title: Biological screening of plants of the Venezuelan Amazons.
abstract: A total of 21 extracts derived from 17 different plant species collected in Venezuelan Amazons have been tested for the following biological activities: cardiovascular activity, brine shrimp lethality, and inhibitory effects on the hydrolysis of glucose-6-phosphate in intact and disrupted microsomes. Eight extracts diminished rat blood pressure with or without changes in heart rate. The fruit extract of Swartzia leptopetala and the leaf and twig extract of Connarus lambertii resulted in death of experimental animals. The majority of extracts (17 extracts) showed significant toxicity against Artemia salina. Concerning the hydrolysis of glucose-6-phosphate, better inhibitory effects were observed in intact microsomes than in disrupted ones for all the extracts, suggesting that these extracts intervene with variable potency in glucose-6-phosphate transport through the microsomal membrane.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Productos Naturales, Centro de Química Orgánica, Escuela de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado Postal 47102, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Estrada
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Mujica
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vásquez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Romero-Vecchione
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001156:Artemia / Q000187:drug effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D018514:Plant Structures / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014687:Venezuela
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate