Comprehensive identification of Vitex trifolia fruit and its five adulterants by comparison of micromorphological, microscopic characteristics, and chemical profiles

Molecular identification and studies on genetic diversity and structure-related GC heterogeneity of Spatholobus Suberectus based on ITS2

To determine the role of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) in the identification of Spatholobus suberectus and explore the genetic diversity of S. suberectus. A total of 292 ITS2s from S. suberectus and 17 other plant species were analysed. S. suberectus was clustered separately in the phylogenetic tree. The genetic distance between species was greater than that within S. suberectus. Synonymous substitution rate (Ks) analysis revealed that ITS2 diverged the most recently within S. suberectus (Ks = 0.0022). These findings suggested that ITS2 is suitable for the identification of S. suberectus. The ITS2s were divided into 8 haplotypes and 4 evolutionary branches on the basis of secondary structure, indicating that there was variation within S. suberectus. Evolutionary analysis revealed that the GC content of paired regions (pGC) was greater than that of unpaired regions (upGC), and the pGC showed a decreasing trend, whereas the upGC remained unchanged. Single-base mutation was the main cause of base pair substitution. In both the initial state and the equilibrium state, the substitution rate of GC was higher than that of AU. The increase in the GC content was partly attributed to GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC). High GC content reflected the high recombination and mutation rates of ITS2, which is the basis for species identification and genetic diversity. We characterized the sequence and structural characteristics of S. suberectus ITS2 in detail, providing a reference and basis for the identification of S. suberectus and its products, as well as the protection and utilization of wild resources.

A comprehensive review of ethnomedicinal approaches, phytochemical analysis, and pharmacological potential of Vitex trifolia L

Plants, renowned for their rich reservoir of metabolites, play a pivotal role in addressing health-related issues. The Verbenaceae family stands out, showcasing immense potential in preventing and treating chronic diseases. Vitex trifolia L. (V. trifolia), a shrub with a rich history in traditional medicine, particularly in Eastern Asia, has garnered attention for its diverse therapeutic applications. This comprehensive review aims to bridge traditional knowledge and contemporary insights by investigating ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological effects of V. trifolia. The keyword "V. trifolia" and its synonyms were searched within the main scientific databases including PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Baidu Scholar (from 1974 to 2022, last search: 21.10.2023). Phytochemical analyses reveal a spectrum of secondary metabolites in V. trifolia, including terpenoids, flavonoids, lignans, phytosterols, anthraquinones, and fatty acids. Notably, terpenoids and flavonoids emerge as the main bioactive metabolites. Pharmacological studies validate its therapeutic potential, demonstrating significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anticancer, anti-amnesic, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-malaria, antispasmodic activities, and reported insecticidal effects. Despite existing literature exploring pharmacological attributes and secondary metabolites of related species, a conspicuous gap exists, specifically focusing on the pharmacological activities and novel methods of purification of pure metabolites from V. trifolia. This review aimed to fill this gap by delving into traditional medicinal applications, exploring secondary metabolites comprehensively, and providing an in-depth analysis of pharmacological effects of pure metabolites. Combining traditional uses with contemporary pharmacological insights, this article sought to serve as a crucial reference for future research and practical application of V. trifolia. This approach contributes substantially to understanding the plant, fostering scientific inquiry, and facilitating its broader application in healthcare.

Simultaneous quantitative analysis of 11 constituents in Viticis Fructus by HPLC-HRMS and HPLC-DAD combined with chemometric methods

INTRODUCTION

Viticis Fructus is the dried ripe fruit of Vitex trifolia L. (VTF) or V. trifolia subsp. litoralis Steenis (VTLF). Different botanical sources of the same herbal medicines may have different clinical efficacies, but few studies have reported the comparative identification of VTF and VTLF.

OBJECTIVES

To establish a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the simultaneous assay of 11 constituents in Viticis Fructus, to compare the chemical compositions of VTF and VTLF, and to identify chemical markers for the discrimination and quality evaluation of the two botanical origins of Viticis Fructus.

METHODOLOGY

An HPLC-diode array detection (DAD)-high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) method was developed for the simultaneous separation and quantification of 11 constituents in 21 batches of Viticis Fructus samples from different sources in China. Moreover, chemometrics were performed to compare and discriminate VTF and VTLF samples.

RESULTS

The results from 11 batches of VTF and 10 batches of VTLF were compared for 11 components, of which 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were identified and quantified in Viticis Fructus for the first time. The quantitative analysis showed significantly higher chlorogenic acid and casticin contents in VTLF than in VTF, and the chemometric analysis indicated that chlorogenic acid and casticin were responsible for the significant differences between VTF and VTLF; these two compounds might be used as chemical markers to distinguish the two original plant sources of Viticis Fructus.

CONCLUSIONS

The present work provides useful information for understanding the chemical differences between VTF and VTLF. This work also provides feasible methods for the quality evaluation and discrimination of herbal medicines originating from multiple botanical sources.

The Anticancer Mechanisms of Scutellaria barbata against Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective. Scutellaria barbata (S. barbata) is a Chinese traditional medicinal crop with anti-inflammatory as well as anticancer properties. To explore the anticancer mechanisms of functional monomers of S. barbata against lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), a network pharmacology approach and molecular docking were utilized. Methods. The expression profile of genes encoding functional monomer components in S. barbata was obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology platform (TCMSP) database. Expression data of LUSC-related genes were acquired from DisGeNET, GeneCards, OMIM, DrugBank, and TTD databases. The target genes of S. barbata that confer anticancer effects against LUSC were obtained by considering the intersecting genes between S. barbata target genes and LUSC-related genes. The potential regulatory pathways enriched in these intersected genes were identified using the KOBAS database, and Gene Ontology (GO) function enrichment analysis was performed using the online tool DAVID. The relationship network of S. barbata functional monomer components-action targets-disease-pathways was established using Cytoscape 3.8.2, and the protein-protein interaction network of those intersected genes was established using the STRING database. Finally, the hub genes were screened by using CytoNCA, a plug-in of Cytoscape, and hub gene expressions in LUSC were evaluated via the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. AutoDockTools and PyMOL software were employed to verify the molecular docking on disease target proteins and drug functional molecules. Results. In S. barbata, 104 target genes and 20 hub genes encoding functional components against LUSC were screened out, six of which were significantly differentially expressed between LUSC samples and normal tissue samples in the GEPIA database. Here, GO analysis illustrated the involvement of these genes in the signal transduction and positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter and negative regulation of apoptosis, while KEGG pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that these genes were mainly involved in several pathways, for instance, AGE-RAGE, PI3K-Akt, p53, and MAPK signaling pathway. There are four main functional components docking with six key target proteins, all of which have strong binding activity. Conclusions. We predicted the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways of genes encoding functional components in S. barbata against LUSC. These discoveries offer novel understanding for further study, laying a scientific foundation for the production of synthetic monomer components of S. barbata.