Involvement of Isoorientin in the Antidepressant Bioactivity of a Flavonoid-Rich Extract from Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Leaves

Serum Metabolomics Analysis Revealed Metabolic Pathways Related to AECOPD Complicated with Anxiety and Depression

Background

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common comorbidities of COPD, which can directly lead to the number of acute exacerbations and hospitalizations of COPD patients and reduce their quality of life. At present, there are many studies on anxiety and depression in stable COPD, but few studies on anxiety and depression in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients.

Objective

We aim to explore the changes of serum metabolomics in AECOPD complicated with anxiety and depression and to provide some clues for further understanding its pathogenesis.

Methods

This is an observational high-throughput experimental study based on retrospective data extraction. Twenty-one AECOPD with anxiety and depressive patients and 17 healthy controls (HCs) were retrospectively enrolled in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) for anxiety and depression were used to assess the patients with AECOPD. Untargeted metabolomics analysis was carried out to investigate different molecules in the serum of all participants. General information of all participants, baseline data and clinical measurement data of AECOPD patients were collected. Statistical analysis and bioinformatics analysis were performed to reveal different metabolites and perturbed metabolic pathways.

Results

A total of 724 metabolites in positive ionization mode and 555 metabolites in negative ionization mode were different in AECOPD patients with anxiety and depression. The 1,279 serum metabolites could be divided into 77 categories. Based on multivariate and univariate analysis, 74 metabolites were detected in positive ionization mode, and 60 metabolites were detected in negative ionization as differential metabolites. The 134 metabolites were enriched in 18 pathways, including biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, aldosterone synthesis and secretion, protein digestion and absorption, ovarian steroidogenesis, long-term depression, retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, and so on.

Conclusion

This work highlights the key metabolites and metabolic pathways disturbed in AECOPD patients with anxiety and depression. These findings support the use of metabolomics to understand the pathogenic mechanisms involved in AECOPD patients with anxiety and depression.

Exploring the efficacy of ethnomedicinal plants of Himalayan region against the malaria parasite

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Plasmodium falciparum multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains are a great challenge to global health care. This predicament implies the urgent need to discover novel antimalarial drugs candidate from alternative natural sources. The Himalaya constitute a rich repository of medicinal plants which have been used traditionally in the folklore medicine since ages and having no scientific evidence for their activity. Crambe kotschyana Boiss. and Eremurus himalaicus Baker are used for their antipyretic and hepatoprotective properties in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, India.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study would investigate the antiplasmodial efficacy of C. kotschyana and E. himalaicus extracts, their fractions and active components using in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches to provide a scientific insight into their activity.

METHODS

The methanol extracts of C. kotschyana (CKME) and E. himalaicus (EHME) were prepared by maceration followed by fractionation using ethyl acetate. The isolation of flavonoid glycosides isorhamnetin-3, 7-di-O-glucoside from C. kotschyana and luteolin-6-C-glucoside (isoorientin) from E. himalaicus was carried out by antiplasmodial activity-guided isolation. In vitro antimalarial activity was assessed by WHO method while in vitro cytotoxicity was ascertained employing the MTT assay. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation were performed using the Glide module of Schrödinger Software and Gromacs-2022 software package respectively. In vivo curative activity was assessed by Ryley and Peters method.

RESULTS

The methanol extracts of both the plants illustrated the best antiplasmodial activity followed by the ethyl acetate fractions. Iso-orientin (IC50 6.49 μg/ml) and Isorhamnetin-3,7-di-O-glucoside (IC50 9.22 μg/ml) illustrated considerable in vitro activity even against P. falciparum resistant strain. Extracts/fractions as well as the isolated compounds were found to be non-toxic with CC50 > 640 μg/ml. Molecular docking studies were performed with these 2 O-glucosides against four malaria targets to understand the binding pose of these molecules and the results suggested that these molecules have selectivity for lactate dehydrogenase enzyme. CKME and EHME exhibited curative activity in vivo along with increase in Mean Survival Time of mice.

CONCLUSION

The research delineated the scientific evidence that both the therapeutic herbs possessed antimalarial activity and notably, bioactive compounds responsible to exhibit the antimalarial activity have been isolated, identified and characterized. Further studies are underway to assess the antiplasmodial efficacy of isolated compounds alone and in combination with standard antimalarials.

