Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and urotoxicity ameliorative effects of γ-humulene containing active fraction of Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC

Potential use of the Asteraceae family as a cure for diabetes: A review of ethnopharmacology to modern day drug and nutraceuticals developments

The diabetes-associated mortality rate is increasing annually, along with the severity of its accompanying disorders that impair human health. Worldwide, several medicinal plants are frequently urged for the management of diabetes. Reports are available on the use of medicinal plants by traditional healers for their blood-sugar-lowering effects, along with scientific evidence to support such claims. The Asteraceae family is one of the most diverse flowering plants, with about 1,690 genera and 32,000 species. Since ancient times, people have consumed various herbs of the Asteraceae family as food and employed them as medicine. Despite the wide variety of members within the family, most of them are rich in naturally occurring polysaccharides that possess potent prebiotic effects, which trigger their use as potential nutraceuticals. This review provides detailed information on the reported Asteraceae plants traditionally used as antidiabetic agents, with a major focus on the plants of this family that are known to exert antioxidant, hepatoprotective, vasodilation, and wound healing effects, which further action for the prevention of major diseases like cardiovascular disease (CVD), liver cirrhosis, and diabetes mellitus (DM). Moreover, this review highlights the potential of Asteraceae plants to counteract diabetic conditions when used as food and nutraceuticals. The information documented in this review article can serve as a pioneer for developing research initiatives directed at the exploration of Asteraceae and, at the forefront, the development of a botanical drug for the treatment of DM.

Stereochemical insights into neuroprotective alkaloids from the aerial parts of Emilia sonchifolia

A new alkaloid featured with a dibenz[c,e]azepin-5-one scaffold, namely emililactam A (3), together with a known pyrrolidine alkaloid (emilisonchine, 1) and a known flavonoid alkaloid [8-(2″-pyrrolidinone-5″-yl)-quercetin, 2] were isolated from the aerial parts of Emilia sonchifolia. Compounds 1 and 2 were isolated as racemic forms which were further separated, for the first time, to their corresponding enantiomers [(+)-1/(-)-1 and (+)-2/(-)-2], respectively, by using chiral-phase HPLC. The structure of new compound 3 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. In addition, the absolute configurations of optically pure (+)-1/(-)-1 and (+)-2/(-)-2 were determined by the time-dependent density functional theory electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations. In an in vitro bioassay, compounds (+)-1, (-)-1, (±)-1, and 3 exhibited moderate neuroprotective effects against corticosterone-induced injuries of PC12 cells.

Antimicrobial Activities of Sesquiterpene-Rich Essential Oils of Two Medicinal Plants, Lannea egregia and Emilia sonchifolia, from Nigeria

Lannea egregia (Anacardiaceae) and Emilia sonchifolia (Asteraceae) are plants used in traditional medicine in southwestern Nigeria. The essential oils from the leaves of L. egregia and E. sonchifolia were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Both essential oils were dominated by sesquiterpenoids. The major components in L. egregia leaf essential oil were α-panasinsen (34.90%), (E)-caryophyllene (12.25%), α-copaene (11.39%), and selina-4,11-diene (9.29%), while E. sonchifolia essential oil was rich in γ-himachalene (25.16%), (E)-caryophyllene (15.72%), and γ-gurjunene (8.58%). The essential oils were screened for antimicrobial activity against a panel of bacteria and fungi and displayed minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 156 μg/mL to 625 μg/mL. Based on these results, either L. egregia or E. sonchifolia essential oil may be recommended for exploration as complementary antibacterial or antifungal agents.

Evaluation of immunomodulatory effects of Boswellia sacra essential oil on T-cells and dendritic cells

BACKGROUND

Boswellia sacra resin has been commonly used as analgesic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, which reflect its immunomodulatory activity. Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and sentinel cells that regulate the immune response. This study aims at investigating whether crude essential oil extracted from Boswellia sacra resin (BSEO), has a potential effect on the phenotype and functions of human monocyte-derived DCs.

