Platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor binding antagonists from Alpinia officinarum

Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of Alpinia officinarum on nicotinamide/streptozotocin induced type II diabetic rats

OBJECTIVES

Alpinia officinarum Hance, commonly known as lesser galangal, is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) traditionally used for many decades to treat inflammation, pain, stomach ache and cold. In the present study, the antidiabetic and hypolipidemic potentials of the hydroalcoholic extract of A. officinarum (AO) were investigated in the nicotinamide/streptozotocin induced type II diabetic rats.

METHODS

Male Wistar rats were divided into following six groups: Group I was normal control rats. Group II: normal diabetic control, Group III: Diabetic rats treated with glibenclamide (0.25 mg/kg), IV, V and VI: Diabetic rats treated with 100, 200 and 500 mg/kg AO hydroalcoholic extract by daily gavage for 28 days, respectively. At the end of treatment, biochemical analysis, histological study, phytochemical analysis and acute toxicity tests were carried out.

RESULTS

The results show significant reduction in blood glucose, serum lipid profiles, and liver enzyme levels in diabetic rats compared with diabetic control in AO treated group.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that AO extract had significant (p<0.05) antidiabetic and anti-hyperlipidemia effects in addition to hepatoprotective effect in type II diabetic rats.

Therapeutic Promises of Medicinal Plants in Bangladesh and Their Bioactive Compounds against Ulcers and Inflammatory Diseases

When functioning properly, the stomach is the center of both physical and mental satisfaction. Gastrointestinal disorders, or malfunctioning of the stomach, due to infections caused by various biological entities and physiochemical abnormalities, are now widespread, with most of the diseases being inflammatory, which, depending on the position and degree of inflammation, have different names such as peptic or gastric ulcers, irritable bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis, and so on. While many synthetic drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are now extensively used to treat these diseases, their harmful and long-term side effects cannot be ignored. To treat these diseases safely and successfully, different potent medicinal plants and their active components are considered game-changers. In consideration of this, the present review aimed to reveal a general and comprehensive updated overview of the anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory activities of medicinal plants. To emphasize the efficacy of the medicinal plants, various bioactive compounds from the plant extract, their experimental animal models, and clinical trials are depicted.

Recent advances in biological activities of rhodium complexes: Their applications in drug discovery research

Unique structure, characteristic reactivity, and facile synthesis of metal complexes have made them efficient ligands in drug development research. Among them, rhodium complexes have a limited history and there are a few discussions about their biological activities documented in the literature. However, investigation of kinetically inert rhodium complexes has recently attracted lots of attention and especially there are various evidences on their anti-cancer activity. It seems that they can be investigated as a versatile surrogates or candidates for the existing drugs which do not affect selectively or suffer from various side effects. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the use of mononuclear rhodium (III) organometallo drugs due to its versatile structurally important aspects to inhibit various enzymes. It has been demonstrated that organometallic Rh complexes profiting from both organic and inorganic aspects have shown more potent biological activities than classical inorganic compartments. In this respect, smart design, use of the appropriate organic ligands, and efficient and user-friendly synthesis of organometallic Rh complexes have played crucial roles in the inducing desirable biological activities. In this review, we focused on the recent advances published on the bioactivity of Rh (III/II/I) complexes especially inhibitory activity, from 2013 till now. Accordingly, considering the structure-activity relationship (SAR), the effect of oxidation state (+1, +2, and +3) and geometry (dimer or monomer complexes with coordination number of 4 and 6) of Rh complexes as well as various ligands on in vitro and in vivo studies was comprehensively discussed.

Anti-inflammatory activity of naturally occuring diarylheptanoids - A review

Inflammation involving the innate and adaptive immune systems is a normal response to infection. However, if it becomes uncontrolled, inflammation may result in autoimmune or auto inflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative diseases or cancers. The currently available anti-inflammatory drug therapy is often not successful or induces severe side effects. Thus, the search of new therapeutic options for the treatment of inflammation is highly required. Medicinal plants have been an interesting source for obtaining new active compounds. Diarylheptanoids characterized by a 1, 7-diphenylheptane structural skeleton, are a class of secondary plant metabolites that have gained increasing interest over the last few decades due to a wide variety of biological activities. This review covers 182 natural linear or macrocyclic diarylheptanoids described in the period of 1982 to 2020 with anti-inflammatory activities evaluated using quantified in vitro and/or in vivo assays. All of these data highlight the pharmacological potential of these natural compounds to act as anti-inflammatory drugs.

Bioactive Molecules from the Alpinia Genus: A Comprehensive Review

BACKGROUND

Floral has diversity and unique nature due to the complex structure and component. Alpinia is an important genus of the Zingiberaceae family having complex taxonomical diversity. The presence of many unique bioactive molecules makes this genus, a pharmaceutically important genus. They provide a wide range of medicinal properties, including traditional remedies to modern therapeutic applications.

METHODS

Extracts of Alpinia mostly contain bioactive molecules and secondary metabolites such as polyphenolics, tannins, flavonoids and other therapeutically important compounds. These bioactive molecules are biologically active, treating against inflammation, cancer, arterial hypertension, and other deadly diseases.

