Abstract
Plants used in traditional medicine are rich sources of hemolysins and cytolysins, which are potential bactericidal and anticancer drugs. The present study demonstrates for the first time the presence of a hemolysin in the leaves of Passiflora quadrangularis L. This hemolysin is heat stable, resistant to trypsin treatment, has the capacity to froth, and acts very rapidly. The hemolysin activity is dose-dependent, with a slope greater than 1 in a double-logarithmic plot. Polyethylene glycols of high molecular weight were able to reduce the rate of hemolysis, while liposomes containing cholesterol completely inhibited it. In contrast, liposomes containing phosphatidylcholine were ineffective. The Passiflora hemolysin markedly increased the conductance of planar lipid bilayers containing cholesterol but was ineffective in cholesterol-free bilayers. Successive extraction of the crude hemolysin with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol resulted in a 10-fold purification, with the hemolytic activity being recovered in the n-butanol fraction. The data suggest that membrane cholesterol is the primary target for this hemolysin and that several hemolysin molecules form a large transmembrane water pore. The properties of the Passiflora hemolysin, such as its frothing ability, positive color reaction with vanillin, selective extraction with n-butanol, HPLC profile, cholesterol-dependent membrane susceptibility, formation of a stable complex with cholesterol, and rapid erythrocyte lysis kinetics indicate that it is probably a saponin.
Highlights
Pharmacological effects have been well established for many species of the genus Passiflora, collectively known in Brazil as “maracujá”
The trypsin treatment decreased T50% to 1.5 ± 0.1 min. It seems that the hemolysin is partially associated with proteins and trypsin digestion releases it from a protein-hemolysin complex
The hemolytic activity of the hemolysin was practically unaltered by 10 min heating at 100oC
Summary
Pharmacological effects have been well established for many species of the genus Passiflora, collectively known in Brazil as “maracujá”. Passiflora incarnata leaf extracts have a potent anxiolytic and sedative effect. This plant is used in homeopathic medicine for the treatment of insomnia, epilepsy, tetanus, and muscle spasms [1]. Hydroethanol extracts of P. alata and P. edulis leaves presented anxiolytic activity [2]. Passiflora quadrangularis has an antihelminthic action and is frequently used to treat bronchitis, asthma, and whooping cough [3], and was even patented for treatment of diabetic complications and hypertension [4]. Plants used in traditional folk medicine are a vast source of pharmacologically active components, including hemolysins and cytolysins, potential bactericidal and anticancer drugs [5,6,7]. There are few publications about the cytotoxic activity of the family Passifloraceae [8,9,10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
