Chemistry & Biodiversity最新文献

The genus Schinus L. includes plants used in folk medicine with important pharmacological effects. However, little is known about Schinus weinmanniifolia Mart. ex Engl. This study evaluated the antioxidant, photoprotective, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of its ethanolic extracts and identified bioactive compounds. Phytochemical analysis confirmed saponins, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins in leaves, stems, and roots extracts. Syringic acid, epicatechin, and rutin were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. The leaves extract showed the lowest IC₅₀ in the DPPH method, and all extracts effectively scavenged ABTS radicals, outperforming BHT. All extracts demonstrated sun protection and antimicrobial action against Gram-positive bacteria and yeasts but lacked antiprotozoal activity. They showed no hemolytic potential or cytotoxicity in Vero cells at active concentrations. These findings highlight S. weinmanniifolia as a promising focus for future investigations aimed at further exploring its bioactive properties.

A deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based three-phase partitioning (TPP) was developed for efficient and green extraction of Bombax ceiba flower polysaccharide (BCFP). DES-1 (lauric acid and decanoic acid) was chosen as the optimal solvent. The extraction yield of BCFP reached 13.53% under optimal conditions: 5% (w/v) mass fraction of (NH₄)₂SO₄, 25:1 (v/w) of DES-1 to crude powder, Lauric acid to decanoic acid ratio of 1:1, 10 min and 40°C. The main monosaccharides of BCFP included mannose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid (GluA), galacturonic acid (GalA), glucose, xylose, galactose, and arabinose. The obtained BCFP was characterized as acidic heteropolysaccharide with an average molecular weight of 2.15 kDa, composed of galactose, arabinose, mannose, glucose, galacturonic acid (GalA), rhamnose, xylose, and glucuronic acid (GluA). In a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mouse model, BCFP administration significantly attenuated DSS-induced disease activity index (DAI), body weight loss, colon shortening, spleen coefficient decreasing and histological changes. Moreover, BCFP suppressed inflammatory cytokine levels, reduced oxidative stress, and restored intestinal barrier function by enhancing mucus secretion and tight junction protein expression. This study provides an economical and environmentally friendly separation of bioactive polysaccharides from B. ceiba flower, which has potential for functional food and pharmaceutical applications in colitis management.

Thirteen species of Iphiona are distributed in Asia and Africa. Though Iphiona plants have a history of usage among local people, the research on their phytochemistry or biological activity has been limited to some studies in recent years. This review aimed to collect the present data about Iphiona species and introduce these plants as interesting candidates for future studies. The published studies up to March 2025 were collected from Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The keywords included: Iphiona AND ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, traditional medicine, natural molecule, food, pharmacology, phytochemistry, compounds, biological activity, therapeutic potential, natural medicine, mechanism of action, phytochemicals, secondary metabolites, primary metabolites, alkaloid, flavonoid, terpenoid, polyphenol, monoterpene, sesquiterpene, essential oil, steroid, resin, gum, polysaccharide, oil, protein, mineral, vitamin, fatty acid, supplement, nutrition, meta-analysis, clinical trial, toxicity, and side effects. The evaluated studies revealed the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, chlorogenic acid derivatives and phyosterols as the most dominant constituents found in the plants. Antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, and α-amylase inhibitory activity have been reported from the plants of Iphiona genus. This review suggests Iphiona as an important, interesting, novel genus, yet to be explored for secondary metabolites and biological activities.

