Unravelling the healing power of Irish bogland species

Nagar, Shipra; Pigott, Maria; Obaidi, Ismael; Gately, Cillian Jacques; Chen, Shilong; Whyms, Sophie; Sherlock, Lee; Erol, Özlem; Gadar, Kavita; Choi, Young Hae; McCarthy, Ronan R; Sendker, Jandirk; Kukula-Koch, Wirginia; Carty, Michael; Scalabrino, Gaia; Sheridan, Helen

Abstract

Boglands are ancient ecosystems, scattered across the Northern Hemisphere and are custodians of unique biodiversity which has adapted to survive in these nutrient deficient, stunningly beautiful environments. As part of the project ‘Unlocking Nature’s Pharmacy from Bogland Species (UNPBS)’ we have focused on investigating the properties of species found in raised and blanket bogs across the island of Ireland. We have collected 64 unique plant and lichen species, encompassing 20 genera from different bogland locations and have segregated their different plant parts, where appropriate, to generate a repository of 393 samples. Ongoing screening and filtering of these samples via a range of bioassays has guided the isolation and characterisation of bioactive molecules. From the first 17 species, ten leads with potent immunomodulatory properties have been identified through in vitro cell-based assays of treatment effects on cell viability; and on production of the key cytokines-IFN-β, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and RANTES produced by in vitro iBMDM and THP-1 cell lines. Antibacterial and antibiofilm activities toward key ESKAPE pathogens have been evaluated for all species and lead extracts have been identified from a range of species, now undergoing phase 2 screening. Simultaneously, metabolic profiling has been prioritised for select species employing analytical (GC-MS, LC-MS, HPTLC, NMR) and chemometric approaches. Furthermore, metabolomics has been applied to correlate the difference in chemical profiles of extracts with respect to location. The lead species will undergo further advanced biological and phytochemical investigation. As well as this an accessible database for the chemistry and biology of Irish bogland species is under construction.