METHODS

Oil extract from the resin of Boswellia sacra was prepared by hydrodistillation using a custom made hydrodistiller. BSEO-mediated cell viability has been initially studied on human skin dermis cells (HSD) and DC precursors using quantitative and qualitative assays before applying on DCs. Human DCs were generated from differentiated peripheral blood monocytes cultured in media containing both GM-CSF and IL-4. DCs were exposed to 5 μg/mL or 10 μg/mL of BSEO in vitro. Morphological, phonotypical, and functional properties studied with microscopy, flow cytometry, and ELISA.

RESULTS

Crude BSEO was found to interfere with the maturation and differentiation of DCs from precursor cells in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). BSEO-treated DCs, cultured in the presence of LPS, reduced the ability of allogeneic T cells to proliferate compared to that co-cultured with LPS-stimulated DCs only. In addition, the endocytic capacity and secretion of IL-10 by DCs treated with BSEO was enhanced in comparison to LPS treated cells. Analysis of the chemical composition of BESO using GC-MS (Clarus 500 GC/MS, PerkinElmer, Shelton, CT) revealed the presence of compounds with several biological activities including antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

CONCLUSION

Results indicated that BSEO deviates the differentiation of monocytes into immature DCs. Furthermore, stimulation of immature DCs with BSEO was unable to generate full DC maturation. However, these findings may potentially be employed to generate DCs with tolerogenic properties that are able to induce tolerance in diseases with hypersensitivity, autoimmunity as well as transplantation.

Development of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS Coupled with Cation-exchange Solid-phase Extraction Method for the Determination of Ten Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Herbal Medicines

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are secondary metabolites of plants and can cause significant hepatotoxicity in humans. In this study, a fast and simple method was developed to determine ten pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in six types of herbal medicines using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). An efficient solid-phase extraction procedure was carried out by using strong cation-exchange cartridges and the parameters were optimized. The established analytical method was validated and the results showed that the method presented satisfactory accuracy and precision. The established method was successfully applied for the determination of PAs in six herbal plants, including Senecionis Scandentis Hebra, Arnebiae Radix, Asteris Radix Et Rhizoma, Farfarae Flos, Senecionis Cannabifolii Herba and Emilia sonchifolia. PAs were found in all of these herbal plant samples. Eight types of related commercial herbal drugs were also detected, six of them were detected with different amounts of PAs. This work not only provided a powerful technical platform for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of PAs in herbal medicines, but also obtained information concerning PAs in these herbal samples, which could provide reference to the government regulatory authorities and non-governmental organizations.

Use of Some Asteraceae Plants for the Treatment of Wounds: From Ethnopharmacological Studies to Scientific Evidences

Severe wounds result in large lesions and/or loss of function of the affected areas. The treatment of wounds has challenged health professionals due to its complexity, especially in patients with chronic diseases (such as diabetes), and the presence of pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Taking this into consideration, the development of new therapies for wound healing requires immediate attention. Ethnopharmacological studies performed in different countries have shown the use of several plants from the Asteraceae family as wound-healing agents. Evidences gained from the traditional medicine have opened new ways for the development of novel and more efficient therapies based on the pharmacological properties of these plants. In this article, we discuss the literature data on the use of Asteraceae plants for the treatment of wounds, based on the ethnopharmacological relevance of each plant. Special attention was given to studies showing the mechanisms of action of Asteraceae-derived compounds and clinical trials. Ageratina pichinchensis (Kunth) R.M. King and H. Rob. and Calendula officinalis L. preparations/compounds were found to show good efficacy when assessed in clinical trials of complicated wounds, including venous leg ulcers and foot ulcers of diabetic patients. The compounds silibinin [from Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.] and jaceosidin (from Artemisia princeps Pamp.) were identified as promising compounds for the treatment of wounds. Overall, we suggest that Asteraceae plants represent important sources of compounds that may act as new and efficient healing products.