Dried daylily flower buds, rich in polyphenols, are an edible vegetable renowned for their nutritional and health benefits. This study employed Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model organism to investigate the protective effects of the ethyl acetate fraction from the ethanol extract of Hemerocallis citrina (HC-EA) against amyloid-beta (Aβ) toxicity and elucidate its underlying mechanisms The results demonstrated that HC-EA significantly alleviated Aβ-induced paralysis and extended lifespan in C. elegans, while exhibiting no observable toxicity at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1 mg/mL. Mechanistically, HC-EA reduced Aβ transcription and protein levels, decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and enhanced glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and proteasome activities in Alzheimer's disease (AD) C. elegans models. Furthermore, HC-EA upregulated the expression of antioxidant-related genes (gst-4, skn-1) and proteasome subunit genes (rpt-3, pbs-1, pbs-2, pbs-5), and conferred resistance to paraquat-induced oxidative stress via the SKN-1 pathway in wild-type nematodes. Notably, the proteasome inhibitor MG132 partially reversed HC-EA's anti-paralysis effect, suggesting that its action depends on proteasome activation and SKN-1-mediated oxidative stress mitigation. Collectively, HC-EA may attenuate Aβ toxicity by enhancing proteasome activity and antioxidant pathways, offering a potential protective effect against Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Pholiota gallica is a rarely documented macrofungus, and little is known about its chemical composition and biological potential. This study provides an integrated morphological, molecular, and chemical characterization of P. gallica collected from Constantine, Algeria, along with phylogenetic analysis and an in silico evaluation of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Macroscopic observations revealed caps 3-8 cm in diameter, initially viscid, with adnate to slightly emarginate gills and rust-brown spore prints. Molecular analysis based on ITS rDNA confirmed the specimens as P. gallica, forming a well-supported clade with reference strains and clearly separated from closely related species. Chemical profiling showed a predominance of esters and terpenes, with 2,2,4-trimethylpentanediol-1,3-diisobutyrate (31.7%), 3-methylapopinene (19.2%), and 2,9-dimethyldecane (14.5%) as major components. The fatty acid profile was rich in unsaturated acids, particularly linoleic acid (44.8%) and oleic acid (33.1%), known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Molecular docking studies demonstrated strong binding interactions of these compounds with XO, MPO, 5-LOX, COX-2, and iNOS, suggesting their contribution to the bioactivity of P. gallica. These findings provide a solid foundation for future experimental studies and highlight the pharmacological potential of this macrofungus.

Stress burdens the activities of individuals and negatively impacts their overall well-being, highlighting the urgent need to explore effective remedies. Since the discovery of the first antimalarial drug from Artemisia annua, this plant has been recognized for its remarkable pharmacological activities, such as antibacterial, anticancer, anti-obesity, and antidiabetic, among others. Herein, we investigated the phytochemical profiling and anti-stress potential of A. annua using a mouse model. First, the crude extracts of A. annua (ArAn-Crd) were subjected to HPLC and GC-MS analyses, which revealed the presence of complex phytochemicals. According to results of the preliminary pharmacological assessment and acute toxicity study, doses of 125 and 250 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) were selected to be effective doses for pharmacological activities. Subsequently, the anti-stress and antidepressant properties were assessed using chemical-induced stress, swimming endurance, and restraint stress models. In the chemical-induced stress model, ArAn-Crd at 250 mg reduced writhing by 71.14%, comparable to diazepam with 76.11% activity. In the swimming endurance test, the 250 mg dose significantly decreased immobility time to 81.65 ± 2.98 s on Day 28, compared to 207.67 ± 3.33 s in the control group. The restraint stress model revealed that ArAn-Crd reduced blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels, while also modulating oxidative stress biomarkers, such as TBARS, GSH, and catalase. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that A. annua exhibits good anti-stress and antidepressant activities due to its rich phytochemical profile, and possibly these phytochemicals mitigate the stress by an antioxidant mechanism.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Its clinical manifestations are mainly cognitive and memory disorders, and its incidence rate and mortality are increasing year by year. Chitosan oligosaccharides (COS), also known as β-1,4-oligoglucosamine, are natural alkaline polysaccharides and the only positively charged ones in nature. Due to its low molecular weight, good water solubility, and excellent biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and biodegradability, in recent years, it has received increasing attention from domestic and foreign researchers and enterprises. COS is of great significance in the prevention and treatment of AD; the main mechanisms of action include inhibiting acetylcholinesterase and beta-secretase activity, preventing abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein, chelating copper ions, protecting neuronal cells, and exhibiting antioxidant effects. This review primarily combines the latest research results, both domestic and international, to summarize and analyze the anti-AD effects and possible mechanisms of COS, aiming to provide the theoretical basis and the reference for the in-depth study of COS in the fields of biomedicine and functional foods and for its wider application in the fields of medicine and health food.

