Constituents from Bupleurum montanum (Coss. & Dur.) (Apiaceae)

GC-MS analysis of essential oil from the leaves of Algerian Bupleurum plantagineum Desf

Bupleurum plantagineum Desf. (Apiaceae) is a plant endemic to North Africa, including Algeria. It is used as natural medicine, due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. In this work, we studied the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) obtained by hydro-distillation from B. plantagineum leaves collected from the national park of Gouraya (Bejaïa), Algeria. Thirty components were identified in the EO by Gas chromatography-Mass Spectrometry(GC-MS) (relative abundance: 96.7%). Monoterpene hydrocarbons (56.8%) were the predominant, followed by oxygenated monoterpenes (36.7%). The main components were cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (33.5%), α-pinene (18.4%), myrcene (16.5%) and (E)-anethole (4.9%). This volatile profile differs from those reported for other Bupleurum spp. and for B. plantagineum from Algeria, suggesting the identification of a new chemotype. Overall, our results represent a contribution to the characterisation of natural products from Algeria and the preservation of its natural biodiversity. The same results will also represent a starting point for further studies on B. plantagineum.

Mass spectrometry as a tool for the dereplication of specialised metabolites from Pterocaulon angustifolium DC

Pterocaulon genus comprises 26 species, half of them have been phytochemical investigations regarding the chemical composition, and coumarins have been considered the chemotaxonomic markers in the genus. Herein Pterocaulon angustifolium DC (Asteraceae), a native plant from Brazil, is investigated for the first time. Twenty-six compounds were isolated from aerial parts of P. angustifolium DC., being 5 triterpenes, 4 phytosterols, 9 flavonoids, 3 phenolic acids, and 5 coumarins. Moreover, a total of 177 compounds were putatively identified using the dereplication technique by UHPLC-HRMS/MS, more than 50% correspond to flavonoids and coumarins. Although 41 different coumarins have already been reported in Pterocaulon genus, 16 were identified for the first time in this study. Crude ethanolic extract and fractions of P. angustifolium were also biologically investigates, and dichloromethane fraction was the most active fraction in the evaluation of antiproliferative, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cholinesterase inhibitory activities.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Compounds Derived from Vitex rotundifolia

The objective of this study is to describe the separation and identification of one new phenolic and 19 known compounds from Vitex rotundifolia. Their structures were determined based on spectroscopic (NMR, CD, and MS) data analysis or Mosher's method, and were compared with those reported in the literature. These isolates were then evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities based on the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin (IL)-8 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cells (RAW264.7 and HT-29) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging abilities, respectively. In the NO assay, compounds 12-14 showed strong inhibition with compounds 10 and 15 displaying significant inhibition. In the IL-8 assay, compounds 8, 9, 13, 14, 19, and 20 exhibited potential to inhibit IL-8 production and other compounds displayed moderate inhibition. An in silico docking approach also revealed strong binding affinities for protein-ligand complexes of these active compounds against IL-8 production. The docking results were correlated with the experimental data of the IL-8 assay. Thus, these active compounds should be considered as candidates for further in vivo studies. This study implies the potential of new and active chemicals isolated from V. rotundifolia and provides evidence to support the development of active fractions and constituents into functional products targeting inflammatory diseases the future.

Phytochemicals from Vanda bensonii and Their Bioactivities to Inhibit Growth and Metastasis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

