Chemistry & Biodiversity最新文献

The Hernandiaceae family is a resource plant group with great medicinal and economic value that consists of 70 plant species in 4 genera. In recent years, approximately 300 natural products with various structures and significant biological activities, including mainly alkaloids, lignans, terpenes, and butyrolactones, have been reported from the Hernandiaceae family. In terms of the number of compounds and their distribution, aporphine-type alkaloids can be considered characteristic components of Hernandiaceae plants. In addition to aporphines, arylnaphthalene and dibenzylbutane lignans are characteristic components of Hernandia plants, while menthane monoterpenes and their dimers are characteristic components of Illigera. The natural products in Hernandiaceae plants have antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet aggregation, and antimalarial activities and can serve as substantial resource banks for drug screening and discovery. This paper is the first to review the structural characteristics and biological activities of the chemical components of Hernandiaceae plants and provides a reference for the efficient use of the resources of this plant family.

Kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria L.) is an old medicinal plant, which is mostly known from ethnomedicine. Nowadays, its herbal parts are only scarcely used in phytotherapy, whereas medicinal applications of root parts have not been reported so far. In this study we investigated ethyl acetate extracts, obtained from A. vulneraria roots. A completely different metabolite profile compared to that of aerial parts was detected by HPLC-ESI-(HR)MSn , mainly prenylated chalcones, flavones, isoflavones and cinnamic acids . Two main chalcones (23 and 24) were isolated from the EtOAc extracts by preparative chromatography. Based on 1D- and 2D-NMR data 24 was assigned to the known compound kanzonol C, while 23 as a novel chalcone. Moreover, anti-proliferative activities of the EtOAc extract and of isolated chalcones were investigated in different liver, breast, and thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Interestingly, the EtOAc extract and 24 exhibited the most pronounced decrease of cell viability in the MDA-MB468 breast carcinoma cell line with an IC50 value of 5.97 µM. Two synthetic derivatives of 24 (hexahydro- and triacetyl kanzonol, 30, 31, respectively), 23 and isobavachalcone 18 were less active . Thus, the prenylated chalcones in A. vulneraria roots appear to be promising lead structures for further anti-proliferative studies.

In this study, nettle (Urtica dioica L.) bioactives was extracted using an environmentally friendly method, and then encapsulated in alginate via ionic gelation. The research aimed to optimize encapsulation efficiency (EE), antioxidant activity (in vitro DPPH scavenging activity), and bead morphology (sphericity factor (SF) and the roundness (Rn)) with Box-Behnken design under Response Surface Method (RSM) based on 3 parameters (CaCl2 and sodium alginate concentration, and time). The optimal points were determined as almost 12% CaCl2, 2% alginate and 10 min for bead hardening in order to obtain the best quality product (31.52 % of EE, 7.31 mg-TEAC/g-DB of antioxidant activity, 0.01 of SF and 0.804 of Rn). The most critical factor of EE and Rn was hardening time at p<0.0001, while sodium alginate concentration was the most significant factor for antioxidant activity and SF at p<0.0001.  The findings demonstrate that the proposed method is practical and efficient in producing nearly spherical and stable beads with significant antioxidant properties. This work highlights the potential for alginate-based microencapsulation to enhance the stability and functionality of plant-derived bioactives.

This study was conducted to determine the total antioxidant capacity (TAC), anti-quorum sensing potential, and anticancer activity of extracts obtained from Berberis crataegina fruits by the maceration method. Moreover, the mode of action for the antioxidant activity was explored by molecular modeling. For this purpose, we performed DPPH, FRAP, and CUPRAC methods to measure the antioxidant ability of the extracts. The total phenolic content (TPC) of the extracts was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The cytotoxic activity of the crude extracts on the A549 lung cancer cell line was evaluated using the MTT assay. The TAC values of the extract were found to vary between 0.744 and 1.763 mmol TE/g-extract for FRAP, CUPRAC, and DPPH assays. The TPC of extract was determined as 80.76 mg GAE/g. Extract induced inhibition of virulence factors elastase and pyocyanine by 85.8% and 57%, respectively. Results provided evidence that the extracts exhibited significant cytotoxicity against A549 human lung cancer cells with an IC50 value of 215.99 μg/mL (p<0.05). Additionally, computational studies revealed that the major compounds of the extract, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, could bind to target enzymes and form stable complexes. These findings significantly promote the development and application of Berberis crataegina fruits.

Peganum harmala is a significant medicinal aromatic plant used in traditional medicine and the subject of many studies. In this study, the phytochemical compound and mineral profile of the ethanol extract of the plant were identified quantitatively. Antioxidant properties were determined by total phenolic and flavonoid content, FRAP, DPPH, CUPRAC, ABTS, metal chelating, and phosphomolybdenum assays. Antidiabetic, anticholinergic, and skin care properties were specified by the inhibition of tyrosinase, α-glucosidase, α-amylase, BChE, AChE enzymes, respectively. In addition, binding interactions of major phytochemicals with all enzymes were investigated by molecular docking studies. The phytochemical compound of the extract contained significant bioactive components such as acacetin, gentisic acid, p-coumaric acid, quinic acid, rutin, apigenin, chrysin, while the mineral profile was rich in salt elements. AChE, BChE, tyrosinase, α-amylase, and α-glycosidase enzyme inhibitor results were determined as 2.99 mg GALAE/g, 4.14 mg GALAE/g, 35.8 mg KAE/g, 2.76 mmol ACAE/g, and 1.20 mmol ACAE/g, respectively. As a result, it was identified that it had antioxidant properties and strongly inhibited all enzymes except tyrosinase. The docking scores of major bioactive phytochemicals were found to be high. Thus, it was revealed that P. harmala has an important potential in drug research and treatment of some diseases.

