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Chloroform or dichloromethane extracts of 357 southern Brazilian plant species were tested for the presence of peroxides by thinlayer chromatography, using the spray reagent from Huber & Frohlke. From the species tested, 71 (20%) showed positive results and most of them (56%) are Asteraceae species. The species tested were mainly from Asteraceae, but 55 more families were screened, in a total of 77 genera surveyed.

Chloroform or dichloromethane extracts of 357 southern Brazilian plant species were tested for the presence of peroxides by thinlayer chromatography, using the spray reagent from Huber & Fröhlke. From the species tested, 71 (20%) showed positive results and most of them (56%) are Asteraceae species. The species tested were mainly from Asteraceae, but 55 more families were screened, in a total of 77 genera surveyed.Extratos clorofórmicos ou diclorometânicos de 357 espécies vegetais de ocorrência no sul do Brasil foram testados quanto à presença de peróxidos, através de cromatografia em camada delgada, utilizando o reagente de detecção de Huber & Fröhlke. Das espécies testadas, 71 (20%) apresentaram resultado positivo, a maioria delas (56%) pertencentes à família Asteraceae. A maioria das espécies testadas pertencia a Asteraceae, mas outras 55 famílias foram também testadas, abrangendo um total de 77 gêneros.

There is considerable interest among basic and clinical researchers in novel drugs with activity against leukemia. The vast history of experience of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with medicinal plants may facilitate the identification of novel antileukemic compounds. In the present investigation, we tested 22 drugs for their activity toward CCRF-CEM cell lines: artesunate, artemisinin, baicalein, baicalin, berberine, bufalin, cantharidin, cephalotaxine, curcumin, daidzein, daidzin, diallyl disulfide, ginsenoside Rh2, glycyrrhizic acid, isonardosinon, homoharringtonine, nardosinon, nardofuran, puerarin, quercetin, tannic acid, and tetrahydronardosinon. As compounds from folk medicinal remedies are sometimes looked upon as alternative medicine with some hesitation or criticism, we investigated only chemically pure compounds and tested the drugs independently in two different laboratories in Germany and Australia. We used CCRF-CEM parental cells and doxorubicin-selected P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/MDR1-expressing CEM/ADR5000, vinblastine-selected P-gp/MDR1-expressing CEM/VLB(100), and epirubicin-selected multidrug resistance-related protein 1 (MRP1)-expressing CEM/E1000 sublines thereof. While CEM/ADR5000, CEM/VLB(100), and CEM/E1000 cells were highly resistant to the corresponding selecting agents, no or only minimal degrees of cross-resistance were observed to TCM drugs in both growth inhibition assay and MTT assay (range from 0.4- to 8-fold). Homoharringtonine, artesunate, and bufalin were most active among this panel of compounds. As shown by flow cytometry, artesunate significantly increased daunorubicin accumulation in CEM/E1000 cells, but not in CEM/VLB(100) or CCRF-CEM parental cells. Bufalin caused a small, but significant increase in daunorubicin accumulation in CEM/VLB(100) and CEM/E1000 cells. As artesunate and bufalin showed both antileukemic activity if applied alone and modulation activity in combination with daunorubicin in multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells, these two drugs may be suitable for novel combination treatment regimens to improve leukemia cell killing.

After oral administration of 1-[(4-chlorophenyl)-phenylmethyl]-4-[3-methylphenyl)-methyl]-piperazine (1, Meclozine) eleven compounds were isolated from human urine and faeces. The structural elucidation of the metabolites was accomplished by comparison of their spectral data with those of the synthetic reference compounds. The metabolites were identified as: Meclozine (1), N-[(4-chlorophenyl)-phenylmethyl]-piperazine (2), 3-(4-[(4-chlorophenyl)-phenylmethyl]-piperazino)-methyl-benzoic acid (3), 3-(4-[(4-chlorophenyl)-phenylmethyl]-piperazino)-methyl-benzamide] (4), 2-[3-(4-[(4-chlorophenyl)-phenylmethyl]-piperazino)-methyl-benzoyl ]-amino- ethanesulphonic acid (5), 3-(4-[(4-chlorophenyl)-3'-hydroxy-4'-methoxyphenylmethyl]-piper azino)- methyl-benzoic acid (6), 1-[(4-chlorophenyl)-phenylmethyl]-4-[(3-methylphenyl)-methyl]- piperazine-N4-oxide (7), 1-[(4-chlorophenyl)-phenylmethyl]-4-[(3-methylphenyl)-methyl]- piperazine-N,N'-dioxide (8), 3-methyl-benzoic acid (9), 3-methyl-hippuric acid (10) and 3-methyl-benzoic acid-glucuronide (11). The structure of compound 11 was confirmed after enzymatic cleavage and identification of the aglycon. A further metabolite was detected, but not identified.