Natural Product Research最新文献

Majonoside R2 (MR2), the principal saponin of Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis Ha & Grushv.), has the unique structure of ocotillol-type dammarane and showed remarkable biological activities. This paper deals with the new findings in the chemical analysis MR2 by the tandem LC-MS/MS and, especially, its inhibitory activities on α-glucosidase for diabetic management. The developed LC-MS/MS method revealed advantages of high selectivity with specific mass transition from precursor [M + H]⁺ ion (m/z 784.4) into product ion (m/z 475.1), high sensitivity (calibration range: 5-250 ppb; LOD: 1.5 ppb; LOQ: 5.0 ppb), and high accuracy to support further pharmaceutical analysis of MR2. MR2 and its aglycone ocotillol relatively showed certain inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase in vitro with the IC₅₀ values of 353.05 and 219.64 µg/mL and supported by molecular docking analysis, in which MR2 and ocotillol could play as allosteric inhibitors with high binding affinity (-7.8 and -8.1 kcal/mol) evidenced by bonding interactions.

This study comprehensively analyzes the chemical constituents of Zanthoxylum avicennae leaves and branches using UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS. A total of 64 components were identified, with fragmentation patterns summarised for key compounds. Notably, 51 of these components were newly discovered in this plant. The predominant compound classes were alkaloids (31.25%) and flavonoids (25.00%). Visualisation results revealed significant differences in chemical composition between leaves and branches, with an overlap rate of only 26.60%. Leaves were rich in flavonoids such as neohesperidin, while branches contained more alkaloids, such as schinifoline. Antioxidant activity, assessed using DPPH and ABTS assays, indicated that methanol extracts had notable antioxidant potential. The leaf extract demonstrated superior antioxidant activity (ABTS: IC₅₀ = 0.098 ± 0.006 mg/mL; DPPH: IC₅₀ = 3.624 ± 0.070 mg/mL) compared to the branch extract (ABTS: IC₅₀ = 0.303 ± 0.004 mg/mL; DPPH: IC₅₀ = 3.265 ± 0.075 mg/mL), likely due to differences in the content and variety of flavonoids.

Caigua (Cyclanthera pedata (L.) Schrad.) is an edible plant native of South America, traditionally used for its health-promoting properties. Its cultivation has expanded globally, with a landrace from Camonica Valley (Northern Italy) showing significant potential as a raw material for herbal applications. This study conducted a phytochemical analysis of the fruits and leaves of the Camonica Valley landrace compared to a commercial South American cultivar. Six flavone glycosides were isolated via column chromatography, identified using NMR, and quantified by HPLC. The primary compounds, chrysin-6-C-fucopyranoside and apigenin-6-C-glucopyranoside (isovitexin), were found in both the fruits and leaves of the two cultivars. Quantitative analysis revealed significantly higher levels of flavone glycosides in the leaves of the Camonica Valley cultivar compared to the fruits and the commercial South American cultivar. These findings highlight the potential of this landrace of caigua for herbal, nutraceutical, and food applications.

Medicinal plants have been used since time immemorial for the treatment of many types of diseases along with epidemics. They show many biological activities like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-insecticidal, antibiotic, anti-parasitic, anti-hemolytic properties etc. Different types of bioactive compounds, present in the medicinal plants, play a key role in prevention of diseases and also used for manufacturing medicines. Thus, phytochemicals have an immense value to communities worldwide. The present review focused on the extraction, purification and characterisation method for isolation of phytocompounds. Both the conventional like maceration, percolation, digestion, infusion a decoction, soxhlet and reflux, hydro distillation and steam distillation method and modern technique of extraction like ASE, microwave- and ultrasound-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, enzyme-assisted fluid extraction, pressurised hot water extraction are elaborately explained in the present review. The methodology of purification by LLF & LLP, recrystallization, different chromatographic techniques like TLC, prep-TLC, column chromatography, flash column chromatography, SEC, counter current chromatography, HPLC & prep-GC are also included in the present review. Structure elucidation by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography are also discussed here.

