Available online 9 December 2015
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
In
Central America, most Maya women use ethnomedicines for all aspects of
their reproductive cycle including menstruation, pregnancy and
menopause. However, very few of these plants have been documented,
collected and tested in appropriate pharmacological assays to determine
possible safety and efficacy. The aim of this work was to provide an
overview of information on the ethnomedical uses, ethnopharmacology,
chemistry and pharmacological research for medicinal plants used for
women's reproductive health in Guatemala, with a special emphasis on the
Q’eqchi Maya of the Lake Izabal region, to demonstrate therapeutic
potential and support future research in the field.
Materials and Methods
Reviews
of the ethnobotanical, ethnomedical and ethnopharmacological literature
were performed for thirty plants collected in the Lake Izabal region of
Guatemala and used by the Q’eqchi Maya for treatment of reproductive
health issues were performed up to and including July 2015 using
multiple databases, library searches for abstracts, books,
dissertations, and websites.
Results and Conclusions
Review
of the published research confirms that many of the plants used by
Q’eqchi Maya women for the management of reproductive health issues have
pharmacological activities, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory,
estrogenic, progestagenic and/or serotonergic effects, that support the
use of these plants and provide plausible mechanisms of action for their
traditional uses. Furthermore, a new serotonin agonist, 9, 10-
methylenedioxy-5, 6-Z-fadyenolide was isolated, thereby demonstrating an
untapped potential for drug discovery. However, to date much of the
pharmacological assays have been in vitro only, and few in vivo studies
have been performed. Considering the large percentage of the Maya
population in Guatemala that use traditional medicines, there remains a
significant lack of pharmacological and toxicological data for these
plants. Future research should focus on the safety and efficacy of
medicinal plants using in vivo preclinical studies and clinical trials,
as well as chemical analysis. Since medicinal plants from the Piperaceae
are most commonly used as traditional medicines by the Q’eqchi Maya
women, and new bioactive compounds have been identified from Piper
species, investigations of commonly used plants from this family would
be an appropriate place to start. Data generated from such studies would
contribute to Guatemala's national effort to promote a complementary
relationship between traditional Maya medicine and public health
services.
Graphical abstract
Abbreviations
- COX-2, Cyclooxygenase 2;
- E2, Estradiol;
- ERα, ERβ, estrogen receptor alpha and beta;
- ERE, estrogen responsive element;
- GC, granulosa cells;
- 5-HT, Serotonin;
- 5-HT1-7, Serotonin receptors 1-7;
- IC50, median inhibitory concentration;
- Ki, Inhibition constant;
- MCF-7, human breast cancer cells;
- mRNA, messenger ribonucleic acid;
- nH, Hill coefficient;
- PMS, premenstrual syndrome;
- P4, progesterone;
- PR, progesterone receptor;
- qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction;
- SEAP, Secreted alkaline phosphatase assay;
- TRAMIL, Traditional Medicine for the Islands
Keywords
- Cyclooxygenase;
- Dysmenorrhea;
- Estrogenic;
- Maya;
- Pregnancy;
- Progestagenic;
- Serotonin;
- Menopause
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
