Rapid determination of protopine, allocryptopine, sanguinarine and chelerythrine in fruits of Macleaya cordata by microwave-assisted solvent extraction and HPLC-ESI/MS

Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) modulators: Recent update and future perspective

The transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel is a non-selective cation channel that senses irritant chemicals. Its activation is closely associated with pain, inflammation, and pruritus. TRPA1 antagonists are promising treatments for these diseases, and there has been a recent upsurge in their application to new areas such as cancer, asthma, and Alzheimer's disease. However, due to the generally disappointing performance of TRPA1 antagonists in clinical studies, scientists must pursue the development of antagonists with higher selectivity, metabolic stability, and solubility. Moreover, TRPA1 agonists provide a deeper understanding of activation mechanisms and aid in antagonist screening. Therefore, we summarize the TRPA1 antagonists and agonists developed in recent years, with a particular focus on structure-activity relationships (SARs) and pharmacological activity. In this perspective, we endeavor to keep abreast of cutting-edge ideas and provide inspiration for the development of more effective TRPA1-modulating drugs.

Sanguinarine Exhibits Antiviral Activity against Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus via Multisite Inhibition Mechanisms

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), the etiological agent of PRRS, is prevalent worldwide, causing substantial and immense economic losses to the global swine industry. While current commercial vaccines fail to efficiently control PRRS, the development of safe and effective antiviral drugs against PRRSV is urgently required. Alkaloids are natural products with wide pharmacological and biological activities. Herein, sanguinarine, a benzophenanthridine alkaloid that occurs in many plants such as Macleaya cordata, was demonstrated as a potent antagonist of PRRSV. Sanguinarine attenuated PRRSV proliferation by targeting the internalization, replication, and release stages of the viral life cycle. Furthermore, ALB, AR, MAPK8, MAPK14, IGF1, GSK3B, PTGS2, and NOS2 were found as potential key targets related to the anti-PRRSV effect of sanguinarine as revealed by network pharmacology and molecular docking. Significantly, we demonstrated that the combination of sanguinarine with chelerythrine, another key bioactive alkaloid derived from Macleaya cordata, improved the antiviral activity. In summary, our findings reveal the promising potential of sanguinarine as a novel candidate for the development of anti-PRRSV agents.

Sanguinarine is an agonist of TRPA1 channel

Sanguinarine, a benzyl isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from the root of Papaveraceae plants, shows extensive pharmacological activities including anti-microbial, anti-trypanosoma, anti-tumor, anti-platelet, anti-hypertensive effects, as well as inhibition of osteoclast formation. Here we demonstrate that TRPA1 channel (Transient receptor potential cation channel, member A1) is a potential target for sanguinarine. Electrophysiological recordings show that sanguinarine activates TRPA1 channel potently with an EC50 0.09 (0.04-0.13) μM, but has no effects on other examined TRP channels. Sanguinarine increases the intracellular calcium levels and upregulates the excitability of mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in vitro significantly. Plantar injection of sanguinarine evokes nociceptive behaviors similar to that elicited by allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a classic agonist of TRPA1. Both the enhancement of excitability of DRG neurons and the nociceptive behaviors can be attenuated by treatment of TRPA1 channel antagonist HC030031 or knockout of trpa1 gene. Taken together, our data demonstrate that sanguinarine is a potent and relatively selective agonist of TRPA1 channel.

Synthesis and characterization of core-shell magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for selective extraction of allocryptopine from the wastewater of Macleaya cordata (Willd) R. Br

