Estrogen and Thyroid Hormone Receptor Activation by Medicinal Plants from Bahia, Brazil
Luã Tainã Costa Reis,
Magnus Régios Dias da Silva,
Silvia Lima Costa,
Eudes da Silva Velozo,
Ronan Batista,
Suzana Telles da Cunha Lima
Affiliations
Luã Tainã Costa Reis
Laboratory of Bioprospection and Biotechnology (LaBBiotec), Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Barão de Jeremoabo Street, 147-Ondina, Salvador, BA 40170-115, Brazil
Magnus Régios Dias da Silva
Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), R. Sena Madureira, 1500-Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP 04021-001, Brazil
Silvia Lima Costa
Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Cell Biology, Department of Biofunction, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Reitor Miguel Calmon Avenue, 1272-Canela, Salvador, BA 40231-300, Brazil
Eudes da Silva Velozo
Laboratory of Research in Materia Medica, Department of Medicament, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Barão de Jeremoabo Street, 147-Ondina, Salvador, BA 40170-115, Brazil
Ronan Batista
Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Barão de Jeremoabo Street, 147-Ondina, Salvador, BA 40170-115, Brazil
Suzana Telles da Cunha Lima
Laboratory of Bioprospection and Biotechnology (LaBBiotec), Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Barão de Jeremoabo Street, 147-Ondina, Salvador, BA 40170-115, Brazil
Background: A number of medicinal plants are traditionally used for metabolic disorders in Bahia state, Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the estrogen receptor (ER) and thyroid receptor (TR) activation of crude extracts prepared from 20 plants. Methods: Species were extracted and assayed for receptor activation through both ER and TR gene-reporter assays, using 17β-estradiol and triiodothyronine (T3), respectively, as the positive controls. Results: Cajanus cajan (Fabaceae), Abarema cochliacarpus (Fabaceae), and Borreria verticillata (Rubiaceae) were able to activate ER as much as the positive control (17β-estradiol). These three plant species were also assayed for TR activation. At the concentration of 50 µg/mL, C. cajans exerted the highest positive modulation on TR, causing an activation of 59.9%, while B. verticillata and A. cochliacarpus caused 30.8% and 23.3%, respectively. Conclusions: Our results contribute towards the validation of the traditional use of C. cajans, B. verticillata, and A. cochliacarpus in the treatment of metabolic disorders related to ER and TR functions. The gene-reporter assay was proven effective in screening crude plant extracts for ER/TR activation, endorsing this methodology as an important tool for future bioprospection studies focused on identifying novel starting molecules for the development of estrogen and thyroid agonists.