The leading cause of death worldwide is cancer. Several studies suggest phenolic acids and metformin as potential cancer treatment options because of their biological and therapeutic properties. So, we synthesized some novel metformin-phenolic acid conjugates. We used an acid-base neutralization method to extract the metformin-free base. N, N`-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC)-4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) coupling of phenolic/aromatic acids (benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, para-hydroxybenzoic acid, para coumaric acid, protocatechuic acid, salicylic acid, and vanillic acid) with metformin was performed to produce metformin phenolic acid conjugates (M1-M10). We evaluated the structures using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, FT-IR, and MS. All newly synthesized metformin phenolic acid conjugates were evaluated for their in vitro anti-cancer activity. Metformin phenolic acid conjugates were synthesized and showed a range of inhibitory effects. The metformin-caffeic acid conjugate [(E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-N-(N,N-dimethylcarbamimidoyl)carbamimidoyl)acrylamide] (M3) (IC50: 5.47±2.72 μg/ml and 4.42±2.15 μg/ml) showed the best anticancer activity against MDA-MB-468 and A549 cancer cell lines.

Zygophyllaceae R.Br. is a family with a high level of variability in plasticity that results in many conflicts about its taxa ranking and authenticating processes. Five selected Egyptian species belonging to genera, Fagonia, Tribulus, and Zygophyllum were applied for a comparative chemical and molecular study to assess their range of variations. The plants were evaluated for their DPPH radical scavenging activity. LC-ESI-MS/MS profiling of the aqueous methanol extracts of the investigated plants and GNPS molecular networking tentatively identified 174 compounds belonging to various chemical classes. Flavonoids are predominant, and myricetin derivatives were reported for the first time from Fagonia glutinosa. Diethyl ether extracts analysis with GC/FID detected 10 unsaturated and 13 saturated fatty acids. T. terrestris possessed the largest concentration of unsaturated fatty acids (up to 76.39%) whereas Z. simplex had the highest concentration of the saturated ones (76.82%). DNA fingerprinting was performed using ISSR markers and variations with 75.32% polymorphism were detected. Chemical and molecular data suggest the distinction of Tribulus sp. from the other studied taxa and grouping Fagonia close to Zygophyllum. Moreover, the DPPH assay showed weak to moderate radical scavenging activity at 500 µg/ml with cell viability ranging from 63.5% to 90.1%.

Dysregulated activation of the interleukin-21 (IL-21)/IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) signaling pathway is strongly associated with inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, which positions the pathway as a promising therapeutic target. Given the current lack of approved inhibitors or monoclonal antibodies targeting IL-21/IL-21R, we employed a structure-based virtual screening strategy coupled with experimental validation to identify potential IL-21 antagonists from a library of marine natural products provided by TargetMol. Our investigation identified fucoxanthin, a marine-derived carotenoid, as a potent binder to IL-21R, exhibiting a docking score of -8.19 kcal/mol. Molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed the stability of the IL-21R-fucoxanthin complex, with a calculated binding free energy (ΔG) of -33.25 kcal/mol as determined by MM/PBSA analysis. Importantly, fucoxanthin demonstrated significant immunomodulatory effects by reducing the frequency of key immune cell populations, including CD19+ B cells, memory B cells, and activated follicular helper CD4+ T (Tfh) cells in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro. These findings suggest that fucoxanthin acts as a potential IL-21 antagonist, offering a novel therapeutic avenue for autoimmune diseases driven by aberrant B and T cell differentiation via the IL-21/IL-21R axis.

Hosta plantaginea flower is an important Chinese herb in treating chronic pharyngitis (CP); however, its pharmacodynamics against CP and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study demonstrated that the ethyl acetate (HPB) and n-butanol (HPC) fractions of the H. plantaginea flower were identified as the active fractions against CP, significantly increasing the body weight, improving damaged pharyngeal tissues, and reducing TNF-α, PGE2, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels in rats induced by 5% ammonia solution. Metabolomics studies identified 55 differential metabolites, with 26 being reversely regulated by HPB and HPC. These 26 metabolites are closely associated with phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt), just another kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathways. Mechanically, HPB and HPC prominently suppressed the expression of phosphorylated PI3K, Akt1, JAK1, STAT3, JNK, p38, Erk, p65, and inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBα) proteins. Finally, HPLC analysis identified flavonoids as the primary phytochemicals of HPB and HPC. In conclusion, HPB and HPC are the main active fractions of H. plantaginea flower against CP, acting through regulating energy metabolism and inhibiting PI3K-Akt, JAK-STAT, MAPKs, and NF-κB signaling pathways, and the flavonoids are the primary constituents.

Cover Feature. Global transcriptional regulators of microorganisms play a key role in gene expression responsible for biosynthesis of various secondary metabolites. In article number e202402704, Huawei Zhang, Xuelian Bai, and co-workers report overexpression of the global transcriptional regulator LaeA in a marine sponge-derived fungus Aspergillus niger L14 led to the isolation of previously undiscovered bioactive cyclolipopeptides in the wild-type strain. Gene expression of polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase (PKS/NRPS) hybrids and amino acid metabolism had been greatly enhanced in the mutant L14-OE::LaeA2, demonstrating overexpression of LaeA is an effective approach to awaken cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for production of cyclolipopeptides.