This study aims to improve the solubility of kaempferol (KA) by preparing a kaempferol phospholipid complex (KA-PC), which can be applied to prevent soybean oil from spoilage. KA-PC was prepared by solvent evaporation and characterised by FTIR, DSC, and XRD. Furthermore, KA-PC was added to soybean oil and the peroxide value and acid value were determined. The results showed that KA-PC improved the solubility of KA in both water and n-octanol. Several characterisation methods identified KA-PC as an amorphous structure. The rate of scavenging DPPH free radical and ABTS free radical of KA-PC was higher than that of KA. After 15 days of storage, the peroxidation value of the soybean oil of KA-PC was about 17.35 mmol/kg, which was significantly lower than that of the KA group (about 29.70 mmol/kg) The results help to prepare insoluble compounds into phospholipid complex (PC) and expand their application in food preservation.

The hot water extract of senescent leaves from Artocarpus heterophyllus is used in traditional Sri Lankan medicine for treating diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to isolate phytochemicals in the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the hot water extract. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of three megastigmane derivatives and two hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives from fractions, demonstrating both hypoglycaemic and antidiabetic activities. The elucidated compounds were identified as 3,4-dihydroxy-7-ene-megastigman-9-one, 3,4,6-trihydroxy-7-ene-megastigman-9-one, 9,13-dihydroxy-4,7-dien-megastigman-3-one, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. Structural confirmation was carried out by 1H NMR, 2D NMR, 13 C NMR, IR, UV-Vis and mass spectrometry. Notably, while these compounds have been well-documented for their antidiabetic activity, their presence in the A. heterophyllus species is novel, expanding our understanding. Furthermore, their well-established antidiabetic activity profiles highlight their essential role in the observed effects of the hot water extract for diabetes management, reinforcing its traditional remedy status.

Osteochondral defects (OCDs) in synovial joints are caused by trauma or inflammatory joint diseases, with no definitive treatment available. This study examined the effects of resveratrol and chondrocyte injections in a rat model of OCD. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: a control group, a resveratrol-only group (10 mg/kg), a chondrocyte-only group (1 × 10⁵ cells), and a combined treatment group that received both treatments. After two months, the rats were euthanized, and their knee joints were analysed histologically and immunohistochemically. The results showed that the combined resveratrol and chondrocyte treatment significantly reduced fibrous tissue, increased cartilage tissue volume, improved cellular distribution, and enhanced the regularity of the articular surface. Collagen types I and II and proteoglycan levels were also elevated. These findings suggest that the combination of resveratrol and chondrocytes has a synergistic effect, promoting effective OCD repair in this rat model, offering potential for future therapeutic approaches.

Chemical investigation of Streptomyces parvulus A-30, isolated from the mangrove plant Rhizophora apiculata rhizosphere soil resulted in the isolation of an optically new metabolite (R)-N-(5-amino-2-hydroxy-1-oxopentyl)-tyrosine (2), and seven known metabolites, including actinomycin D (1), (S)-2-methylhexahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-1,4-dione (3), uracil (4), N-acetyltyramine (5), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (6), diorcinol (7), and 4-hydroxyphenethyl alcohol (8). Amongst, actinomycin D (1) was found to be a major component (1 g, 5.13%) and compound 3 was isolated as a natural product for the first time. Their structures were unambiguously elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data and comparison with the data of literature. All compounds isolated were subjected to immunosuppressive and cytotoxic activities evaluation. Compound 1 exhibited significant cytotoxicity against HepG-2 and Hela with IC₅₀ values of 2.62 ± 0.22 and 0.37 ± 0.88 µM, respectively, indicating it is principally responsible for the significant total cytotoxic effect of S. parvulus A-30.

Moringa oleifera is a vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that can be used medicinally to enhance human health. This study described how the antioxidative properties of several organs of M. oleifera were used to optimise extraction conditions through their antioxidative capacity. In addition, an analytical approach applying seven marker chemicals was developed and used to construct the chemical profile while simultaneously ascertaining the primary components and their contents in the leaf extract. Of those, the content of quercetin 3-O-malonylglucoside (5) was the greatest, at 12.50 mg/g, followed by neochlorogenic acid (1) at 5.67 mg/g. In a study using molecular docking to target antioxidation, the main constituents of the leaf extract provided some evidence. This was the first study to analyse M. oleifera grown in Suncheon and provide an effective analytical tool to control and verify the quality of this plant species by using standards.