Biological properties of medicinal plants from high altitude ecosystem and potentials uses in the pharmaceutical industry

Abstract

Plants from arid and semiarid regions are subjected to intense environmental stress and to adapt to these conditions of life, they have developed valuable defense strategies such as the chemical compound production. The finding of new molecules with potential uses in the pharmaceutical industry in the treatment and prevention of some pathologies is very interesting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological properties (antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and genotoxicity activity) of medicinal plants from high altitude ecosystem and the isolation of the bioactive compounds. In this work were selected plant species used traditionally as medicinal in the Argentine Puna, including: Baccharis incarum, Baccharis boliviensis, Chuquiraga atacamensis, Parastrephia lucida (Asteraceae family) and Fabiana punensis, F. bryoides, F. densa and F. patagonica (Solanaceae family). The plants extracts showed antibacterial activity against antibiotic resistant bacteria, also showed antioxidant activity, by scavenging activity of free radical and reactive oxygen species, and showed anti-inflammatory activity by the inhibition of enzymes involved in the inflammatory process. None of the plant extracts were genotoxic. From the most promissory plants extracts, were obtained some bioactive compounds through assay-guided isolation and were formulate phytotherapic products with antibiotic and antioxidant properties. The results of this study justify the traditional medicinal uses of plants from high altitude ecosystem.