Characterization of phytochemicals and evaluation of anti-cancer potential of Blumea eriantha DC

Chemical composition and anti-angiogenic activity of the essential oil from Blumea eriantha D.C

Blumea eriantha D.C is a weed from Asteraceae family and is reported to have anticancer activity. The essential oil from the aerial parts was extracted by steam distillation method with the yield of 0.36%. Through GC-MS analysis of the oil, seventeen compounds could be identified by comparing with linear retention indices with the library. Out of the seventeen compounds β-Caryophylline oxide was isolated by column chromatography with gradient elution and the structure was determined through FT-IR, MS, 1HNMR, 13 C NMR and DEPT. The oil was evaluated for its effect on angiogenesis using Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay (CAM Assay). The concentration dependent antiangiogenic effect was observed with IC 50 value of 19.28 ppm.

Polyphenols of the Inuleae-Inulinae and Their Biological Activities: A Review

Polyphenols are ubiquitous plant metabolites that demonstrate biological activities essential to plant-environment interactions. They are of interest to plant food consumers, as well as to the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. The class of the plant metabolites comprises both widespread (chlorogenic acids, luteolin, quercetin) and unique compounds of diverse chemical structures but of the common biosynthetic origin. Polyphenols next to sesquiterpenoids are regarded as the major class of the Inuleae-Inulinae metabolites responsible for the pharmacological activity of medicinal plants from the subtribe (Blumea spp., Dittrichia spp., Inula spp., Pulicaria spp. and others). Recent decades have brought a rapid development of molecular and analytical techniques which resulted in better understanding of the taxonomic relationships within the Inuleae tribe and in a plethora of data concerning the chemical constituents of the Inuleae-Inulinae. The current taxonomical classification has introduced changes in the well-established botanical names and rearranged the genera based on molecular plant genetic studies. The newly created chemical data together with the earlier phytochemical studies may provide some complementary information on biochemical relationships within the subtribe. Moreover, they may at least partly explain pharmacological activities of the plant preparations traditionally used in therapy. The current review aimed to systematize the knowledge on the polyphenols of the Inulae-Inulinae.

Current therapeutic modalities and chemopreventive role of natural products in liver cancer: Progress and promise

Liver cancer is a severe concern for public health officials since the clinical cases are increasing each year, with an estimated 5-year survival rate of 30%–35% after diagnosis. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes a significant subtype of liver cancer (approximate75%) and is considered primary liver cancer. Treatment for liver cancer mainly depends on the stage of its progression, where surgery including, hepatectomy and liver transplantation, and ablation and radiotherapy are the prime choice. For advanced liver cancer, various drugs and immunotherapy are used as first-line treatment, whereas second-line treatment includes chemotherapeutic drugs from natural and synthetic origins. Sorafenib and lenvatinib are first-line therapies, while regorafenib and ramucirumab are second-line therapy. Various metabolic and signaling pathways such as Notch, JAK/ STAT, Hippo, TGF-β, and Wnt have played a critical role during HCC progression. Dysbiosis has also been implicated in liver cancer. Drug-induced toxicity is a key obstacle in the treatment of liver cancer, necessitating the development of effective and safe medications, with natural compounds such as resveratrol, curcumin, diallyl sulfide, and others emerging as promising anticancer agents. This review highlights the current status of liver cancer research, signaling pathways, therapeutic targets, current treatment strategies and the chemopreventive role of various natural products in managing liver cancer.

Antiproliferative Action of Methanolic Petiole Extract of Eichhornia Crassipes on Human Prostate Adenocarcinoma Cell Line: An In Vitro Study

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of people are turning to herbal medicines in their search for innovative pharmaceuticals since they are effective treatments for a wide variety of conditions and traditional herbs are rich in bioactive chemicals. In this study, we looked at whether or not a petiole extract of Eichhornia crassipes preserved in methanol inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer (PC3) cell lines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Lakes in Ezhikkara, Ernakulum, Kerala, were the source of E. crassipes. Soxhlet extraction was used to create the extract. 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to determine the cell viability of methanolic petiole extract at various concentrations. Mean and standard deviation was used to determine absorbance scores. Utilizing probit analysis, we determined the IC50 value. The descriptive statistics to measure the percent of viable cells along with the regression equation were calculated using SPSS.

RESULTS

It has been shown that the methanol extract significantly impacted PC3 cell lines' capacity to survive. It was also determined that increasing the medication concentration resulted in a decrease in cell viability. The percentage of living cells was measured after being exposed to methanol extracts at concentrations of 12.5 μg/ml, 25 μg/ml, 50 μg/ml, 100 μg/ml, and 200 μg/ml, and found to be 95.13, 85.88, 76.12, 64.33, and 53.62 percent, respectively. With IC50 values of 199.488 g/ml, it was shown that methanolic petiole extracts of E. crassipes are cytotoxic. Using probit analysis, we determined that the regression equation is y = -0.2051x + 90.915, with an R2 value of 0.893.

CONCLUSION

As a result of its chemotherapeutic properties, the E. crassipes petiole extract has the potential to be employed in therapeutic applications, with the ultimate goal of bettering prostate cancer management practices and clinical results by drastically lowering cell viability. The study's results may pave the way for fresh chemotherapeutic approaches to be developed for the treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer.

