Effects of medicinal plant extracts on molecular interactions between DNA and transcription factors

Abstract

Abstract Alteration of gene transcription is one of the approaches to control the expression of selected genes and could be achieved by molecules interfering with the interactions between transcription factors and DNA. In this respect, DNA-binding drugs are of great interest and the object of a large number of research articles. The most suitable techniques for a fast screening of these compounds are the electrophoretic mobility shift assay and the filter-binding approach. In this communication, we present evidence showing that extracts from medicinal plants could inhibit the interactions between nuclear factors and specific target DNA sequences. Among the results obtained, we found that low concentrations (6–12 μg/binding reaction) of Aegle marmelos extracts, and very low concentrations (0.5 μg/binding reaction) of Emblica officinalis extracts inhibit GATA-1/DNA interactions. On the contrary, up to 400 μg/binding reaction of extracts from Argemone mexicana were still unable to inhibit GATA-1/DNA interactions. The employment of several analytical and preparative procedures, among which high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), will help in identifying the bioactive compounds responsible for this very interesting feature.