The most prevalent lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This lung cancer type often develops other organ-specific metastases that are critical burdens in the treatment process. Orchid species in the genus Vanda have shown their potential in folkloric medication of diverse diseases but not all its species have been investigated, and little is known about their anticancer activities against NSCLC. Here, we firstly profiled the specialized metabolites of Vanda bensonii and examined their capability to inhibit growth and metastasis of NSCLC using NCI-H460 cells as a study model. Four phytochemicals, including phloretic acid methyl ester (1), cymbinodin-A (2), ephemeranthoquinone B (3), and protocatechuic acid (4), were isolated from the whole plant methanolic extract of V. bensonii. The most distinguished cytotoxic effect on NCI-H460 cells was observed in the treatments with crude methanolic extract and compound 2 with the half maximal inhibitory concentrations of 40.39 μg mL−1 and 50.82 μM, respectively. At non-cytotoxic doses (10 μg mL−1 or 10 μM), only compound 1 could significantly limit NCI-H460 cell proliferation when treated for 48 h, while others excluding compound 4 showed significant reduction in cell proliferation after treating for 72 h. Compound 1 also significantly decreased the migration rate of NCI-H460 cells examined through a wound-healing assay. Additionally, the crude extract and compound 1 strongly affected survival and growth of NCI-H460 cells under anchorage-independent conditions. Our findings proved that natural products from V. bensonii could be promising candidates for the future pharmacotherapy of NSCLC.

Analysis of Antioxidant Phytochemicals and Anti-Inflammatory Effect from Vitex rotundifolia L.f

An extraction method using 80% EtOH was selected and applied to obtain the total extracts from leaves, flowers, fruits, twigs, and roots of Vitex rotundifolia L.f. based on the antioxidant activity-guided experiments. Subsequently, total extract from each part of V. rotundifolia was successfully partitioned into fractions, which were evaluated for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties via DPPH, ABTS, and NO assays, respectively. Among them, EtOAc (E) and n-butanol (B) fractions showed the potent antioxidant activity and the methylene chloride (MC) fractions of roots, leaves, and fruits that exhibited strong scavenging activity on DPPH and ABTS radicals. In the anti-inflammatory assay, n-hexane (H) and MC fractions of leaves potently inhibited NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, followed by E fractions derived from fruits, flowers, twigs, and roots, along with B fractions from flowers and twigs. Additionally, a comprehensive HPLC-decoupled MS profiling was established and validated using seven isolated marker compounds (1–7), which were identified by analysis of their UV, NMR, and MS data. The established method was also applied for quantification of these marker compounds in each organ collected from different locations, and to assess their antioxidant capacity by a screening DPPH-HPLC method. Principal component analysis suggested the botanical organs from this plant correlated with the marker compound contents in association with bioactivity. The study results are a prelude to further studies involving the active fractions and provide a comprehensive insight into the functional products of this plant against oxidative diseases.

Chemical Constituent Profiling of Phyllostachys heterocycla var. Pubescens with Selective Cytotoxic Polar Fraction through EGFR Inhibition in HepG2 Cells

Different extracts of the Bamboo shoot skin Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens were screened against panel of cancer cell lines and normal one. The cell viability results exhibited that the ethyl acetate extract showed the least vitality percentage of 2.14% of HepG2 cells. Accordingly, it was subjected to chromatographic separation, which resulted in the isolation of a new natural product; 7-hydroxy, 5-methoxy, methyl cinnamate (1), together with four known compounds. The structures of the pure isolated compounds were deduced based on different spectroscopic data. The new compound (1) was screened against the HepG2 and MCF-7 cells and showed IC50 values of 7.43 and 10.65 µM, respectively. It induced apoptotic cell death in HepG2 with total apoptotic cell death of 58.6% (12.44-fold) compared to 4.71% in control by arresting cell cycle progression at the G1 phase. Finally, compound 1 was validated as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor in both enzymatic levels (IC50 = 98.65 nM compared to Erlotinib (IC50 = 78.65 nM). Finally, in silico studies of compound 1 through the molecular docking indicated its high binding affinity towards EGFR protein and the ADME pharmacokinetics indicated it as a drug-like.