A novel type of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIP) as the solid-phase extraction sorbent was prepared, which can extract effectively the allocryptopine from the waster of Macleaya cordata (Willd) R. Br. In this study, MMIP was synthesized by using Fe₃ O₄ @SiO₂ , 4-vinyl-pyridine, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and allocryptopine, and these ingredients worked as magnetic core, functional monomer, cross-linker, and template, respectively. Concluded by the calculation of Gaussian 09 software, different ratio models of 4-vinyl-pyridine and allocryptopine were simulated, and the optimal ratio was 1:5 and the energy was -2205.34 kJ/mol. Transmission electron microscopy, vibration sample magnetometry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to determine the morphology and structure of MMIP. Furthermore, the results of adsorption experiments indicated that MMIP had high selectivity, excellent recyclability, and good adsorption performance (9.86 mg/g, 298 K). The adsorption process was consistent with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm (R² > 0.98, 298 K) and pseudo-second-order kinetics model (R² > 0.99, 298 K). After six times adsorption-desorption experiments, the adsorption amount of MMIP only reduced to 8.5%. In the experiments of selective adsorption, MMIP has better adsorption properties for allocryptopine (ALL, C₂₁ H₂₃ NO₅ ) than those having the same functional group. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.4 μg/mL. The relative standard deviation ranged from 0.09% to 0.72%. The recovery of allocryptopine in samples ranged from 93.60% to 106.19%. In addition, the synthesized complex had a certain adsorption effect on allocryptopine separating from the wastewater of Macleaya cordata (Willd) R. Br.

Alkaloids Profiling of Fumaria capreolata by Analytical Platforms Based on the Hyphenation of Gas Chromatography and Liquid Chromatography with Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Two analytical platforms, gas chromatography (GC) coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and reversed-phase ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to diode array (DAD) and QTOF detection, were applied in order to study the alkaloid profile of Fumaria capreolata. The use of these mass analyzers enabled tentatively identifying the alkaloids by matching their accurate mass signals and suggested molecular formulae with those previously reported in libraries and databases. Moreover, the proposed structures were corroborated by studying their fragmentation pattern obtained by both platforms. In this way, 8 and 26 isoquinoline alkaloids were characterized using GC-QTOF-MS and RP-UHPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS, respectively, and they belonged to the following subclasses: protoberberine, protopine, aporphine, benzophenanthridine, spirobenzylisoquinoline, morphinandienone, and benzylisoquinoline. Moreover, the latter analytical method was selected to determine at 280 nm the concentration of protopine (9.6 ± 0.7 mg/g), a potential active compound of the extract. In conclusion, although GC-MS has been commonly used for the analysis of this type of phytochemicals, RP-UHPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS provided essential complementary information. This analytical method can be applied for the quality control of phytopharmaceuticals containing Fumaria extracts currently found in the market.

Comparative study on alkaloids and their anti-proliferative activities from three Zanthoxylum species

Background

Alkaloids have been considered as the most promising bioactive ingredients in plant species from the genus Zanthoxylum. This study reports on the compositions and contents of the Zanthoxylum alkaloids (ZAs) from three Zanthoxylum species, and their potential anti-proliferation activities.

Methods

An HPLC-UV/ESI-MS/MS method was established and employed to analyze the alkaloids in different Zanthoxylum extracts. The common and unique peaks and their relative contents were summarized and compared to evaluate the similarity and dissimilarity of the three Zanthoxylum species. Meanwhile, inhibitory activity tests to four carcinoma cell lines, i.e., stomach tumor cells (SGC-7901), cervical tumor cells (Hela), colon tumor cells (HT-29) and Hepatic tumor cells (Hep G2), were carried out in vitro to evaluate the bioactivities of the ZAs.

Results

Seventy peaks were detected in the crude total alkaloid samples, and 58 of them were identified. As a result, 13 common peaks were found in the extracts of all the three Zanthoxylum species, while some unique peaks were also observed in specific species, with 17 peaks in Z. simulans, 15 peaks in Z. ailanthoides and 11 peaks in Z. chalybeum, respectively. The comparison of the composition and relative contents indicated that alkaloids of benzophenanthridine type commonly present in all the three Zanthoxylum species with high relative contents among the others, which are 60.52% in Z. ailanthoides, 30.52% in Z. simulans and 13.84% in Z. chalybeum, respectively. In terms of activity test, Most of the crude alkaloids extracts showed remarkable inhibitory activities against various tumor cells, and the inhibitory rates ranged from 60.71 to 93.63% at a concentration of 200 μg/mL. However, SGC-7901 cells seemed to be more sensitive to the ZAs than the other three cancer cells.

