Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver Steatosis
Background/Objectives: Côa Valley, located in the northeast of Portugal, harbors more than 500 medicinal plant species. Among them, four species stand out due to their traditional uses: <i>Equisetum ramosissimum</i> Desf. (hemorrhages, urethritis, hepatitis), <i>Rumex scutatus</...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Ricardo Amorim Mário Pedro Marques Catarina Melim Carla Varela Vilma A. Sardão José Teixeira Maria Inês Dias Lillian Barros Paulo J. Oliveira Célia Cabral |
| author_facet | Ricardo Amorim Mário Pedro Marques Catarina Melim Carla Varela Vilma A. Sardão José Teixeira Maria Inês Dias Lillian Barros Paulo J. Oliveira Célia Cabral |
| author_sort | Ricardo Amorim |
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| description | Background/Objectives: Côa Valley, located in the northeast of Portugal, harbors more than 500 medicinal plant species. Among them, four species stand out due to their traditional uses: <i>Equisetum ramosissimum</i> Desf. (hemorrhages, urethritis, hepatitis), <i>Rumex scutatus</i> L. subsp. <i>induratus</i> (Boiss. and Reut.) Malag. (inflammation, constipation), <i>Geranium purpureum</i> Vill., and <i>Geranium lucidum</i> L. (pain relief, gastric issues). Given their rich ethnomedicinal history, we evaluated their protective effects on an in vitro model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Methods: Decoction (D) and hydroalcoholic (EtOH80%) extracts were prepared and chemically characterized. Their safety profile and effects on lipid accumulation were assessed in palmitic acid (PA)-treated HepG2 cells using resazurin, sulforhodamine B, and Nile Red assays. Results: Chemical analysis revealed diverse phenolic compounds, particularly kaempferol derivatives in <i>E. ramosissimum</i>. All extracts showed minimal cytotoxicity at 25–50 µg/mL. At 100 µg/mL, only <i>E. ramosissimum</i> extracts maintained high cell viability. In the lipotoxicity model, <i>E. ramosissimum</i> decoction demonstrated the most potent effect, significantly reducing PA-induced neutral lipid accumulation in a dose-dependent manner, while other extracts showed varying degrees of activity. Conclusions: These findings highlight <i>E. ramosissimum’s</i> decoction, rich in kaempferol derivatives, as particularly effective in reducing lipid accumulation in this MASLD cell model while also providing a comprehensive characterization of traditionally used plants from the Côa Valley region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9b3f6d61f55c44718c02d770adc9b6a7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pharmaceuticals |
| spelling | doaj-art-9b3f6d61f55c44718c02d770adc9b6a72025-01-24T13:45:07ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472025-01-011813910.3390/ph18010039Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver SteatosisRicardo Amorim0Mário Pedro Marques1Catarina Melim2Carla Varela3Vilma A. Sardão4José Teixeira5Maria Inês Dias6Lillian Barros7Paulo J. Oliveira8Célia Cabral9Clinic Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalClinic Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalClinic Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalClinic Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalCenter for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalCenter for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalMountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), Campus Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalMountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), Campus Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalCenter for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalClinic Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, PortugalBackground/Objectives: Côa Valley, located in the northeast of Portugal, harbors more than 500 medicinal plant species. Among them, four species stand out due to their traditional uses: <i>Equisetum ramosissimum</i> Desf. (hemorrhages, urethritis, hepatitis), <i>Rumex scutatus</i> L. subsp. <i>induratus</i> (Boiss. and Reut.) Malag. (inflammation, constipation), <i>Geranium purpureum</i> Vill., and <i>Geranium lucidum</i> L. (pain relief, gastric issues). Given their rich ethnomedicinal history, we evaluated their protective effects on an in vitro model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Methods: Decoction (D) and hydroalcoholic (EtOH80%) extracts were prepared and chemically characterized. Their safety profile and effects on lipid accumulation were assessed in palmitic acid (PA)-treated HepG2 cells using resazurin, sulforhodamine B, and Nile Red assays. Results: Chemical analysis revealed diverse phenolic compounds, particularly kaempferol derivatives in <i>E. ramosissimum</i>. All extracts showed minimal cytotoxicity at 25–50 µg/mL. At 100 µg/mL, only <i>E. ramosissimum</i> extracts maintained high cell viability. In the lipotoxicity model, <i>E. ramosissimum</i> decoction demonstrated the most potent effect, significantly reducing PA-induced neutral lipid accumulation in a dose-dependent manner, while other extracts showed varying degrees of activity. Conclusions: These findings highlight <i>E. ramosissimum’s</i> decoction, rich in kaempferol derivatives, as particularly effective in reducing lipid accumulation in this MASLD cell model while also providing a comprehensive characterization of traditionally used plants from the Côa Valley region.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/1/39Côa Valley (Portugal)plant extracts<i>Equisetum ramosissimum</i> Desf.MASLDlipid-lowering effect |
| spellingShingle | Ricardo Amorim Mário Pedro Marques Catarina Melim Carla Varela Vilma A. Sardão José Teixeira Maria Inês Dias Lillian Barros Paulo J. Oliveira Célia Cabral Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver Steatosis Pharmaceuticals Côa Valley (Portugal) plant extracts <i>Equisetum ramosissimum</i> Desf. MASLD lipid-lowering effect |
| title | Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver Steatosis |
| title_full | Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver Steatosis |
| title_fullStr | Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver Steatosis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver Steatosis |
| title_short | Chemical Characterization and Differential Lipid-Modulating Effects of Selected Plant Extracts from Côa Valley (Portugal) in a Cell Model for Liver Steatosis |
| title_sort | chemical characterization and differential lipid modulating effects of selected plant extracts from coa valley portugal in a cell model for liver steatosis |
| topic | Côa Valley (Portugal) plant extracts <i>Equisetum ramosissimum</i> Desf. MASLD lipid-lowering effect |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/1/39 |
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