Polyphenols profile and enzyme inhibitory properties of Blumea lacera (Burm. f.) DC.: a potential candidate against obesity, aging, and skin disorder

Blumea lacera (Burm. f.) DC. is attracting scientific interest due to the diverse biological activities of its various parts and its use in folk medicine. The present study was undertaken to investigate the tissue-specific differential expression pattern of its total bioactive compounds. The study was further extended to whole plant phenolics profiling, in vitro enzyme inhibition activities, followed by in silico enzyme inhibition analysis to assess its potential as herbal medicine. The amount of total phenolics in different tissues was followed in decreasing order as old leaf, flower bud, root, young leaf, flower, old stem, and young stem, while that for the flavonoids was old leaf, root, young leaf, flower bud, flower, young stem, and old stem.  This study identified rosmarinic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol in this plant for the first time. The solvent extracts demonstrated strong inhibition of lipase and tyrosinase activity, along with varying degrees of inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity. Among the detected compounds, ten displayed strong in silico binding affinities with the tested enzymes. The findings provide a new insight into further investigation of the medicinal potential of this species against obesity, neurological disorders, and aberrant skin color.

Phytochemical composition and health properties of Sembung plant (Blumea balsamifera): A review

Indonesia's mindset has been focusing on the use of natural medicines, food, and healing practices widely recognized by the nation's culture. Traditional medicines and herbs used in traditional medicine can often lead to the discovery of drugs against certain diseases. The aim of this review was to study evidence-based data on the importance of Sembung plant, Blumea balsamifera, as a potential traditional medicine. The distribution, ethnopharmacology, secondary metabolites, and bioactivity against several diseases are focused in this review. Information and research related to Sembung plant were searched using the terms "B. balsamifera," "phytochemicals," and "pharmacological activity" on ResearchGate, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, and scientific information-based databases up to 2020. Several ethnomedical articles recommend B. balsamifera for the treatment of sinusitis, colic pain, cough, kidney stones, flu, or as a diuretic. This knowledge has already been applied in several countries in Southeast Asia. B. balsamifera has been reported to contain several phytochemicals both volatile (terpenoids, fatty acids, phenols, alcohol, aldehydes, ethers, ketones, pyridines, furans, and alkanes) and non-volatile (flavonoids, flavanones, and chalcones). Extracts and phytochemicals of B. balsamifera contain several biological capacities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, anti-infertility, hepatoprotective activity, antidiabetic, gastroprotective, antitumor, anticancer, and immunomodulatory agent against Coronavirus disease-19 infection. This review provides essential data for the potential application of B. balsamifera as a nutraceutical or in future medicinal preparations.

Two new polyoxygenated flavonoids from Blumea eriantha DC, methanol extract and their anti-proliferative activity

Two new flavonoids, 3, 3', 4' -Trihydroxy- 6, 7, 8 -trimethoxy flavone (1) and 3-Hydroxy-6, 7, 8, 3', 4'-pentamethoxy flavone (2) have been isolated from the methanol extract of Blumea eriantha DC. The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic techniques such as IR, MS, 1 D, and 2 D NMR spectroscopy. The compounds (1) and (2) were tested for their anti-proliferative activity on NCI-H23 cell line. A standard drug Paclitaxel showed potent anti-proliferative effect (56%) at 100 nM concentration after 24 h treatment whereas compound (2) did not show any anti-proliferative effect. Only compound (1) showed significant reduction in cell viability at concentration 25773 nM (89%) and 257731 nM (68%) after 24 h when compared with 0.1% DMSO. The compound (1) showed significant but much lower reduction in cell viability as compared to the standard drug Paclitaxel.

Eucalyptus microcorys leaf extract derived HPLC-fraction reduces the viability of MIA PaCa-2 cells by inducing apoptosis and arresting cell cycle

New therapeutic strategies such as the development of novel drugs and combinatorial therapies with existing chemotherapeutic agents are urgently needed to improve the clinical prognosis of pancreatic cancer. We have previously reported the antiproliferative properties of aqueous crude Eucalyptus microcorys extract against pancreatic cancer cell lines. In this study, bioassay-guided fractionation of the aqueous crude E. microcorys extract using RP-HPLC and subsequent assessment of the resultant fractions (F1-F5) for their antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity against pancreatic cancer cell lines were performed. The molecular mechanisms associated with the cytotoxicity was characterised by studying the effects of the most potent fraction-1 (F1) on apoptosis and cell cycle profiles as well as its phytochemical constituents by LC-ESI/MS/MS. F1 displayed significantly greater antioxidant activity in three different assays (p < 0.05). Moreover, F1 exhibited significantly greater antiproliferative activity (IC₅₀ = 93.11 ± 3.43 μg/mL) against MIA PaCa-2 cells compared to the other four fractions (p < 0.05). F1 induced apoptosis by regulating key apoptotic proteins- Bcl-2, Bak, Bax, cleaved PARP, procaspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 in MIA PaCa-2 cells, suggesting the involvement of intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and arrested cells at G2/M phase. A combination of gemcitabine and F1 exerted a greater effect on apoptosis and cell cycle arrest than F1 or gemcitabine alone (p < 0.05). LC-ESI/MS/MS revealed the tentative identities of phytochemicals present in F1 and their similarities with the phenolic compounds previously reported in Eucalyptus with antipancreatic cancer activity. Our study shows that the polyphenol and antioxidant-rich fraction of E. microcorys extract is a promising candidate for developing mono or combination therapies against pancreatic cancer.