Baccharis glaziovii Baker, known as carqueja-arbustinho, is a native Brazilian plant characterized by its three-winged stems. This study investigated the chemical profile and biological potential of hydroalcoholic extracts and fractions from male and female specimens. Chemical characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry indicated a phenolic profile, with the flavonoid apigenin identified in the dichloromethane fraction of both extracts. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by the inhibition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) denaturation, with the female and male extracts showing inhibition of 64.1% and 62.2%, respectively, compared to 84.3% for sodium diclofenac. The highest effect was observed at 400 µg mL^-1. Regarding antioxidant potential, the DPPH assay indicated values near 126 µg TE/mg, while the phosphomolybdenum test showed capacities of up to 183.8%. The dichloromethane fractions stood out for their extremely high total phenolic content, reaching 1540.1 mg GAE/g in the male and 1474.2 mg GAE/g in the female. These results provide evidence that the species possesses robust antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, without critical disparities between the plant genus. Such findings position B. glaziovii as a promising candidate for the development of phytotherapeutic formulations, reinforcing the need for additional studies to isolate its bioactive compounds.

The investigation examined the protective potential of aqueous extract of Morinda lucida leaf (ML) on aluminium chloride (AlCl₃)-mediated testicular damage in rats (male) and determined if its secondary metabolites could modulate proteins linked with erectile dysfunction. Rats in the treatment groups were administered 30 mg/kg bw AlCl₃, with doses of 125 mg/kg bw and 250 mg/kg bw of the plant extract. Phytocompounds identified in the plant were also screened for potential phosphodiesterase-5 and arginase inhibitor molecules. After 21 days of treatment, sperm count in the animal group treated with only AlCl₃ decreased significantly, though with no effect on sperm motility. Administration of ML improved sperm morphology in the extract-treated group compared to the untreated group. Moreover, the leaf extract reversed the elevated myeloperoxidase activity, IL-6, TNF-α, and nitrite concentration observed in the untreated group to near control levels in the plant treatment groups. Molecular docking analysis showed that stigmasterol (-10.2 kcal/mol) and oruwacin (-8.2 kcal/mol) had the best respective binding energies against the phosphodiesterase-5 and arginase proteins. The 300 ns dynamics simulation further revealed the compounds' good stability at the enzymes' active sites. Further experiments will be required to determine the potential alternative therapeutic interventions of the plant in preserving male fertility.

In this study, ultrasound-assisted and maceration extractions, phytochemical profiling, and computational modeling were used to investigate the inhibitory potential of its metabolites against NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) and experimentally validate the antioxidant capacity of leaves, flowers, stems and roots of Thymus algeriensis. The phytochemical profile was characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD), identifying 10 major bioactive constituents in all extracts. The leaf extract exhibited significant antioxidant activity (DPPH: IC₅₀ = 165.96 µg/mL; ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP] = 1.045 µM BHT/g DW). To decipher the molecular interactions with the CPR enzyme, a rigorous in silico workflow was applied, utilizing deep learning-based molecular docking (GNINA 1.3) followed by duplicate 50 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A refined MM/PBSA binding free energy analysis, focused on the thermodynamic equilibrium plateau (30-50 ns), revealed distinct binding strategies. Indeed, the glycosylated flavonoid rutin acted as a potent structural anchor (ΔH ≈ -19.6 kcal/mol), leveraging an extensive eight-residue contact footprint to rigidify the protein backbone, whereas the aglycone (+)-catechin exhibited a "lock-and-key" binding mode characterized by thermodynamic efficiency (ΔG ≈ -3.6 kcal/mol) and a minimal entropic penalty. These findings provide structural evidence that T. algeriensis metabolites can target CPR via complementary enthalpic and entropic mechanisms, highlighting the dual bioactivity of the species and suggesting these flavonoids as promising bioactive scaffolds.