extent, by alterations in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. It is the leading cause of death in developed countries. Current antidiabetic drug treatments present several adverse effects for which it has started searching for new oral hypoglycemic agents from vegetal species. This review presents the medicinal plants from the Peruvian Amazon used in the treatment of diabetes and a systematic review of their hypoglycemic properties reported in the literature in the last twenty years used in different bibliographic databases. Seventy seven medicinal plants are reported as being used for the treatment of diabetes by Amazonian indigenous people, which 46.75% of species report hypoglycemic activity, evidencing that traditional knowledge is a great source for to searching antidiabetic drugs and also an alternative for future research.

Medicinal plants, as a type of non-timber forests (NTFP), have been expected to support the livelihoods of people globally, especially in rural and forest areas in developing nations. As medicinal plants occupy a unique position, with direct repercussions for people’s health and as a potential income resource, it is necessary to take the interaction with, and influence of, modern medicine into account when they are considered as a NTFP. This study pursued the influence of the health care service on medicinal plant utilization in mestizo and indigenous villages near secondary population agglomerations in the Peruvian Amazon. The study found some influence of the health care services on medicinal plant use in the study site, indicating that 1) medicinal plants are not necessarily a highly dependable approach for health care, 2) there are insufficient conditions for the development of a commercial market for medicinal plants, and 3) mestizo and indigenous households have similar health care utilization behaviours, although indigenous households are more affected by modern medicine, especially health care insurance, than the mestizo households. The health care service is an important factor for medicinal plant use for both health and livelihood. Without considering this factor, the potential of medicinal plants as NTFP cannot be fully understood.

En el presente estudio se reportan los conocimientos ancestrales indígenas (etnoconocimientos) de la comunidad indígena Tikuna de Cushillo Cocha. La comunidad está ubicada en la provincia de Ramón Castilla, al nororiente de la Región Loreto, Perú. La recolección de datos se realizó a través de talleres participativos, entrevistas y recorridos biológicos para realizar la recolectar de especies vegetales, observar a animales in situ, acompañados por los pobladores con experiencia y conocimiento de su territorio. Un total de 247 especies de flora y fauna fueron registradas. En etnobotánica se identificaron 101 especies, en siete categorías de uso asignados por los pobladores, siendo las categorías de alimentación y medicinal las de mayor representatividad. Para el caso de etnozoología se identificaron 146 especies, que son utilizadas en seis categorías, siendo las de mayor relevancia las categorías de alimentación y mascotas. Se evidenció que el bosque es la fuente principal para la alimentación, cura de enfermedades, elaboración de artesanías, como mascotas para la venta y plantas como ornamentales, todo esto con importante aceptación por parte de la población indígena.

