Phytochemistry Reviews最新文献

Medicinal plants are the most important resources for obtaining and developing new drugs and have recently attracted more pharmacological and industrial interest. Anthracene derivatives are one of the important phenolic compounds that naturally occur in plants. They exhibit bioactivities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, immune-suppressive, antioxidant, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and laxative effects. Anthraquinones and anthraquinones dimers are considered important chemotaxonomic markers for plants in the family Asphodelaceae. Many anthracenes and anthracene derivatives from Asphodelaceae taxa were known for their biological activity demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo biological assays. In this study, research published between 1963 and 2025 on anthracenes from Asphodelaceae taxa and their biological activities was analyzed by searching scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, and other web sources. As a result of these analyses, preanthraquinones (1–18), anthrones (19–43), anthraquinones (44–91), phenylanthraquinones (92–119), and anthraquinone dimers (120–162) and their biological activities are summarized, providing an overview of naturally bioactive anthracenes from Asphodelaceae that could serve as potential leads for new drug discovery.

Compared with metabolic precursor daidzein, dihydrodaidzein exhibits higher activity and broader biological effects, and have gradually attracted the attention in recent years. This review provides a systematic overview of resources, physicochemical properties, in vivo metabolism and microbial transformation, bioavailability and bioactivity of dihydrodaidzein. Dihydrodaidzein is mainly derived from biosynthesis, and it can also be produced by chemical synthesis and enzyme catalyzation. Gut microorganisms play a key role in the in vivo metabolism of dihydrodaidzein, in which it can be generated from daidzein and further converted into the more active equol. There are several high productive strains of dihydrodaidzein identified, including Aeroto-Niu-O16, TM-40, Lactobacillus acidipiscis HAU-FR7 and Slackia isoflavoniconvertens DSM22006. Among others, these strains contain genes involved in isoflavone conversion, including the daidzein, dihydrodaidzein and tetrahydrodaidzein reductase (dzr, ddr, tdr) and dihydrodaidzein racemase (ifcA). Although dihydrodaidzein (0.14 g/L) exhibited better water solubility than of daidzein (0.085) and better absorbed, it also suffers low oral bioavailability. Therefore, emerging nanocarrier technologies can be explored to encapsulate dihydrodaidzein to enhance its cellular uptake, targeted delivery and functional efficacy. It has been found to have superior pharmacological activities in antioxidant, cardiovascular disease, prevention of osteoporosis and estrogen-like activity. A comprehensive summary of dihydrodaidzein will allow more researchers to target their research, thus promoting its use in food and nutraceuticals.

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The medicinal treatment for leishmaniasis presents several limitations, such as high toxicity, invasive administration, high cost, and increasing parasite resistance to drugs. In this scenario, seeking for better therapeutic alternatives is paramount, and some studies in the literature have already evaluated the leishmanicidal potential of plant species and their alkaloids. In light of this, the present work analyzed studies conducted with some species belonging to the families Apocynaceae, Annonaceae, and Rutaceae, as well as alkaloids belonging to different classes. An important point to highlight is that most studies are incomplete; that is, despite the existence of in vitro studies, there is a lack of in vivo studies, and further investigation of possible mechanisms of action. It appears that species belonging to the Apocynaceae family are a promising source for new antileishmanial drugs and standing out with the species Aspidosperma ramiflorum Muell with its metabolites ramiflorin A, ramiflorin B, usabarin and usabarensin, with alkaloids being responsible for the activity, while the Annonaceae family requires clarification as to whether there is synergy between acetogenins and alkaloids. The class of alkaloid that seems most promising is benzoquinolizidine. In summary, species containing alkaloids and isolated alkaloids may be promising as leishmanicidal agents.

