€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****SCIENCE***** Becerra JX Insects on plants: macroevolutionary chemical trends in host use [see comments] In: Science (1997 Apr 11) 276(5310):253-6 ISSN: 0036-8075 Determining the macroevolutionary importance of plant chemistry on herbivore host shifts is critical to understanding the evolution of insect-plant interactions. Molecular phylogenies of the ancient and speciose Blepharida (Coleoptera)-Bursera (Burseraceae) system were reconstructed and terpenoid chemical profiles for the plant species obtained. Statistical analyses show that the historical patterns of host shifts strongly correspond to the patterns of host chemical similarity, indicating that plant chemistry has played a significant role in the evolution of host shifts by phytophagous insects. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****ARCHIVOS DE INVESTIGACION MEDICA***** Huacuja RL Delgado NM Carranco LA Reyes LR Rosado GA [Agglutinating and immobilizing activity of an ethanol extract of Bursera fagaroides on human and other mammalian spermatozoa] Actividad aglutinante e inmovilizante del extracto etanolico de Bursera fagaroides sobre espermatozoides de humano y de otros mamiferos. In: Arch Invest Med (Mex) (1990 Oct-Dec) 21(4):393-8 ISSN: 0066-6769 (Published in Spanish) Human spermatozoa and those obtained from mouse epididymis incubated in ethanolic from mouse epididymis incubated in ethanolic extracts of the cortex of Bursera fagaroides became agglutinated and immobilized in 100% with 30% of viability decrease. This double effect occurred in 50% of pig'ssperm and 50% of rabbit sperm when the concentration was increased tenfold. The pattern of progressive motility was affected 80% of rat's spermatocytes without agglutination. The values remained the same when the extracts were partially purified with salts of Zn++ and Ba++ or by filtration in a sephadex g-10 column. Analysis with thin layer chromatography of both purified extracts produced 3 compounds in comparison with the ethanolic unpurified extract. The extract of the plant Bursera fagaroides contains 3 compounds, which apparently are glycosides with a potent activity upon agglutination -immobilization and a low effect upon spermatocytes viability, which might be used as contraceptives. Registry Numbers: 64-17-5 (Alcohol, Ethyl) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY***** Abad MJ Bermejo P Carretero E Martinez-Acitores C Noguera B Villar A Antiinflammatory activity of some medicinal plant extracts form Venezuela. In: J Ethnopharmacol (1996 Dec) 55(1):63-8 ISSN: 0378-8741 Six medicinal plant extracts from Venezuela, used in traditional medicine, were investigated for their anti-inflammatory potential against adjuvant-carrageenan-induced inflammation (ACII). All doses expressed here are equivalents of dried starting plant materials (1.50 g dry plant/kg body wt.). The most interesting plant extracts were Synedrella nodiflora, and the hexane leaf extract of Bursera simaruba. In ACII, orally administered extracts (at doses 40 and 80 mg/kg, respectively), inhibited both the acute and chronic phases of this experimental model of inflammation, mainly the chronic phase. These extracts exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity daily throughout the experiment, and were as effective as reference drugs, phenylbutazone (80 mg/kg) and indomethacin (3 mg/kg). €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES***** Jolad SD Wiedhopf RM Cole JR Cytotoxic agents from Bursera morelensis (Burseraceae): deoxypodophyllotoxin and a new lignan, 5'- desmethoxydeoxypodophyllotoxin. In: J Pharm Sci (1977 Jun) 66(6):892-3 ISSN: 0022-3549 The isolation and identification of deoxypodophyllotoxin and a new lignan, 5'-desmethoxydeoxypodophyllotoxin, from the dried exudate of Bursera morelensis (Burseraceae) are reported. Deoxypodophyllotoxin showed high activity in the KB and PS test systems; the new lignan, although highly active against the KB test system, demonstrated only marginal activity against the PS test system. A structure is suggested for the new lignan, which was named morelensin. