Montanoa

Most Asteraceae are herbs or little shrubs. The trees of the genus Montanoa (tree daisy) therefore stand out as very unusual plants. They also are very showy during the flowering season. But the genus also includes one of the most important medicinal plants of Mexico, Montanoa tomentosa. 

In this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge of interesting terpenes found in Mexican medicinal plants, with special emphasis on the zoapatle (Montanoa tomentosa), a plant originally called "cihuapahtli." This means woman s medicine, and it was used to assist women during difficult labor because of its specific uterus contraction effect caused by the diterpene active substances. Finally, some aspects of the current use of medicinal plants in different cultural environments will be discussed. 

Zea mays (pelos de elote) Montanoa tomentosa (zoapatle)... 

In addition to these observations, the 16-a-hydroxy-e /-kauran-19-oic acid, isolated from Montanoa hibiscifolia, and its methyl ester inhibited spontaneous oxytocin- and potassium-induced contractile activities. The methyl ester inhibition was much stronger, 2-15 times more than the acid at pM concentrations. This... 

Encelin from Montanoa speciosa is inhibitory to growth and development of fungal cells of Mucor rouxii. Other cytotoxic sesquiterpene lactones from Montanoa tomentosa ssp. microcephala have been reported.45,46 A number of kaurane diterpenes and e/tf-kauranoids have been reported that are potentially useful because of their cytotoxicity against human tumor cells, anti-HIV activity, and trypanosomicidal activity.47 56 New structures are frequently discovered, and probably we will learn new effects in humans and animals in the future.57,58 Paradoxically, these plant natural products probably have specific and important effects in the plants, but we are still ignorant of these roles. 

CABALLERO, Y., WALLS, F., Productos naturales del zoapatle (Montanoa tomentosa Cerv.), Bol. Inst. Qulm. Univ. Nac. Autom. Mex., 1970,22,79. 

GEISSMAN, T. A., GRIFFIN, T., Sequiterpene lactones. Tomentosin from Montanoa tomentosa Cer., Rev. Latinoam. Quim., 1971,2,81. 

LANDGREN, B.M., AEDO, A.R., HAGENFELDT, K., DICZFALUSY, E., Clinical effects of orally administered extracts of Montanoa tomentosa in early human pregnancy., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 1979,135,480-484. 

BEJAR, E LOZOYA, X., ENRIQUEZ, R ESCOBAR, L Comparative effect of zoapatle (Montanoa tomentosa) products and of verapamil on the in vitro uterine contractility of rat., Arch. Invest. Med. (Mex), 1984,15,223-238. 

VALENCIA, A., WENS, A., PONCE-MONTER, H PEDR6N, N., GALLEGOS, A.J., QUIJANO, L CALDERON, J., GOMEZ, F, RIOS, T., Zoapatle. XII. In vitro effect of kaurenoic acid isolated from Montanoa frutescens and two derivatives upon human spermatozoa., J. Ethnopharmacol., 1986,1,89-94. 

BEJAR, E., Preliminary investigation of the estrogenic potential of grandiflorenic acid from Montanoa tomentosa., J. Ethnopharmacol., 1988,23,329-331. 

PONCE-MONTER, H., CAMPOS-LARA, G., PEDRON, N., DE LA TORRE, L., VILLANUEVA, T., GALLEGOS, A., ROMO DE VIVAR, A., AZPEITIA, E., PEREZ, A.J., The zoapatle. XV. Activity of 16 alpha-hydroxy-ent-kauran-19-oic acid isolated from Montanoa hibiscifolia, and its methyl ester on rat and guinea pig uterus., J. Ethnopharmacol., 1988, 24, 127-134. 

CAMPOS-BEDOLLA, P CAMPOS, M.G., VALENCIA-SANCHEZ, A., PONCE-MONTER, H., URIBE, C., OSUNA, L CALDER6N, J., Effect of kauranes from Montanoa spp. on rat uterus., Phytother. Res., 1997,11, 11-16. 

ENRIQUEZ, R,G., MIRANDA, C,E., ORTIZ B LEON, I., MAGOS, G., PENA, A., REYNOLDS, W,F., GNECCO, D., The unambiguous detection of kaurenic derivatives in aqueous infusions of Montanoa tomentosa by GC-MS and 2D-NMR spectroscopy An answer to contradictory reports., Planta Med., 1996,62,569-571. 

TOPQU, G., CORDELL, G.A., FARNSWORTH, N.R. FONG, N.H., Studies on zoapatle. VIII. Novel cytotoxic sesquiterpene lactones from Montanoa tomentosa ssp. microcephala., J. Pharm. Sci., 1988, 77,553-556. 

Monoiopia (monolopia) Monoptiion (desert star) Montanoa (montanoa)... 

Fig. (1). Montanoa tomentosa (Cerv.) spp. tomentosa (Funk) grown in the Valley of Mexico.

A total of 25 species of Montanoa have been described in the literature, 21 of them growing in Mexico and the rest in Central and South America [18]. However, M. tomentosa and M frutescens have been the only two species described ethnomedically. Other current vernacular names given to M. tomentosa and M. frutescens include "achina, guapiojo, hierba de la parida, hierba de la mujer, and too". 

Fig. (3). Secondary metabolites from Montanoa lomeniosa include a. Kaurane diterpenes, B. Oxepanes and their acyclic precursors, C. Flavonoids, and D. Guaianolides and heliangolides.

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