Malaria and leishmaniasis are considered by the WHO as the first and second most important protozoan vector-borne parasitic diseases in the tropics [1]. Traditional medicine in the Peruvian Amazonian regions is commonly used by local people. Forty-eight plants, without previous phytochemical background, were collected in Allpahuayo National Reserve and Jenaro Herrera community (Loreto – Peru). Based on traditional use, ethanolic extracts were tested in vitro on different parasites strain (Plasmodium falciparum and Leishmania donovani) [2,3]. Piper amazonicum (Miq.) C. DC. (Piperaceae) and Grias neuberthii J.F.Macbr. (Lecythidaceae) showed strong activity (< 1 µg/mL) against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 chloroquine-sensible strain and < 10 µg/mL against Leishmania donovani (intramacrophagic stage in LV 9 strain), along with low cytotoxicity on macrophages (> 25 µg/mL). In order to determine the anti-malaria mechanism of action, heme binding method by mass spectroscopy (MS) associated to molecular networking interpretation were investigated. Chemical profiling by LC-SPE-NMR of these extracts were performed which allowed the rapid identification of the main active compounds and major known metabolites while avoiding tedious purification procedures [4]. 2 new compounds from P. amazonicum (C₁₃H₁₈N₂O₆ and C₂₆H₁₆N₂O₁₁) and 2 new compounds from G. neuberthii (C₃₇H₆₈N₅O₆ and C₄₀H₇₉N₄O₁₁) are being isolated as the antiplasmodial compounds. The study shows an example of fast targeting of active antiparasitic compounds from small amount of biological material (5 g of plant powder), allowing pharmacological exploration without threatening biodiversity. Acknowledgements: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONCYTEC) is acknowledged for PhD funding of Pedro Vásquez-Ocmín. Keywords: Traditional medicine, chemical profiling, malaria, leishmania. References: [1] Zofou D, Nyasa RB, Nsagha DS, Ntie-Kang F, Meriki HD, Assob JCN, Kuete V. Control of malaria and other vector-borne protozoan diseases in the tropics: enduring challenges despite considerable progress and achievements. Infect Dis Poverty 2014; 3: 1 – 14 [2] Desjardins RE, Canfield CJ, Haynes JD, Chulay JD. Quantitative assessment of antimalarial activity in vitro by a semiautomated microdilution technique. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1979; 16: 710 – 718 [3] Balaraman K, Campos VN, Moussa F, Vacus J, Cojean S, Pomel S, Bories C, Figadère B, Kesavan V, Loiseau P. In vitro and in vivo antileishmanial properties of a 2-n-propylquinoline hydroxypropyl b-cyclodextrin formulation and pharmacokinetics via intravenous route. Biomed Pharmacother 2015; 76: 127 – 133 [4] Hubert J, Nuzillard JM, Renault JH. Dereplication strategies in natural product research: How many tools and methodologies behind the same concept? Phytochem Rev 2015; 1 – 41

Eleven compounds were isolated from Poraqueiba sericea stems and identified as niga-ichigoside-F1 (1), trachelosperoside B1 (2), 4-epi-niga-ichigoside (7), 19α-hydroxyasiatic acid (3), myrianthic acid (4), hyptatic acid (5), trachelosperogenin B (6), arjunolic acid (8), and trachelosperogenin E (9), secologanoside (10) and secoxyloganin (11). Compounds 1–11 were tested for their antileishmanial activities against Leishmania infantum promastigotes, 1–6 and 8–11 were tested for their cytotoxic activities on fibroblasts, 1–3, 5–6, 8–11 were evaluated for their anti-elastase and anti-acetylcholinesterase assays activities by a spectrophotometric method and 1–2, 5 and 7–10 were tested using bioautography for their β-glucosidase. No antileishmanial activity was detected; compounds 1, 2 and 11 showed a moderate cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ 17.7, 20.5 and 10.9 μg/mL, respectively; compounds 2, 8, 9 and 10 gave a percentage of inhibition ranging from 13 to 16% (at 50 μg/mL) and compounds 1 and 2 showed an inhibition zone on β-glucosidase and anti-acetylcholinesterase assays.

One new 5-alkylresorcinol glucoside (1) was isolated from leaves of Cybianthus magnus, along with 12 known compounds, isolated from four plants belonging to Myrsinaceae family (2, 3 isolated from C. magnus; 4–7, 10 and 11 isolated from Myrsine latifolia; 4, 8 and 9 isolated from Myrsine sessiflora; 6, 7, 10, 12 and 13 isolated from Myrsine congesta). Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of their spectral data with those reported in the literature. So far, only nine 5-alkylresorcinol glucosides were isolated from leaves of Grevillea robusta. Since resorcinols are known to exhibit strong cytotoxic activity, compounds 1 and 2 were tested against cell lines 3T3, H460, DU145 and MCF-7 for cytotoxicity in vitro and compounds 3–13 were tested for their antileishmanial activity. Compound 2 displayed a strong cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 22 and 100 μM for all tested cell lines. Compounds 3–13 were not active against Leishmania amazonensis amastigotes. One new 5-alkylresorcinol glucoside (1) was isolated from leaves of Cybianthus magnus, along with 12 known compounds (2–13), isolated from four plants belonging to Myrsinaceae family. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of their spectral data with those reported in the literature. Among the tested molecules, only compound 2 displayed a strong cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 22 and 100 μM for all cell lines tested.