RESULTS

These bioactive molecules can act as natural enzyme inhibitors for some of the deadly diseases and can block the pathway for metabolic activities. In addition, these genera have played a major role in multidisciplinary studies of phytochemistry, ethnobotany, and pharmacological aspects in day-to-day life.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, this review highlights the fewer known facts of the genus Alpinia in terms of bioactive molecules and its significant therapeutic applications to help in combating major diseases of humans.

Flavonoid, stilbene and diarylheptanoid constituents of Persicaria maculosa Gray and cytotoxic activity of the isolated compounds

Persicaria maculosa (Polygonaceae) has been used as edible and as medicinal plant since ancient times. As a result of multistep chromatographic purifications, chalcones [2'-hydroxy-3',4',6'-trimethoxychalcone (1), pashanone (2), pinostrobin chalcone (3)], flavanones [6-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxyflavanone (4), pinostrobin (5), onysilin (6), 5-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavanone (7)], flavonol [3-O-methylgalangin (8)], stilbene [persilben (9)], diarylheptanoids [1,7-diphenylhept-4-en-3-one (10), dihydroyashabushiketol (12), yashabushidiol B (13)] and 3-oxo-α-ionol-glucoside (11) were isolated from P. maculosa. The present paper reports for the first time the occurrence of diarylheptanoid-type constituents in the family Polygonaceae. Cytotoxicity of 1-5, 7 and 9-11 on 4 T1 mouse triple negative breast cancer cells was assayed by MTT test. None of the tested compounds reduced the cell viability to less than 80% of the control. On non-tumorigenic D3 human brain endothelial cells the decrease of cell viability was observed in case of 1 and 2. Further impedance measurements on 4 T1 and D3 cells a concentration-dependent decrease in the cell index of both cell types was demonstrated for 1, while 2 proved to be toxic only on endothelial cells.

Alpinoid c analog inhibits angiogenesis and induces apoptosis in COLO205 cell line

Diarylheptanoids display an array of biological and pharmacological properties. We previously reported the synthesis of a diarylheptanoid Alpinoid c and a series of its derivatives, evaluated their cytotoxicity against various human cancer cells. We found some of these derivatives were significantly more potent than Alpinoid c in preventing the proliferation of various cancer cell lines. Among these, (S, E)-1-(3, 4 dimethoxyphenyl)-6-hydroxy-7-phenylhept-4-en-3-one (DPHP) showed most potent cytotoxicity against COLO205 cells, however, the mechanism by which DPHP prevents the growth of these colon cancer cells remains unknown. In the current study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of DPHP on colon cancer cells. DPHP inhibited the proliferation of COLO205 (IC₅₀ 7.01 ± 0.62 μM) and A549 (IC₅₀ 20.03 ± 3.11 μM) cells more specifically than normal human colon epithelial cell line NCM460 (IC₅₀ 55.6 ± 4.02 μM). In COLO205 cells, DPHP induced cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, phosphatidylserine externalization, and an accumulation of cells at sub-G1 phase. Further analysis these cells treated with DPHP revealed a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, an increase in Bax/Bcl2 ratio, the release of cytochrome c, activation of caspases -9, -3/7, and cleavage of the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase. DPHP treatment resulted in inhibition of hypoxia induced VEGF downstream signaling pathway in COLO205 cells is concurrent with inhibition of angiogenesis in CAM. Based on these data we suggest that DPHP significantly induced apoptosis possibly via intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and inhibited angiogenesis. Our study suggests DPHP could be a therapeutic agent in treating colon cancer.

Four new diarylheptanoids from Rhizoma Zingiberis

Four new diarylheptanoids, (1S, 3R, 5R, 6R)-1, 5-epoxy-3, 6 dihydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3, 5-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) heptane (1), (1R, 3R, 5S)-1, 5-epoxy-3-acetoxy-1-(4, 5-dihydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-7-(3, 4- hydroxyphenyl) heptane (2), (3R, 5S, 6R, 7S)-3, 6-epoxy-7-hydroxyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl) heptane (3), (E)-3-keto-1-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-(4, 5-dihydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-4- heptene (4), were isolated from Rhizoma Zingiberis, and their structures were determined based on HR-ESI-MS and extensive spectroscopic techniques (UV, IR, 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR). Compounds 1-4 exhibited no cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell lines.

A review on the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Alpinia officinarum Hance

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Alpinia officinarum Hance is a perennial plant that has been traditionally used for many decades to treat several ailments including inflammation, pain, stomach-ache, cold, amongst others. Pharmacological studies over the years have demonstrated remarkable bioactivities that could be further explored for development of new therapeutic agents against various ailments.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The paper critically reviewed the ethno-medicinal uses, pharmacology, and phytochemistry of A. officinarum.

METHODS

Keywords including A. officinarum and its synonyms were searched using electronic databases including ISI web of knowledge, Science direct, Scopus, PubMed, Google scholar and relevant database for Masters and Doctoral theses.

