Four new isoflavanones from Tadehagi triquetrum

The traditional ethnic herb Tadehagi triquetrum from China: a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacological activities

CONTEXT

Tadehagi triquetrum (Linn.) Ohashi (Fabaceae) (TT), is a traditional herbal medicine used especially in China's ethnic-minority communities, such as the Zhuang, Dai, Li and Wa aeras. As an ethnic medicine, it has long been used to treat various diseases.

OBJECTIVE

This review summarised the phytochemical and pharmacological progress on TT from 1979 to October, 2021 by highlighting its chemical classification, structural features, pharmacological applications and folk applications to provide inspirations and suggestions for accelerating further research of this traditional phytomedicine.

METHODS

The information on TT in this article has been obtained using these multiple scientific databases including Scifinder, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Wiley, ACS publications, Springer, PubMed, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Google Scholar and Baidu Scholar. Some information was also collected from classic literature on traditional Chinese medicines.

RESULTS

More than 70 compounds have been isolated and reported from TT to date by the comprehensive analysis of the current literature. A large number of traditional uses and pharmacological studies have exhibited diversified bioactivities of various TT extracts and its metabolites, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-hepatitis B virus, hepatoprotective, insecticidal, etc.

CONCLUSIONS

As a famous traditional medicine with a long history, TT has various medicinal uses and some of them have been supported by modern pharmacological researches. Further detailed studies on the action mechanisms, pharmacodynamics and structure-function relationships of single compounds or active constituents from TT are also required.

Prenylated isoflavones from the roots of Flemingia philippinensis as potential inhibitors of β-amyloid aggregation

In our efforts to find potential agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in naturally occurring compounds, a systematic investigation for the active constituents of Flemingia philippinensis was carried out. Four new prenylated isoflavones, philippinone A-D (1-4), together with six known analogues (5-10), were obtained from the roots of Flemingia philippinensis. Their structures were established through extensive physical and spectroscopic data analysis. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effect of self-induced Aβ aggregation among which compound 5 showed significant Aβ aggregation inhibitory ability with the inhibitory rate of 70.56%. The results of molecular docking experiment for compounds 1 and 6 corresponded to that of the thioflavin-T assay. Moreover, the results further clarified the effects of different substituent group of tested compounds on the Aβ aggregation inhibition. A preliminary structure-activity relationship is further discussed. Our results suggested that the isoflavonoids may mitigate the progression of AD and compounds 2 and 5 may be a candidate in the treatment of AD.

A Review on the Phytochemistry, Medicinal Properties and Pharmacological Activities of 15 Selected Myanmar Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants are a reservoir of biologically active compounds with therapeutic properties that over time have been reported and used by diverse groups of people for treatment of various diseases. This review covers 15 selected medicinal plants distributed in Myanmar, including Dalbergia cultrata, Eriosema chinense, Erythrina suberosa, Millettia pendula, Sesbania grandiflora, Tadehagi triquetrum, Andrographis echioides, Barleria cristata, Justicia gendarussa, Premna integrifolia, Vitex trifolia, Acacia pennata, Cassia auriculata, Croton oblongifolius and Glycomis pentaphylla. Investigation of the phytochemical constituents, biological and pharmacological activities of the selected medicinal plants is reported. This study aims at providing a collection of publications on the species of selected medicinal plants in Myanmar along with a critical review of the literature data. As a country, Myanmar appears to be a source of traditional drugs that have not yet been scientifically investigated. This review will be support for further investigations on the pharmacological activity of medicinal plant species in Myanmar.

A Review of Common Medicinal Plants in Chin State, Myanmar

Promising sources of novel bioactive compounds include plants growing in several third-world countries where the local flora is still largely uninvestigated. A paradigmatic example is represented by medicinal plants growing in Myanmar, especially in Chin State, in northwestern Myanmar. This is one of the least developed areas of the country where the people still use natural remedies derived from a rich biodiversity. This review mainly covers the investigations done on phytochemical constituents and biological activities of 20 medicinal plants, namely Alangium chinense, Anemone obtusiloba, Anneslea fragrans, Antidesma bunius, Croton oblongifolius, Embelia tsjeriam-cottam, Ficus heterophylla, Gaultheria fragrantissima, Hydnocarpus kurzii, Leea macrophylla, Leucas cephalotes, Millingtonia hortensis, Myrica nagi, Olax scandens, Pimpinella heyneana, Pterospermum semisagittatum, Ruellia tuberosa, Smilax zeylanica, Stemona burkillii, and Tadehagi triquetrum, that have long been used in the Chin State for curing various diseases. These plants have been selected on the basis of their medicinal uses not only in Myanmar but also in the related Ayurvedic healing system. Moreover, besides their medicinal importance, most of them grow in the Chin State more abundantly than in other regions of Myanmar. Although the efficacy of some of these plants have been verified scientifically, the chemical constituents and biological activities of most of them still need to be investigated to confirm the claimed therapeutic effects.

Leguminous Plants in the Indonesian Archipelago: Traditional Uses and Secondary Metabolites

Indonesia is one of the richest countries with respect to plants resources. People from various ethnic, language, and religious groups have used the plants as alternative medicines, health foods and beverages for hundreds of years. To establish modern application for these understudied plant resources, ethnopharmacological data from more than 40 leguminous plants in Indonesia, spanning the western to the eastern parts of the Indonesian archipelago, were reviewed. In particular, bioactive secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, were described in detail to promote research into these plants as functional foods, nutraceuticals, and medicines.