title: The sesquiterpenes polygodial and drimanial in vitro affect glutamatergic transport in rat brain.
abstract: Natural products including those derived from plants, have over the years greatly contributed to the development of therapeutic drugs. Polygodial and drimanial are sesquiterpenes isolated from the bark of the plant Drymis Winteri (Winteraceae) that exhibit antinociceptive properties. Since peripheral glutamate presents nociceptive actions, in this study it was investigated the effects of hydroalcooholic extracts from Drymis winteri (polygodial and drimanial) on the glutamatergic system in rat brain. Polygodial and drimanial inhibited glutamate uptake by astrocytes, as well as by cortical, hippocampal and striatal slices, and increased synaptosomal glutamate release. These concurrent effects would predispose to an increase in the extracellular glutamate concentrations, leading to possible neurotoxic effects (excitotoxicity) of these natural compounds, which would suggest the need for some caution in their therapeutic application.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2600-Anexo, 90035-003, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucia Helena
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cereser
authors.forename: Isaac Zanonato
authors.initials: IZ
authors.lastname: Junior
authors.forename: Fluvia Melina Alves
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Jardim
authors.forename: Deusa Aparecida
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Vendite
authors.forename: Marcos Emilio dos Santos
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Frizzo
authors.forename: Rosendo A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Yunes
authors.forename: João Batista
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Calixto
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wofchuk
authors.forename: Diogo O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D032423:Winteraceae
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C469416:drimanial; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C034380:polygodial