Phytochemistry Reviews最新文献

The increase in cases of various cancers, the number of cancer patients, and the serious side effects of current chemical treatments have encouraged researchers to discover novel and more effective drugs from plant sources. In this review, PubMed and Scopus were searched for English-language peer-reviewed articles published since 1994, using the keywords: Medicinal plants, Egypt, and Cancer. The inclusion criteria for this systematic review were English peer-reviewed original research articles. A total of 286 studies were included. Studies have shown that the active compounds in certain plants can have anticancer activities by various mechanisms, such as cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, and antioxidant effects. Additionally, it is evident that medicinal plants can act as inhibitors of cancer cells. Plants can also act as immune checkpoint inhibitors, which inhibit proteins such as PD-L1 on tumor cells, PD-1 and CTLA-4 on T cells, and help to regulate immune responses. This review also discusses the efficacy of nanoparticles of these plants against cancer cells. The findings indicate the high potential of investigating the bioactive anticancer components of Egyptian medicinal plants for advancing novel treatments that are more effective in combating cancer. The extracts and active compounds of the medicinal plants detailed in this review could provide the foundation for further clinical trials to be conducted, to develop new anticancer drugs.

Cyanobacteria are an important source of structurally diverse natural products with excellent biological activities. Until now, amounts of cyanobacteria-derived secondary metabolites have been isolated and most of them have potential applications in a broad spectrum of fields. This review summarizes the source, chemical structures and bioactivities of 520 new compounds obtained from cyanobacteria, most of which are from genus Microcystis, Nostoc, and Moorea, published between 2012 and 2022. The structures of these compounds include peptides, polyketides, amides, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids and others, among which peptides account for 61.5% of them. Moreover, many compounds display various bioactivities, including cytotoxicity, enzyme inbibition, antibacterial, antimalarial, antitrypanosomal, anti-inflammatory activity, etc. We also summarized the biosynthesis and total synthesis of some representative secondary metabolites from cyanobacteria. In our opinion, these pharmacologically active metabolites with interesting structural diversity will provide medical and chemical researchers with a plenty variety of promising lead compounds from cyanobacteria.

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The immune system is a complex and fundamental network for organism protection. A minimal unbalance in the host defense system homeostasis can originate severe repercussions in human health. Fundamentally, immune-related diseases can arise from its compromise (immunodeficiency diseases), overactivation against itself (autoimmune diseases) or harmless substances (allergies), and failure of eliminating the harmful agent (chronic inflammation). The notable advances and achievements in the immune system diseases pathophysiology have been allowing for a dramatic improvement of the available treatments. Nevertheless, they present some drawbacks, including the inappropriate benefit/risk ratio. Therefore, there is a strong and urgent need to develop effective therapeutic strategies. Nature is a valuable source of bioactive compounds that can be explored for the development of new drugs. Particularly, plants produce a broad spectrum of secondary metabolites that can be potential prototypes for innovative therapeutic agents. This review describes the immune system and the inflammatory response and examines the current knowledge of eight plants traditionally used as immunomodulatory medicines (Boswellia serrata, Echinacea purpurea, Laurus nobilis, Lavandula angustifolia, Olea europaea, Salvia officinalis, Salvia rosmarinus, and Taraxacum officinale). Moreover, the issues responsible for possible biologic readout inconsistencies (plant species, age, selected organ, developmental stage, growth conditions, geographical location, drying methods, storage conditions, solvent of extraction, and extraction method) will also be discussed. Furthermore, a detailed list of the chemical composition and the immunomodulatory mechanism of action of the bioactive compounds of the selected plant extracts are presented. This review also includes future perspectives and proposes potential new avenues for further investigation.

Polyphenols are a large class of plant specialized metabolites with interesting biological properties. Among them, the stilbene phytoalexins are particularly abundant in grapevine gaining considerable applications in the cosmetic and nutraceutical industry. The well-studied stilbene biosynthetic pathway uses phenylalanine to generate resveratrol, the primary stilbene core synthetized in grapevine. A set of enzymes further metabolize resveratrol producing a diversity of stilbenes with different properties, activities and stabilities. In grapevine, 13 enzymes have been identified with the ability to use resveratrol as a substrate, including ten peroxidases, two glycosyltransferases and one O-methyltransferase. Peroxidases and methyltransferases are the most studied enzymes in grapevine, especially under stress conditions while the role of plant laccases and hydroxylases in stilbene metabolism is still poorly described. This article provides an overview of the key enzymes involved in the synthesis of resveratrol-based derivatives in Vitis spp. Perspectives to identify new enzymes are discussed, which could be further used for stilbene bioproduction using biotechnologies.

