Structural determination of two new triterpenoids from Potentilla discolor Bunge by NMR techniques

Biotransformation of Betulonic Acid by the Fungus Rhizopus arrhizus CGMCC 3.868 and Antineuroinflammatory Activity of the Biotransformation Products

Biotransformation of betulonic acid (1) by Rhizopus arrhizus CGMCC 3.868 resulted in the production of 16 new (3, 5, 6, and 9-21) and five known compounds. Structures of the new compounds were established by analysis of spectroscopic data. Hydroxylation, acetylation, oxygenation, glycosylation, and addition reactions involved the C-20-C-29 double bond. Antineuroinflammatory activities of the obtained compounds in NO production were tested in lipopolysaccharides-induced BV-2 cells. Compared with the substrate betulonic acid, biotransformation products 3, 8, 9, 14, and 21 exhibited an improved inhibitory effect, with IC₅₀ values of 10.26, 11.09, 5.38, 1.55, and 4.69 μM, lower than that of the positive control, N^G-monomethyl-l-arginine.

Network pharmacology-based analysis on bioactive anti-diabetic compounds in Potentilla discolor bunge

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Potentilla discolor Bunge (PDB) is a commonly used herbal for alleviating diabetes mellitus and its complications. Although accumulating evidences show the anti-diabetic efficacy of PDB, the vital anti-diabetic compounds and their functional targets remain elusive.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To investigate the anti-diabetic ingredients and their functional mechanisms in PDB, gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry analysis was performed on PDB extract and 21 were testified as anti-diabetic compounds.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Subsequently their potential protein targets were also identified. The bioinformatics analysis was implemented by network pharmacology-based approaches. STRING analysis was performed to reveal enrichment of these target proteins, protein-protein interactions, pathways and related diseases. Cytoscape was used to determine the potential protein targets for these components in PDB, indicating that 21 anti-diabetic compounds in PDB regulate 33 diabetes-related proteins in 28 signal pathways and involve 21 kinds of diabetes-related diseases. Among the 21 potential anti-diabetic components predicted by network analysis, tricetin was firstly experimentally validated at the molecular and cellular level.

RESULTS

Results indicated that this active small-molecule compound may have beneficial effects on improving glucose uptake.

CONCLUSIONS

We envisage that network analysis will be useful in screening bioactive compounds of medicinal plants.

Three new C-27-carboxylated-lupane-triterpenoid derivatives from Potentilla discolor Bunge and their in vitro antitumor activities

Three new lupane-triterpenoids (1-3) along with six known compounds (4-9) were isolated from the ethanolic extract of whole plant of Potentilla discolor Bunge. The structures of Compounds 1-3 were established by extensive 1D and 2D NMR together with other spectrum analysis, indicating that their C-27 positions were highly oxygenated, which were rarely found in nature. Their in vitro anti-proliferative activities against HepG-2, MCF-7 and T-84 cell lines were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and the results showed different activities for three cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 17.84 to 40.64 μM. In addition, the results from Hoechst 33258 and AO/EB staining as well as annexinV-FITC assays exhibited Compound 1 caused a markedly increased HepG-2 cellular apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The further mechanisms of Compound 1-induced cellular apoptosis were confirmed that 1 induced the production of ROS and the alteration of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, which led to the dysfunction of mitochondria and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 and finally caused cellular apoptosis. These results would be useful in search for new potential antitumor agents and for developing semisynthetic lupane-triterpenoid derivatives with high antitumor activity.

Quality evaluation of Potentilla discolor by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry

INTRODUCTION

The whole herb of Potentilla discolor has long been used for treatment of diarrhoea, malaria, haemoptysis and haematemesis in clinical applications. However, until now, there has been no literature regarding to the quality control of it.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a simple and accurate HPLC-DAD (diode array detection)-ESI/MS(n) (electrospray ionisation multistage mass spectrometry) method for the identification of constituents in P. discolor and simultaneous quantification of its marker compounds.

METHODOLOGY

Separations were performed on a Shimpack C₁₈ column by gradient elution using acetonitrile:0.1% formic acid. The identification of constituents in P. discolor were achieved by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS(n) while six flavonoids and five triterpenoids were determined by HPLC-DAD at 360 and 210 nm, repectively.

RESULTS

A total of 23 compounds including 13 flavonoids and 10 triterpenoids were identified or tentatively characterised. A quantitative HPLC-DAD method allowing the simultaneously quantification of 11 marker compounds was optimised and validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, and limits of detection and quantification. The method was successfully applied to the quantification of 11 marker compounds in 10 samples of P. discolor collected from different provinces of China.

CONCLUSION

This developed method was validated as simple, precise and accurate, and could be used for effectively and comprehensibly evaluating the quality of P. discolor.

Triterpenoids

This review covers the isolation and structure determination of triterpenoids including squalene derivatives, protostanes, lanostanes, holostanes, cycloartanes, dammaranes, euphanes, tirucallanes, tetranortriterpenoids, lupanes, oleananes, friedelanes, ursanes, hopanes, isomalabaricanes and saponins; 574 references are cited.

Potentilla--a review of its phytochemical and pharmacological profile

The genus Potentilla is a member of the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, which is mainly distributed in temperate, arctic and Alpine zones of the Northern hemisphere. This genus has been known since ancient times for its curative properties. Extracts of the aerial and/or underground parts have been applied in traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammations, wounds, certain forms of cancer, infections due to bacteria, fungi and viruses, diarrhoea, diabetes mellitus and other ailments. This comprehensive review provides a botanical description of Potentilla species and their phytochemical constituents in the aerial and underground parts. In vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies are reviewed and discussed, focussing on antidiarrhoic, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-neoplastic, antiviral and antimicrobial, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, hepatoprotective and antioxidative activities of Potentilla species. Most of the pharmacological effects can be explained by the high amount of tannins and to a lesser extent by triterpenes, present in all plant parts. However, future efforts should concentrate more on in vitro and in vivo studies and also on clinical trials in order to confirm traditional wisdom in the light of a rational phytotherapy. Especially the efficacy of Potentilla erecta rhizome extracts in the treatment of colitis ulcerosa and of viral infections should be further substantiated in clinical studies.