Conclusion

The alkaloid profiles detected in this work revealed significant differences in both structures and contents among Zanthoxylum species. The inhibitory rates for different cancer cells in this study indicated that the potential anti-cancer activity should be attributed to quaternary alkaloids in these three species, which will provide great guidance for further exploring this traditional medicinal resource as new healthcare products.

Alkaloids from the tribe Bocconieae (papaveraceae): a chemical and biological review

The Bocconieae tribe, consisting of only the genera Macleaya and Bocconia, possesses significant economic and medicinal value and plays an important role in health management for people in developing countries. During the past decades, research on metabolites and relative pharmacology, including the isolation and identification of a variety of molecules, has shed light on the tribe. Among those molecules, isoquinoline alkaloids, and their antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activities are especially noteworthy. This paper presents a comprehensive compilation of current research progress, with emphasis on the alkaloids and their distribution, phytochemical and pharmacological investigation, toxicity and side effects, related chemotaxonomy and future use prospects, and hopefully provides a valuable reference as an effort to promote further exploration and application of this tribe.

Sanguinarine inhibits invasiveness and the MMP-9 and COX-2 expression in TPA-induced breast cancer cells by inducing HO-1 expression

Most complications of breast cancer are attributed to metastasis to distant organs, including lymph nodes, bone, lung and liver. Metastasis is considered the leading cause of mortality in patients with breast cancer. The emergence of anti-metastatic properties in breast cancer is an important clinical phenomenon affecting long-term survival. In the present study, we investigated the anti-invasive mechanism of sanguinarine by focusing on its role in inducing HO-1 in breast cancer cells. The results showed that sanguinarine inhibited TPA-induced MMP-9 and COX-2 mRNA and protein expression in a dose-dependent manner at non-cytotoxic concentrations. Similarly, the MMP-9 enzymatic activity and the PGE2 levels significantly decreased in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, specific endogenous inhibitors of MMP-9, were slightly induced by sanguinarine. Subsequent studies revealed that sanguinarine suppressed TPA-induced NF-κB and AP-1 activation, as well as the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK. Furthermore, sanguinarine significantly inhibited TPA-induced invasion and migration in breast cancer cells. We also demonstrated that sanguinarine induced HO-1 expression, and that the inhibition of MMP-9 and COX-2 expression and the enzymatic activity of sanguinarine were abrogated by siRNA-mediated knockdown of HO-1 expression. Thus, knockdown of endogenous HO-1 decreased TPA-induced cell invasion. Overall, the results of the present study demonstrate that HO-1 plays a pivotal role in the anti-invasive response of sanguinarine in TPA-stimulated breast cancer cells.

Analysis of alkaloids in Macleaya cordata (Willd.) R. Br. using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A method for the analysis of alkaloids in Macleaya cordata (Willd.) R. Br. using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) was developed. Using protopine (PRO), allocryptopine (ALL), sanguinarine (SA), and chelerythrine (CHE) as the model components, different columns for the separation and different mobile phases for the signal intensities of alkaloids in ESI/MS were investigated, respectively. The results showed that good separation and high signal intensities can be obtained on a high carbon loading (17%) reversed-phase C(18) column with 30 mM formic acid in mobile phase for the analysis of alkaloids. Under the optimal separation condition and UV detection (284 nm), linearity of the six alkaloids was obtained over concentration range from 0.05 to 100.00 microg/ml. The limit of detection (LOD) was 1.62, 1.87, 1.79, 1.76, 1.10, and 0.94 ng/ml for SA, CHE, PRO, ALL, dihydrosanguinarine (DHSA), and dihydrochelerythrine (DHCHE), respectively. The LODs with ESI/MS detection were lower three orders of magnitude than those obtained with UV detection. The proposed method could be used to control quality of the raw materials of the herb more comprehensively.