Antibacterial and cytotoxic prenylated dihydrochalcones from Eriosema montanum

Two new prenylated dihydrochalcones (1,2) and eighteen known secondary metabolites (3-20) were isolated from the CH₂Cl₂-MeOH (1:1) extracts of the roots, the stem bark and the leaves of Eriosema montanum Baker f. (Leguminosae). The structures of the isolated compounds were characterized by NMR, IR, and UV spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses. The structures of compounds 5, 10, 11 and 13 were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The antibacterial activity of the crude extracts and the isolated constituents were established against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Among the tested compounds, 1-4 and 10 showed strong activity against the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 3.1 to 8.9 μM, as did the leaf crude extract with an MIC of 3.0 μg/mL. None of the crude extracts nor the isolated compounds were active against Escherichia coli. Compounds 1, 3 and 4 showed higher cytotoxicity, evaluated against the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, with EC₅₀ of 7.0, 18.0 and 18.0 μM, respectively. These findings contribute to the phytochemical understanding of the genus Eriosema, and highlight the pharmaceutical potential of prenylated dihydrochalcones.

Chestnut (Castanea sativa Miller.) Burs Extracts and Functional Compounds: UHPLC-UV-HRMS Profiling, Antioxidant Activity, and Inhibitory Effects on Phytopathogenic Fungi

Chestnut (Castanea sativa Miller.) burs (CSB) represent a solid waste produced during the edible fruit harvesting. Their usual disposal in the field increases the environmental and economic impact of the agricultural process. HPLC-UV-HRMS profiling revealed that CSB organic and aqueous extracts (CSB-M, CSB-H, CSB-A) contain several hydrolyzable tannins, mainly ellagitannins, and glycoside flavonols. Ellagic acid (EA) and chestanin are predominant components (5–79 and 1–13 mg/g dry extract, respectively). NMR analysis confirmed the chemical structures of the major constituents from CSB-M. The extracts displayed a significant scavenging activity against DPPH^• (EC₅₀ 12.64–24.94 µg/mL) and ABTS^•+ radicals (TEAC value 2.71–3.52 mM Trolox/mg extract). They were effective in inhibiting the mycelial growth (EC₅₀ 6.04–15.51 mg/mL) and spore germination (EC₅₀ 2.22–11.17 mg/mL) of Alternaria alternata and Fusarium solani. At the highest concentration, CSB-M was also active against Botrytis cinerea both in mycelium and spore form (EC₅₀ 64.98 and 16.33 mg/mL). The EA contributed to the antifungal activity of extracts (EC₅₀ on spore germination 13.33–112.64 µg/mL). Our results can support the upgrading of chestnut burs from agricultural wastes to a resource of natural fungicides for managing fruit and vegetable diseases.

Bioactivities of Achillea phrygia and Bupleurum croceum based on the composition of phenolic compounds: In vitro and in silico approaches

This study presents the effects of the Achillea phrygia Boiss. et Bal. and Bupleurum croceum Fenzl. extracts obtained by different solvents (ethyl acetate, methanol and water) on selected enzyme inhibitory effects and antioxidant ability with screening bioactive compounds. Total and individual bioactive compounds were detected by spectrophotometric and HPLC-DAD techniques. Antioxidant abilities were evaluated by different methods including free radical scavenging (ABTS and DPPH), reducing power (CUPRAC and FRAP), phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating. Enzyme inhibitory effects were tested against cholinesterases, tyrosinase, amylase, glucosidase and lipase. Total phenolic contents were ranged from 20.52 mgGAE/g extract (B. croceum methanol extract) to 41.13 mgGAE/g extract (A. phrygia methanol extract). Generally, methanol and water extracts showed the strongest antioxidant abilities, while the ethyl acetate extracts had the most promising enzyme inhibitory effects. HPLC analysis revealed the abundance of some phenolics including rutin, quercetin, sinapic acid and chlorogenic acid, respectively. These components were also assessed using molecular modelling with the aim to study their docking properties on a set of six enzymes used in this study. Overall, these species could be suggested as valuable sources of natural-bioactive agents for developing new functional, pharmacological and health-promoting ingredients.