An ethnopharmacological survey conducted in the Bolivian Amazon, and identification of N-alkylamides and lignans from Lepidium meyenii and Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra with effect on the central nervous system [antikvár]

Albert Szent Györgyi Ph.D. Library Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged No. Pharm. 113. Title: An ethnopharmacological survey conducted in the Bolivian Amazon, and identification of A^-alkylamides and lignans from Lepidium meyenii and Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra with effect on the central nervous system Zsanett Hajdu, Dezső Csupor, Pli.D. Judit Hoiimann, Pii.D., DSc. Ph.D. candidate: Ph.D. supervisor: Date of public defence: Ph.D. committee: chairman: official reviewers: committee members: December 3, 2014 Piroska Révész, Gábor Vasas, Róbert Gáspár, Zsolt Szakonyi, Erzsébet Mihalik, Ph.D., D.Sc. Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D.,DSc. The history of the University of Szeged dates back to 1581 when István Báthory, the Prince of Transylvania founded a higher education institution in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) which became prestigious in a short time. Due to its professors well-known all around Europe it provided high standard education and also had the right to confer baccalaureate and master's degrees. Moreover, it was the only institute for higher education in Hungary at the end of 16th century. Later Maria Theresia entrusted the Piarists to reorganize the institution as a result of which the Faculty of Medicine-Surgery was established in 1775. Later on, these served as the basis for the Hungarian Royal University of Kolozsvár, founded by Francis Joseph I in 1872. It was renamed after the king in 1881 and bore his name until 1940. The institution moved to Szeged in 1921 as consequence of the Trianon Contract closing the I. World War. The Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged has built strong reputation during the past decades. The strength of the Faculty is to provide excellent theoretical and experimental education in both undergraduate and graduate level. Therefore Silver Grade for the Quality of Higher Education was awarded by the Ministry of Education and Culture for the Faculty and Excellence Award was given by the Hungarian Accreditation Committee. Doctor of Philosophy degree program was introduced in 1993 in Hungary although the first university doctors in pharmaceutical sciences were inaugurated in 1922 in Szeged. The Faculty has its own Ph.D. Doctoral School that offers five different programs within the pharmaceutical sciences: Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Research; Pharmacodynamics, Biopharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy; Pharmacognosy; Pharmaceutical Technology and Pharmaceutical Analysis. Annually there are approximately 8-12 defended Ph.D. theses and graduations. This new series of Ph.D. dissertations is a continuation of the previously published more than 150 issues. ____ Editor: Responsible Publisher: Gerda Szakonyi, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis Judit Hohmann, Ph.D., D.Sc. Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy 1. introduction The use of medicinal plants for treating illnesses is a worldwide phenomenon that is seen even nowadays from the native people of developing countries to the citizens of the largest metropolises. The traditional knowledge of medicinal plants has led to the development of various medicaments, and is still the basis of many scientific studies. The South-American rainforests are rich sources of traditional medicines based on a large variety of plants, and the aim of my work was therefore to conduct ethnopharmacological fieldwork in the Amazon. Porvenir is a Bolivian indigenous community in the Bajo Paragua Communal Territory of Origin (CTO), home to the Chiquitano mestizos and the Guarasug'we indigenous nation, which is currently close to extmction. This region provided a good research area, because no ethnomedicinal fieldwork had previously been conducted in Porvenir. Numerous South-American plant species are traditionally used for central nervous system (CNS) disturbances, which are at the main focus of neuroscientific research, and therefore we aimed a phytochemical and pharmacological investigation of traditionally used plants with possible effects on the brain. From ethnopharmacological considerations, Lepidium meyenii and Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra were chosen for detailed analysis. The hypocotyls of L. meyenii (Maca, Brassicaceae) are widely consumed as a common vegetable and have a multiplicity of other uses in the Peruvian and Bolivian highlands, among them fertility enhancement being the most popular. Maca has been found to contain certain metabolites characteristic of the species, such as the Af-alkylamide (NAA) macamides. Some species of the Heliopsis genus (Asteraceae) are also used in North-American traditional medicines, and have been reported to contain NAAs and lignans. Among these species, H. helianthoides var. scabra has not been studied in detail. With the discovery of the functional interaction of plant NAAs with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), these compounds have become important as lead compounds of drug development. The promising anti-metastatic potential of several lignans underlines the significance of these compounds as potential tools m cancer treatment. Our studies on L meyenii and H. helianthoides var. scabra focused on the phytochemical analysis of these species to isolate and identify NAAs and lignans and to carry out detailed pharmacological analyses to reveal their role in the folk medicinal applications of the plants and as potential tools in modem medicine.