Establishing the Relationship Between Flavonoid Content, Mycorrhization, and Soil Nutritional Content in Different Species of the Genus Passiflora in Colombia

The genus Passiflora comprises more than 500 species distributed in tropical and semitropical regions. With a great diversity of species, it is estimated that one-third is found in Colombian territory. Besides the food importance, Passiflora species are important sources of biologically active compounds, such as flavonoids. The most important symbiosis between soil fungi and vascular plants related to plant nutrition and tolerance to stress conditions is mycorrhizae. Passiflora species form arbuscular mycorrhizae, with several species of Glomeromycota. This association has been reported to alter the production of secondary metabolites. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the relation between flavonoid content, mycorrhization, and soil nutritional content of Passiflora alata, Passiflora quadrangularis, Passiflora maliformis, and Passiflora ligularis in Colombian crops. The extracts were prepared and analyzed using UPLC/PDA-MS, and total flavonoids were quantified with the method of AlCl3. Soil characteristics, including nutritional content and percentage of colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, were also determined. All variables were analyzed using Spearman's correlation and principal component analysis. Chromatographic analysis of the extracts allowed us to visualize the different flavonoid compositions of each extract, identifying several C-glycosylflavonoids. In this paper, we report for the first time the presence of luteolin-8-C-rhamnosyl-4'-O-glucoside, apigenin-6-C-arabinosyl-7-O-glucoside, and orientin for P. maliformis. Statistical analysis showed a negative correlation between available phosphorus (ρ = -0.90, p = <0.05) and magnesium (Mg) saturation (ρ = -0.70, p = <0.05) on flavonoid content, whereas the calcium magnesium (Ca/Mg) ratio was positively correlated (ρ = 0.70, p = <0.01). There was a nonsignificant correlation between mycorrhization and flavonoid content (ρ = -0.70, p = >0.1). These results contribute to understanding the relationship between flavonoid-mycorrhization-soil nutritional content on Passiflora spp.

The First Optimization Process from Cultivation to Flavonoid-Rich Extract from Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves in Brazil

Flavonoids are significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents and have multiple potential health applications. Moringa oleifera is globally recognized for its nutritional and pharmacological properties, correlated to the high flavonoid content in its leaves. However, the bioactive compounds found in plants may vary according to the cultivation, origin, season, and extraction process used, making it difficult to extract reliable raw material. Hence, this study aimed to standardize the best cultivation and harvest season in Brazil and the best extraction process conditions to obtain a flavonoid-rich extract from M. oleifera as a final product. Firstly, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was optimized to reach the highest flavonoid content by three-level factorial planning and response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal cultivation condition was mineral soil fertilizer in the drought season, and the optimized extraction was with 80% ethanol and 13.4 min of extraction time. The flavonoid-rich extract was safe and significantly decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells. Lastly, the major flavonoids characterized by HPLC-ESI-QTRAP-MS/MS were compounds derived from apigenin, quercetin, and kaempferol glycosides. The results confirmed that it was possible to standardize the flavonoid-rich extract leading to a standardized and reliable raw material extracted from M. oleifera leaves.

Phytochemical Profile, and Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Effects of Pouteria ramiflora (Mart.) Radlk. Leaf Extract, and Its Synergism with Cisplatin in HepG2 Cells

Different species of the genus Pouteria have been used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation, fever, ulcers, diabetes, and diarrhea. We analyzed the phytochemical profile of the hydroethanolic extract from Pouteria ramiflora leaves by electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection, and examined whether it alone and in combination with cisplatin interfered with cell proliferation and death processes in HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and FGH (human gingival fibroblasts) cells. Five compounds were identified in the extract: gallic acid, myricetin-3-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-β-d-galactopyranoside, myricetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside, and myricetin-3-O-β-d-galactopyranoside. The extract was cytotoxic to both cell lines by inducing apoptotic cell death and acted in synergy with cisplatin; such effect was stronger in HepG2 cells than in FGH cells, demonstrating some selectivity to tumor cells. In HepG2 cells, the extract exerted antiproliferative effect mediated by induction of cell cycle arrest at the S and G2/M phases. Association of the extract with cisplatin enhanced the latter's antiproliferative effect, arrested the cell cycle at the S phase by CDK2 modulation, and reduced the number of anti-cyclin D1-stained HepG2 cells. Simultaneous treatment with the extract and cisplatin increased the latter's cytotoxicity, apoptotic cell death, and BAX expression in HepG2 cells. Altogether, the results reported herein indicate that P. ramiflora extract is a possible adjuvant to cancer therapy, which can circumvent the cisplatin-mediated resistance mechanisms in cancer cells.

Herbal Medicinal Products from Passiflora for Anxiety: An Unexploited Potential

Herbal medicines containing Passiflora species have been widely used to treat anxiety since ancient times. The species Passiflora incarnata L. is included in many Pharmacopoeias, and it is the most used species in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. However, there are around 600 species of the genus Passiflora and probably other species that can be used safely. Thus, this article was based on a search into the uses of the main species of the genus Passiflora with anxiolytic activity and its main secondary metabolites and some pharmacological studies, patents, and registered products containing Passiflora. Furthermore, the Brazilian Regulatory Health Agency Datavisa, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom, and the European Medicines Agency websites were consulted. The results showed that Passiflora species have health benefits but clinical trials are still scarce. The complexity of Passiflora extracts creates challenges for the development of herbal medicines. P. incarnata is the most studied species of the genus and the most used in natural anxiolytic herbal medicine formulations. However, there are hundreds of Passiflora species potentially useful for medicinal and nutraceutical purposes that are still little explored.