Zeitschrift Fur Naturforschung Section C-A Journal of Biosciences最新文献

Crotofoligandrin (1), a new endoperoxide crotofolane-type diterpenoid was isolated from the dichloromethane/methanol (1:1) extract of the twigs of Croton oligandrus Pierre Ex Hutch along with thirteen known secondary metabolites including 1-nonacosanol (2), lupenone (3), friedelin (4), β-sitosterol (5), taraxerol (6), (-)-hardwickiic acid (7), apigenin (8), acetyl aleuritolic acid (9), betulinic acid (10), fokihodgin C 3-acetate (11), D-mannitol (12), scopoletin (13) and quercetin (14). The structures of the isolated compounds were determined based on their spectroscopic data. The crude extract and the isolated compounds were assessed in vitro for their antioxidant, lipoxygenase, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), urease and glucosidase inhibitory potentials. Compounds 1-3, and 10 displayed activities on all the performed bioassays. All the tested samples showed strong to significant antioxidant activity with compound 1 being the most potent (IC₅₀ 39.4 μM).

Aging is a natural phenomenon, which is characterised by progressive physiological changes at cellular and organ level. During aging, the defence mechanism of an organism declines over the period of time. The aim of this study was to investigate the biological efficacy of berberine in D-galactose induced aging rat models. For the study, rats were divided into four groups: Control received only vehicle, BBR received berberine orally, D-Gal received D-galactose subcutaneously and BBR + D-Gal received D-galactose and berberine simultaneously. D-galactose treatment increased the pro-oxidants such as malondialdehyde (MDA) level, protein carbonyl, plasma membrane redox system (PMRS) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) in the erythrocytes or plasma. It reduced the anti-oxidant level such as reduced glutathione (GSH), ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), plasma thiols, sialic acid and membrane transporters like Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase and Ca²⁺ ATPase activity in the erythrocyte membrane. Co-treatment of berberine in D-galactose induced aging rat models restored pro-oxidants and anti-oxidants in erythrocytes. Berberine also restored the activity of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase and Ca²⁺ ATPase in the erythrocyte membrane. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that berberine treatment could attenuate erythrocyte aging in rats through stabilisation of the redox equilibrium.

Knema is one of the genera in the Myristicaceae family. The genus includes 60 species in Southeast Asia and is traditionally used for treating skin disorders. Here, for the first time, the essential oil, anti-tyrosinase, and molecular docking studies of Knema intermedia were evaluated. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and fully characterized by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Anti-tyrosinase activity was evaluated against mushroom tyrosinase, whereas molecular docking studies were performed using Autodock vina embedded in PyRx to evaluate the binding interactions of major components. A total of 37 components (97.3%) were successfully identified in the essential oil, which was characterized by high amounts of t-muurolol (20.1%), α-copaene (14.4%), δ-cadinene (13.9%), germacrene B (9.5%), and δ-selinene (7.0%). The essential oil displayed moderate inhibitory activity towards tyrosinase with an IC₅₀ value of 70.2 μg/mL. The best docking energy was observed with δ-selinene (-7.8 kcal/mol), and it also forms interactions with His85, His263, and His244 which are important amino acid residues of the tyrosinase receptor. Hence, this study provides valuable scientific data on K. intermedia as potential candidate for the development of natural antiaging formulations.

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is an invasive plant in Europe with spreading use in the contemporary folk medicine. The chemical composition of the above-ground parts is extensively studied, however, the metabolites of the roots are less discovered. By multiple chromatographic purification of the root extracts, we isolated thiophene A (1), n-dodecene (2), taraxerol-3-O-acetate (3), α-linoleic acid (4), (+)-pinoresinol (5), and thiophene E (7,10-epithio-7,9-tridecadiene-3,5,11-triyne-1,2-diol) (6). The ¹H NMR data published earlier for 1 were supplemented together with the assignment of ¹³C NMR data. Thiophene E (6), which is reported for the first time from this species, exerted cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects on A-431 epidermoid skin cancer cells, whereas taraxerol-3-O-acetate (3) and α-linoleic acid (4) had slight antiproliferative effect on gynecological cancer cell lines. Thiophene E (6) and taraxerol-3-O-acetate (3) displayed antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects on MRC-5 fibroblast cells. Thiophene E (6) exerted weak antibacterial activity (MIC 25 μg/mL) on MRSA ATCC 43300, on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli AG100 and E. coli ATCC 25922 both thiophenes were inactive. Although the isolated compounds exerted no remarkable cytotoxic or antiproliferative activities, the effects on MRC-5 fibroblast cells highlight the necessity of further studies to support the safety of ragweed root.

The structure and complete NMR assignments of aspidoreticulofractine, an aspidofractinine N-oxide, are reported. Its structure was elucidated based on a combination of spectroscopic techniques including 1D and 2D NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and electronic circular dichroism.