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Jolad SD Wiedhopf RM Cole JR Cytotoxic agents from Bursera klugii (Burseraceae) I: isolation of sapelins A and B. In: J Pharm Sci (1977 Jun) 66(6):889-90 ISSN: 0022-3549 A crude chloroform-soluble fraction of the ethanol extract of the leaves of Bursera klugii showed activity against two test systems, the P-388 lymphocytic leukemia (3PS) and the human epidermoid carcinoma of the nasopharynx (9KB). The PS activity was due to two constituents, sapelins A and B. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Jolad SD Wiedhopf RM Cole JR Cytotoxic agents from Bursera morelensis (Burseraceae): Deoxypodophyllotoxin and a new lignan, 5'- desmethoxydeoxypodophyllotoxin In: J Pharm Sci (1977) 66(6):892-893 ISSN: 0022-3549 The isolation and identification of deoxypodophyllotoxin (compound I) and a new lignan, 5'-desmethoxydeoxypodophyllotoxin (compound II), from the dried exudate of Bursera morelensis are reported. Compound I demonstrated activities (% increase in survival of treated over control animals) of 194% (1 cure) and 161% against P-388 lymphocytic leukemia at concentrations of 12.50 and 6.25 mg/kg, respectively; in this test system, compound II demonstrated a marginal activity of 127%. Against human epidermoid carcinoma of the nasopharynx (KB), compounds I and II demonstrated activities of 2.48 x 10**-4 and 3.99 x 10**-4 ug/ml, respectively (activity defined as median effective dose of less than or equal to 20 ug/ml). The new lignan, named morelensin, thus demonstrated high activity in the latter test system. (5 Refs) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Jolad SD Wiedhopf RM Cole JR Cytotoxic agents from Bursera klugii (Burseraceae) I: isolation of sapelins A and B In: J Pharm Sci (1977) 66(6):889-890 ISSN: 0022-3549 A crude chloroform-soluble fraction of the ethanol extract of the leaves of Bursera klugii showed activity against P-388 lymphocytic leukemia and the human epidermoid carcinoma of the nasopharynx. Activity against P-388 leukemia was shown to be due to two constituents, the triterpene sapelins A and B. Sapelin A demonstrated activities (% increase in survival of treated animals over that of control animals) of 130, 136, 127, and 130% at concentrations of 10.0, 5.0, 2.5, and 1.25 mg/kg, respectively. Sapelin B demonstrated activities of 136, 136, 130, and 138%, respectively, at the same concentrations. (2 Refs) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ MCDONIEL PB COLE JR Antitumor activity of Bursera schlechtendalii (Burseraceae): Isolation and structure determination of two new lignans In: J Pharm Sci (1972) 61(12):1992-1994 ISSN: 0022-3549 A chloroform extract of Bursera schlechtendalii (Burseraceae) demonstrated antitumor activity against 9KB adenocarcinoma of the nasopharynx at 1 mg/ml in a test system in which activity is defined as ED(50) equal to or <10 mg/ml. Separation of the extract on alumina gave 2 fractions; one contained alpha-amyrin, and from the other, two new lignans were isolated and identified as (-)-trans-2-(3'',4'',5''- trimethoxybenzyl)- 3-(3',4'-methylenedioxybenzyl)butyrolactone and (- )-trans-2-(3'',4''-dimethoxybenzyl)- 3-(3',4'- methylenedioxybenzyl)butyrolactone. (9 refs) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****PLANTA MEDICA***** Wickramaratne DB Mar W Chai H Castillo JJ Farnsworth NR Soejarto DD Cordell GA Pezzuto JM Kinghorn AD Cytotoxic constituents of Bursera permollis [letter] In: Planta Med (1995 Feb) 61(1):80-1 ISSN: 0032-0943 Four cytotoxic lignans were isolated from the stem bark of Bursera permollis (Burseraceae), namely, deoxypodophyllotoxin (1), beta- peltatin methyl ether (2), picro-beta-peltatin methyl ether (3), and dehydro-beta-peltatin methyl ether (4). Also isolated was the inactive lignan, nemerosin (5). Compounds 1 and 2 were potently cytotoxic when evaluated against a panel of human cancer cell lines. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€