Publications by authors named "Dora Maria Benjumea"

Currently, cannabis is considered an attractive option for the treatment of various diseases, including pain management. Thus, developing new analgesics is paramount for improving the health of people suffering from chronic pain. Safer natural derivatives such as cannabidiol (CBD) have shown excellent potential for the treatment of these diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Renealmia alpinia extracts, obtained through micropropagation and from wild forms, have demonstrated the ability to inhibit the toxic effects of Bothrops asper snake venom when administered prior to the venom injection in a mouse model.
  • The study revealed that both wild and in vitro extracts of R. alpinia significantly increased survival rates and reduced lethal activity at a dose of 75 mg/kg, effectively prolonging the survival time of mice.
  • Additionally, R. alpinia extracts showed a reduction in pulmonary hemorrhage and bleeding in organs like the heart and kidneys, indicating its potential as a protective agent against snakebite, which warrants further investigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The plant Renealmia alpinia has been used in folk medicine to treat snakebites in the northwest region of Colombia. In addition, it has been shown to neutralize edema-forming, hemorrhagic, lethal, and defibrin(ogen)ating activities of Bothrops asper venom. In this work, extracts of Renealmia alpinia obtained by micropropagation (in vitro) and from specimens collected in the wild were tested and compared in their capacity to inhibit enzymatic and toxic activities of a snake venom metalloproteinase isolated from Bothrops atrox (Batx-I) venom and a serine proteinase (Cdc SII) from Crotalus durissus cumanensis venom.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF