An Invisible Chain of our Time

by Iam Willgreen

saponines: the compounds found in licorice, used as adjuvants in vaccines (enhancers), or the steroidal glycosides (from Scilla or foxgloves).

  (Some photographs Creative Commons, other photographs by the author, all unrestricted)

  The group of non-proteinogenic amino acids are, in front of the 22 amino acids encoded by the genetic code, compounds derived from other origin: can be neurotransmitters, intermediate cell products, toxins, or man-made. GABA or gamma-Aminobutyric acid, known initially as metabolic product of plants or microbes, plays an excitatory role in immature brains, and inhibitory role in mature brains into the nervous system of mammalians: regulates the growing in stem cells and embryonic cells, and also neural proliferation, elongation of neurites, formation of synapses, migration, and differentiation. It is synthesized in the brain from the main excitatory neurotransmitter, the glutamate. The 2-Aminoisobutyric acid or AIB, which is produced by some fungi; cystine is present in mammals; homoserine as intermediate of other amino acids; the djenkolic acid present in the Jengkol. Anyway, the list of compounds in the group is wide. Some of them imitate properties of proteinogenic amino acids, thus acting like toxins: is the case of canavanine (found in legumes as defense against herbivores), thialysine and quisqualic acid.

  Quinones are known as part of the electron transport chain in photosynthesis and aerobic respiration in plants. Particularly, the phylloquinone is the vitamin K1, needed in various processes of the body.

  The group of natural organic tannins was supposed as defense of plants from animals, and is related to the tanning of animal leather by humans. Are widely present in many trees, as ergastic substance implied in support of material and cell walls (as also are the starch, cellulose, cutin, gluten and wax). Today is known the control that tannins have over decomposition, nitrogen cycle, and carbon cycle, and is known also their potential against bacteria, virus, and pathogenic parasites. Anyway, the tannins when condensed inhibit the digestion of plants consumed by herbivores making it difficult, and interfere with the protein absorption. Can be found in berries, nuts, persimmons, cinnamon, vanilla, thyme, cumin, cloves, chocolate, chickpeas, many legumes, tea, wine, some juices, and beer.

  The monoterpenes are molecules spread by trees, which have antibacterial properties, and once on the air form aerosols (participate in condensation processes when humidity invades the forest, especially at dawn and dusk, increasing the reflection in clouds and lowering of temperature). A special case is the group of pyrethrins: originally extracted from the pyrethrum, other compounds have been synthesized later since this one (the called pyrethroids). Between all insecticides, natural and synthetics, the pyrethrins are biodegradable and disintegrate in sunlight, being toxic only for fish or cats, but is hydrolyzed and degraded by acids that contain the stomachs of mammals. It appears the pyrethrins make its work with other substances and have a deterrence effect on insects, meanwhile its concentration decreases when decomposes naturally on the air.

  A group about you already has heard are the sesquiterpenes, a kind of pheromones that trigger the social response in members of the same species (with allomones that affect to other’s behavior, attractants, kairomones or repellents). The kairomones are semiochemicals that give information to other species: it can be “I am here, be cautious with me,” and other can be “There are someone who is food for me”. This is the case of kairomones that permit beetle predators find to beetle herbivores, which meet in a Ponderosa Pine. In the same way, an animal is afraid smelling the odor of its predators. The pheromones inform about a possible mate or a lucky sex, dangers, food, the need of make mobbing defense, the territorial nest (epideictic pheromones), excite others to action or actions like the breast-feeding, shoot the arousal, mark territories, print trails for communities, make the peace, and more, but that are not warn always consciously.

  Today, we are used to listen a group on the News, the steroids, whose names are common: cholesterol, estradiol, testosterone, and dexamethasone. All steroids in fungi, plants and animals come from two sterols, lanosterol and cycloartenol. A steroid that controls the moulting in insects is the ecdysterone, present in arthropods.