The family Asteraceae comprises many species that have medicinal importance in terms of their chemical components. Some species of the genus Lactuca have been used in folk medicine for a long time ago. One of them is L. serriola L., a wild plant that is a weed in agriculture. To date, few studies have been published on its chemical profile. In this research, we investigated the volatile compounds and fatty acids of L. serriola roots, leaves, and seeds. To this end, a microsteam distillation-solid phase microextraction technique (MSD-SPME) followed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed. Aldehydes and terpenoids were predominantly present in the leaves with phenylacetaldehyde as the major compound (up to 18%) while 2-ethyl hexanol (up to 36.9%) was the most abundant substance in the roots. Among the fatty acids, nonadecanoic acid (38.3%) was the main one detected in the leaves, while linoleic acid (57.7%) was predominant in the seeds. Some of the detected constituents have already demonstrated importance in medicinal and industrial areas. As a result, this species could be further investigated for its biological features and be considered as a source of ingredients beneficial in different fields, including pharmaceuticals.

Tuliposides (Pos) are major defense-related secondary metabolites in tulip, having 4-hydroxy-2-methylenebutanoyl and/or (3S)-3,4-dihydroxy-2-methylenebutanoyl groups at the C-1 and/or C-6 positions of d-glucose. The acyl group at the C-6 position is converted to antimicrobial lactones (tulipalins) by an endogenous Pos-converting enzyme. Based on this enzyme activity, we examined tulip bulb extracts and detected HPLC peaks that disappeared following the reaction by the Pos-converting enzyme. Spectroscopic analyses of the three purified compounds revealed that one of them was a glucose ester-type Pos, while the other two were identified as a glucoside ester-type Pos. These compounds were designated as PosK, L, and M. They were specific to bulbs, with the highest content in the outermost layer, but they were markedly less abundant than PosG, the minor bulb Pos we identified earlier. The study results suggest that tulip bulbs contain at least four minor Pos in addition to the major 6-PosA. Although PosK-M were present in almost all of the tested tulip cultivars, they were detected in only a few wild species, indicative of their potential utility as chemotaxonomic markers in tulip. Identification of PosK-M as 6-PosA derivatives unveils the biosynthetic diversity of Pos, the well-known group of secondary metabolites in tulip.

Ricinus communis L. is a medicinal plant that displays valuable pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. This study targeted to isolate and identify some constituents of R. communis leaves using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS) and different chromatographic techniques. In vitro anti-MERS and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity for different fractions and for two pure isolated compounds, lupeol (RS) and ricinine (RS1) were evaluated using a plaque reduction assay with three different mechanisms and IC₅₀ based on their cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) from an MTT assay using Vero E6 cell line. Isolated phytoconstituents and remdesivir are assessed for in-silico anti-COVID-19 activity using molecular docking tools. The methylene chloride extract showed pronounced virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 (IC₅₀ = 1.76 μg/ml). It was also shown that ricinine had superior potential activity against SARS-CoV-2, (IC₅₀ = 2.5 μg/ml). Lupeol displayed the most potency against MERS, (IC₅₀ = 5.28 μg/ml). Ricinine appeared to be the most biologically active compound. The study showed that R. communis and its isolated compounds have potential natural virucidal activity against SARS-COV-2; however, additional exploration is necessary and study for their in vivo activity.

A systematic chemical study of the secondary metabolites of the marine fungus, Penicillium chrysogenum (No. Y20-2), led to the isolation of 21 compounds, one of which is new (compound 3). The structures of the 21 compounds were determined by conducting extensive analysis of the spectroscopic data. The pro-angiogenic activity of each compound was evaluated using a zebrafish model. The results showed that compounds 7, 9, 16, and 17 had strong and dose-dependent pro-angiogenic effects, with compound 16 demonstrating the strongest pro-angiogenic activity, compounds 6, 12, 14, and 18 showing moderate activity, and compounds 8, 13, and 19 exhibiting relatively weak activity.

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCSs) are implicated in viral infection and host antiviral innate immune response. Recent studies demonstrate that viruses can hijack SOCSs to inhibit Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway, block the production and signaling of interferons (IFNs). At the same time, viruses can hijack SOCS to regulate non-IFN factors to evade antiviral response. Host cells can also regulate SOCSs to resist viral infection. The competition of the control of SOCSs may largely determine the fate of viral infection and the susceptibility or resistance of host cells, which is of significance for development of novel antiviral therapies targeting SOCSs. Accumulating evidence reveal that the regulation and function of SOCSs by viruses and host cells are very complicated, which is determined by characteristics of both viruses and host cell types. This report presents a systematic review to evaluate the roles of SOCSs in viral infection and host antiviral responses. One of messages worth attention is that all eight SOCS members should be investigated to accurately characterize their roles and relative contribution in each viral infection, which may help identify the most effective SOCS to be used in "individualized" antiviral therapy.