In our comprehensive review, we delve into the critical steps of isolation of lutein and zeaxanthin from marigold flowers focusing on several pre-treatment technologies for marigold flower hydrolysis, non-green and green solvent-based extraction techniques of hydrolyzed solid biomass, and saponification of oleoresin while addressing the associated challenges and limitations. The review highlights the varying effects of different pre-treatments on the degradation of pectin, lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose as well as on lutein and zeaxanthin ester yield. Notably, the enzymatic pre-treatment emerges as the most efficacious approach, despite its reliance on costly commercial enzymes. Based on the literature review, it is determined that supercritical fluid extraction, combined with ultrasound and various co-solvents gives off better yields of lutein as compared to the other extraction methods. This review also covers the saponification, purification, and recovery process. The applications of marigold flowers and lutein are also summarized.

Hydroxycinnamoylamides are specialised metabolites widely distributed in the plant kingdom. These are phenolic moieties covalently linked to mono- or polyamines through amide bonds. Their oxidative coupling (dimerisation) leads to neolignanamides, a group of compounds showing high chemical, structural and functional diversity. Typical to barley, dehydro dimers of hydroxycinnamoylagmatines, hordatines are primarily found in germinated seeds and at the seedling stage. The first step in the biosynthesis of hordatines is catalysed by acyl-coenzyme A-dependent N-hydroxycinnamoyltransferases, and lead to the formation of hydroxycinnamoylagmatines (HCAgms). The oxidative homo- or hetero-dimerisation of the latter results in different hordatines (A, B, C or D). Hordatines can also undergo various types of conjugation and form hydroxylated, methylated or glycosylated derivatives. Although the research on the bioactivities of the hordatines is still nascent, the in planta antifungal properties have long been recognised. While hordatines are naturally and uniquely synthesised in barley plants, these molecules or lead compounds derived therefrom, also exhibit medicinal and pharmaceutical uses important for human health, stimulating research into the utilisation of biotechnology in alternative production hosts and to enhance agricultural yields and value-added production. This review summarises the older and recent knowledge about hordatines and derivatives and may serve as a springboard for future research on this intriguing class of secondary plant metabolites.

Quercus, an essential genus within the Fagaceae family, comprises roughly 500 plant species. Over the past 5 years (2019–2023), there has been a noticeable increase in the production of high-quality research papers focusing on this genus, marking it as an emerging research area of interest. However, despite this growing body of work, there has yet to be a comprehensive and systematic review addressing the metabolites, pharmacological effects, and underlying mechanisms associated with Quercus. To bridge this knowledge gap, the current study performed an exhaustive literature review. A total of 64 relevant papers published in high-impact journals (classified as JCR Q1–Q3) between January 2019 and April 2023 were meticulously selected through comprehensive searches of the ACS, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases. The chemical analysis encompassed the identification of 217 compounds, spanning categories like terpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenols, among others. Within this set, 11 previously undisclosed compounds emerged, comprising 6 terpenoids and 5 esters. The study primarily delved into the internal and external pharmacological properties of 23 distinct plant species, including antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic effects, and even the assessment of its potential for mitigating the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This paper offers a comprehensive evaluation of the findings and provides insightful recommendations for guiding future research on this plant genus. The ultimate aim is to facilitate a solid foundation for the modern research and development of Quercus spp., thereby contributing to scientific advancement and enhancing the existing literature in this field.

In Qatar, three main species of Pulicaria (from Asteraceae) such as Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A.Mey, Pulicaria gnaphalodes (Vent.) Boiss. and Pulicaria sicula (L.) Moris are reported. Traditionally, these species have almost the same ethnomedical uses, including their use as herbal tea. This could be because of morphological similarities among some of these species, which also results in taxonomic ambiguity. Altogether, this indicates that these species need to be reviewed comparatively, to understand the phytochemical uniqueness and therapeutic significance of each species individually, including species differentiation at the subspecies level. Hence, this review aims to comparatively review the available literature about traditional uses, phytochemistry, and bio-activities of these species. Being aromatic plants, the chemical composition of essential oils of these species has been extensively studied and reported over 300 volatile organic compounds. Among these, oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are dominant. The diverse and distinguishable composition of essential oils can differentiate P. undulata and Pulicaria crispa (Forssk.) Oliv. (Synonyme: Pulicaria undulata subsp. undulata). Likewise, flavonoids and sesquiterpenes are the most reported classes of compounds in non-essential oil fractions. Various biological and pharmacological activities are reported to the essential oils, crude extracts, and their fractions, or isolated compounds of these species. Among these, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-oxidant activities were mostly investigated, mainly under in vitro conditions. Several distinguishable compounds are listed for each species that can potentially be used as chemical markers while characterizing these species. Most of the traditional claims of these species are validated in recent scientific studies. However, further detailed in vivo clinical interventions are needed for their potential use as therapeutic agents.