Plants have been used by human beings for food, flavor, medicine and a variety of other purposes since the dawn of time. In this regard, concrete evidence is found in written records of many civilizations (Egyptian, Roman, Chinese, Indo-Aryan). Ayurvedic writings, for example, describe numerous usage details including the ones for curing diseases and ailments of different kinds. Those of A. indica have proved their potential in pharmaceutical industries as anticancer, antioxidant and anti-HIV agents. In alternative systems of medicine, people use it as carminative, stomachic, for detoxification, relief from pain and other inflammatory diseases. A storehouse of immense medicinal uses and resembling the sacred O. sanctum L. (Tulsi) in so far as its pharmaceutical properties are concerned, A. indica can potentially serve as its substitute in prescribed dosages. Despite being sacred in India, Tulsi faces overexploitation and is prohibited for use on certain religious days and by non-vegetarians. Under such circumstances, A. indica can suitably substitute Tulsi. This will not only preserve its sanctity but ensure its availability in remote and rural areas where herbal medicines are of prime importance and probably the only source. Conversely, benefits of Tulsi through A. indica can also be availed on all days and by non-vegetarians also. The scientific understanding underlying the traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of A. indica is highlighted in this review. Comparison along these lines has also been included.

Sulfated flavonoids, also named flavonoid sulfates, are a class of polyphenol derivatives from various plants often with a long history of use in traditional medicine around the world, that play an important role in secondary metabolism, chemical defense, and growth regulation of plants, and with significant and potential health benefits. Sulfated flavonoids are produced by a substitution reaction of a flavonoid moiety and a sulfate donor, where transfer of a sulfate group to hydroxyl groups in the flavonoid structure is catalyzed, either naturally or synthetically, by the enzyme sulfotransferase. Of note, several monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plant families have been reported for their content of sulfated flavonoids. Various medically important bioactivities have been reported for sulfated flavonoids, including antitumor, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties, and which we discuss in this review. The present review focuses on sulfated flavonoids extracted from plants but also discuss some chemically synthesized sulfated flavonoids explored, e.g., for their (potential) anticoagulant properties. This review aims to summarize the published data on naturally occurring and synthetic sulfated flavonoids, paying particular attention to their structural variations and occurrence, biosynthesis aspects, methods of identification, extraction and isolation, and biological activities. The review covers literature published in English, spanning the entire period from the first report in 1971 to January 2025. Finally, the current work emphasizes this class of compounds as a source of potential candidates for the development of new pharmaceutical drugs with beneficial bioactivities.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a transcriptional factor and key regulatory element in glucose and lipid metabolism. We have attempted to determine the structure–activity relationship between flavonoids as PPARγ agonists through a literature search. To compare results from different studies and methods, we have recalculated them to the percentage of positive control (%_PC). We have also described various methods used to determine PPARγ agonists. The most promising PPARγ agonists are isoflavones, namely 4'-fluoro-7-hydroxyisoflavone (4; %_PC = 710.3%). The results presented in this review could be used for further semisynthetic modifications of flavonoids to enhance their PPARγ agonistic activity.

Plants play a crucial role in traditional medicine. Several medicinal plants have been utilized in traditional medicine preparations for centuries, and many of these formulations are still in use. The genus Magnolia L. (Family Magnoliaceae Juss.) has numerous medicinally significant species, the majority of which are endemic to Asia. Many species in this genus have traditionally been used to cure a wide range of conditions, from minor illnesses to advanced malignancies. Because of their adaptable therapeutic characteristics, various species from this genus have been blended and employed in commercially successful pharmaceutical formulations. Many investigations on phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology have shown that the compounds honokiol, magnolol, liriodenine, and anonaine have beneficial therapeutic qualities for a variety of diseases. Besides, researchers have announced many new compounds with interesting bioactivities. This review focuses on the results of Magnolia metabolite research undertaken during this time period (2003–2023). Pharmacological investigations on substances from this genus are also mentioned. In addition, traditional applications are briefly discussed.

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Salvia L. (Sage) is a therapeutically important plant genus with over 1000 species worldwide. They are a rich source of novel diterpenes. In this present study, we tried to review the chemistry and pharmacology of the Salvia diterpenes between 2016 and 2024. Therefore, we collected information from various scientific databases, including Scopus and PubMed, using key words “Salvia” AND “Diterpene” OR “Diterpenoid”. This updated review article discussed the phytochemistry and pharmacology of 258 undescribed diterpenes isolated from the Salvia genus between 2016 and October 2024. Studies showed that these diterpenes could be structurally divided into subclasses such as abietanes, clerodanes, icetexanes, labdanes, and fusicoccanes. The reported diterpenes have exhibited various pharmacological effects such as anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-oxidant, antidiabetic, and neurotrophic activities. According to the results, these diterpenes of Salvia can be the lead compounds for drug discovery, especially for cancer and microbial diseases.

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