RESULTS

A. officinarum is prepared in Asia, Turkey, Morocco and Iran as a decoction, infusion or juice as a single preparation or in combination with other herbs, food or drinks for the treatment of general health problems including cold, inflammation, digestive disorders, etc. Pharmacological studies revealed the potent in vitro and in vivo bioactivities of various parts of A. officinarum that include anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity, homeostasis, lipid regulation, antioxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, antiosteoporosis, etc. Over 90 phytochemical constituents have been identified and isolated from A. officinarum comprising vastly of phenolic compounds especially diarylheptanoids isolated from the rhizome and considered the most active bioactive components.

CONCLUSION

In vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed the potency of A. officinarum. However, further studies are required to establish the mechanisms mediating its bioactivities in relation to the medicinal uses as well as investigating any potential toxicity for future clinical studies.

An overview of chemical constituents from Alpinia species in the last six decades

Alpinia species is one of the most important genera of the Zingiberaceae family. Up to 2015, 544 compounds with various bioactivities were isolated, the major components are diarylheptanoids (143) and sesquiterpenoids (132).

Repellent and Contact Toxicity of Alpinia officinarum Rhizome Extract against Lasioderma serricorne Adults

The repellent and contact toxicities of Alpinia officinarum rhizome extract on Lasioderma serricorne adults, and its ability to protect stored wheat flour from L. serricorne adults infestation were investigated. The A. officinarum extract exhibited strong repellent and contact toxicities against L. serricorne adults. The toxicities enhanced significantly with the increasing treatment time and treatment dose. The mean percentage repellency value reached 91.3% at class V at the dose of 0.20 μL/cm2 after 48 h of exposure. The corrected mortality reached over 80.0% at the dose of 0.16 μL/cm2 after 48 h of exposure. The A. officinarum extract could significantly reduce L. serricorne infestation level against stored wheat flour. Particularly, the insect infestation was nil in wheat flour packaged with kraft paper bags coated with the A. officinarum extract at the dose of above 0.05 μL/cm2. The naturally occurring A. officinarum extract could be useful for integrated management of L. serricorne.

Alpinia: the gold mine of future therapeutics

Since prehistoric era, plant-derived drugs were much preferred due to their less side effects than drugs of synthetic origin. Bioassay-guided selection of active fraction of a plant extract and further isolation and characterization of the pure bioactive compounds are in practice in both academic and industrial research. Zingiberaceae, a medicinally important, ornamental, monocotyledonous family has potential members in the tribe Alpinieae, among which the genus Alpinia is studied under this current review due to its wide range of biomedical applications. The members in the genus possess many bioactive compounds against harmful microbes to deadly diseases like cancer by regulating the different signalling pathway systems. Several compounds have been discovered and found to deliver diversified biological efficacy either in vitro or in vivo against a range of diseases. The chemical profiling of the genus and investigation of crude essential oils and individual bioactive compounds towards the therapeutic importance in various disciplines have been documented in the current review.

Naturally Occurring Diarylheptanoids

Diarylheptanoids, natural products with a 1,7-diphenylheptane structural skeleton, are mainly distributed in the roots, rhizomes and bark of Alpinia, Zingiber, Curcuma and Alnus species. They have become of interest in natural product research over the past twenty years because of their remarkable anticancer, anti-emetic, estrogenic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. This paper compiles all 307 naturally occurring diarylheptanoids from 46 plants as reported in 137 references with their distributions, physiological activities and 13C-NMR spectral data.

Anticancer effects of Alpinia pricei Hayata roots

The leaves and roots of Alpinia pricei Hayata are used as a traditional wrapping for food and as a cooking substitute for fresh ginger. Our previous study showed that ethanol extracts from the roots of A. pricei Hayata (EEAP) and its phenolic compounds have anti-inflammatory effects. The aims of this work were to further study the in vitro anticancer activity of EEAP and its active compounds with respect to various cancer cells. The results from an MTT assay demonstrated that EEAP decreased the cell population growth of CH27, HL-60, and A549 cells. Flow cytometric analysis of HL-60 cells exposed to EEAP showed that the number of apoptotic cells increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Western blot data revealed that EEAP stimulated an increase in the level of protein expression of Fas, FasL, caspase-8, and tBid. Moreover, the ratio of the expression levels of pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members was changed after treatment with EEAP. EEAP-induced apoptosis involved the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c and subsequently induced the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, which were followed by the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). The results also demonstrated that phenolic compounds (caffeic acid, apigenin, curcumin, and pinocembrin) from EEAP decreased the rate of population growth of HL-60 cells. Treatment of HL-60 cells with these phenolic compounds caused the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Our finding could provide critical information regarding the chemopreventive potential of ethanol extracts from A. pricei Hayata. These results also demonstrate that the EEAP-induced apoptotic ability in HL-60 cells might be related to the phenolic compounds.

Albidopyrone, a new alpha-pyrone-containing metabolite from marine-derived Streptomyces sp. NTK 227

Albidopyrone, a new alpha-pyrone-containing secondary metabolite, was produced by Streptomyces sp. NTK 227, a strain isolated from Atlantic Ocean sediment and found to be a member of the Streptomyces albidoflavus 16S rRNA gene clade. The structure of the compound was determined by MS and NMR spectroscopy, and found to have a moderate inhibitory activity against protein-tyrosin phosphatase B.