  Androgens, estrogens and progestagens manage the processes of reproduction and sex differentiation. The group of corticosteroids produced in the adrenal cortex, have effect over many functions, as are the responses to stress, behavior, regulation of protein catabolism, immune response, and metabolism of carbohydrates. For example, aldosterone control the levels of electrolyte and water, influencing the kidney function; corticosterone in turn is needed to produced the aldosterone; cortisone which responds to stress and reduces the immune system and its responses; hydrocortisone (cortisol) has as function the increase of blood sugar; the cholesterol belong to the cell membranes when is needed the permeability and fluidity, and is needed to produce vitamin D and bile acids. The levels of cholesterol and its types (of low and high density, LDL and HDL) influence the appearance or strength of some diseases; phytosterols are produced by plants and are related with lowering of blood cholesterol, but at the same time can develop other disease as the phytosterolaemia (and the consequent coronary atherosclerosis). The brassinosteroids (initially extracted from rapeseed) are related with signal transduction, resistance to stress caused by drought or cool, differentiation, senescence of tissues, cell growth, cellular division and regeneration. Statins are used for lowering the levels of cholesterol, and have centered a controversy by its overuse and overprescribing, mainly when was discovered the payment received (from pharmaceutical companies) by doctors who recommended its administration for reduce cholesterol. Furthermore, are related with adverse effects as myalgia, diabetes, cancer, myositis, and myopathy.

  Nearby to our daily talking, by one side is the progesterone, which conducts the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, protection of the neuron system, and very important, the embryogenesis; by other side, the testosterone, whose role is reproductive or the prevention of osteoporosis; furthermore, the estrogen is involved in the fetal development, reproduction, sex, metabolism, functions and health of reproductive female system, balance of salts, synthesis of proteins, modulates the gene expression, gastrointestinal functions, ovulation, estrus and receptivity in females, behavior and a large list of functions. The anabolic steroids are leaded to two goals: the increasing of the bone synthesis and the increasing of muscle mass.

  Hearing about essential oils, we find the terpenes, produced mainly by conifers but also from termites or swallowtail butterflies, and compound the base of resins and the turpentine. Terpenes and modified terpenes (terpenoids or isoprenoids) are again the basis of essential oils. According to the number of main molecules that compound the terpene (number of isoprene units) we find since the hemi-terpenes until poly-terpenes, a very large list of them: thus, you have a large list of odors that come from those molecules.

  That is a very little and initial occidental vision of what has been known from plants. But use and knowledge of plants is ancient and widely spread, as also has been the ignorance. Sure you have heard of Chinese medicine, the most shinning, whilst other regions have had their own compounds and treatments and shone less. The union of medicinal plants with religion or spirituality has not had other reason than the status of beliefs and knowledge in each region: however, plants are only plants, and like in other cases that we can see, the use is the difference.

  Different economies, different use.

  Each continent and country somehow hides its own way of doing and think, barring you travel or can be there with open eyes and mind fully open to learn. After a first impression, the first sight or touching, we can start to notice the similarities and differences, that we are always looking the primates. A rule that is met everywhere is the existence of the proportion which covers each “kind of medicine”, being in the non-occidental countries at 100 the patients by healer, and roughly 10,000 by medical doctor.

  The African medicine of shamans, diviners, midwives, sometimes making use of sympathetic magic, voodoo, the Egba o
gwu, are joined to religious beliefs, with very important presence of the animism, making use of traditional medicine or healing in Sub-Saharan Africa nine out of ten people; the Indian subcontinent keeps a large tradition of herbal medicine, sometimes being proved an uncontrolled manufacturing of compounds, with knowledge about surgery, hygiene, toxicology and always a relation with hinduism, buddhism, physical and mental practices, and all this fused with a very big and growing population, mix of different ethnic cultures. Today India is the bigger provider of cheaper-line drugs and vaccines for humanitarian organizations, despite the fighting of companies as Bayer against that.

  The same occurs with Native Americans, Amazons, Australians, or Eskimos. The traditional Chinese medicine is distinguished by the massage, acupuncture, diets and exercise, joined to a wide and extensive treatment of plants and other animal products, again by a big population whose needs are fulfilled by similar percentage of practitioners than other regions, and the five phases theory, the cosmological notion of ying-yang, the different conception of diseases (as disharmonies). It