Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39900941›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Microtubule inhibition as a proposed mechanism for the anthelmintic effect of phytochemicals isolated from Cicerbita alpina.

Mark James Horgan, Ines Sigg, Ioanna Poulopoulou, Francisco J Rodriguez-Mejias, Eva Albertini, Pietro Fusani, Florian Fischer, Eftychia Martinidou, Daniela Schuster, Stefan Martens and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Mark James HorganInstitute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Ines SiggInstitute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Ioanna PoulopoulouFaculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100, Bolzano, Italy.
Francisco J Rodriguez-MejiasInstitute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Eva AlbertiniResearch Institute for Biomedical Aging Research, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Pietro FusaniCentro Di Ricerca Foreste E Legno, Consiglio Per La Ricerca in Agricoltura E L'analisi Dell'economia Agraria, Piazza Nicolini 6 Loc. Villazzano, 38123, Trento, Italy.
Florian FischerInstitute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry and Research and Innovation Center for Novel Therapies and Regenerative Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Strubergasse 21, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
Eftychia MartinidouResearch and Innovation Center, Edmund Mach Foundation, Via E. Mach 1 38098 - San Michele All'Adige, Trento, Italy.
Daniela SchusterInstitute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry and Research and Innovation Center for Novel Therapies and Regenerative Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Strubergasse 21, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
Stefan MartensResearch and Innovation Center, Edmund Mach Foundation, Via E. Mach 1 38098 - San Michele All'Adige, Trento, Italy.
Pidder Jansen DürrResearch Institute for Biomedical Aging Research, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Matthias GaulyFaculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100, Bolzano, Italy.
Hermann StuppnerInstitute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Alexander WeissResearch Institute for Biomedical Aging Research, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Veronika TemmlInstitute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry and Research and Innovation Center for Novel Therapies and Regenerative Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Strubergasse 21, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
Bianka SiewertInstitute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria. bianka.siewert@uibk.ac.at.

Funding

EuregioScienceFund IPN001190
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The alpine plant Cicerbita alpina (L.) Wallr., when grown as a sprout, is known as a bitter-tasting culinary delicacy. Recently it has also been reported to have anthelmintic activity, prompting further investigation into its mechanism of action. Liquid-liquid fractions were prepared from a methanolic extract of the aerial parts and were submitted in parallel to embryo development (ED), worm motility (WMT), and cytotoxicity assays for anthelmintic and toxicity evaluations. The anthelminthic assays revealed the more polar fractions to be most active against Ascaridia galli embryos (BuOH | 68% ED | c = 500 µg/ml and EtOAc | 65% ED | c = 500 µg/ml) and Caenorhabditis elegans adult worms (BuOH | 49% WMT | c = 150 µg/ml and EtOAc | 74% WMT | c = 150 µg/ml) suggesting the fraction's constituents possess dual anthelmintic activity against multiple life-cycle stages (i.e., eggs, worms) of helminths. Additionally, the BuOH fraction was non-cytotoxic to human cell-lines. Subsequent FCC and SEC derived subfractions were submitted to the anthelmintic assay workflow and the enriched subfractions B1 and E3.8, phytochemically assigned as 11-β,13-dihydrolactucin and luteolin, demonstrated bioactivity against the embryo phenotype (B1 | 58% ED | c = 1.8 µM and E3.8 | 46% ED | c = 1.7 µM) within range of the flubendazole control. Furthermore, luteolin was found to inhibit C. elegans egg hatching (luteolin | 65% EH | c = 10 µM | t = 10 h) within the range of the control albendazole. Both identified anthelmintic phytochemicals were found to affect tubulin polymerisation at a concentration of c = 50 µM. Together with in silico virtual screening studies, these results suggest microtubule stabilisation as a possible anthelmintic target and mechanism of action. This work effectively advocates the consideration of C. alpina extracts and fractions for the development of herbal therapeutics against parasitic helminths.

Indexed as

AnthelminticsMicrotubulesPhytochemicalsPlant ExtractsAnimalsAscaridiaCaenorhabditis elegansAnthelminticsPhytochemicalsPlant Extracts

Identifiers

PMID39900941
PMCPMC11791071

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.