A new iridoid and effect on the rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation of isolated compounds from Buddleja officinalis

Revealing the effects and mechanism of wine processing on Corni Fructus using chemical characterization integrated with multi-dimensional analyses

Corni fructus (CF) is always subjected to wine processing before prescription in clinic, for an enhancing effect of nourishing liver and kidney. While, the underlying mechanism for this processing on CF remains obscure. In this study, a sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method combined multi-dimensional analyses was established to monitor chemical characterizations of raw and wine-processed CF (WCF) and hence reveal the effects and underlying mechanism of wine processing on CF. As indicated, a total of 216 compounds were tentatively identified, including 98 structurally complex and variable home/hetero-polymers, that were composed of iridoid glucosides, gallic acids, caffeic acid and/or 5-HMF. Interestingly, 53 of these compounds probably characterized potential novel, including 35 iridoid glucosides or their dimers, 9 iridoid glucoside-gallic acid dimers, 7 gallic acids derivatives and 2 gallic acid-caffeic acid dimers, which provides ideas for natural product researchers. Meanwhile, the multi-dimensional analyses including principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and linear regression analysis were used to explore the differences between CF and WCF. The results showed that 23 compounds as chemical markers greatly contributing to the distinction were screened out, and 3 of which (7α/β-O-ethyl-morroniside, gallic acid and 5-HMF) in WCF indicated an increasing trend in intensities in relative to those in CF. Additionally, linear regression analysis showed that in WCF 53 compounds exhibited an increasing in intensities, while 132 ones did a decreasing trend, compared with those in CF. As our investigation demonstrated, acetal reaction of morroniside, ester hydrolysis in different organic acid derivatives as well as glycoside bond cleavage during wine processing probably resulted in the distinctions. The findings of this study provide a further understanding of the effect and mechanism of wine processing on CF.

Buddleja officinalis Maxim.: A review of its botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential for ophthalmic diseases

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Buddleja officinalis Maxim. (B. officinalis), commonly known as "Menghua" "Yangerduo" is a widely recognized traditional herbal medicine in China, Korea, and Vietnam. For thousands of years, it has been used to treat dry eye disease, conjunctivitis, keratitis, eye ulcers, eye pain, cough, asthma, hemoptysis, and other medical conditions.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review article aims to provide a concise summary of the botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, medicinal potential, and application of B. officinalis in treating ophthalmic diseases and critically evaluates the existing literature to establish a scientific basis for its reasonable utilization and further investigation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The information reviewed in this study was collected from various electronic resources, including the Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar.

RESULTS

To date, 80 structurally diverse compounds have been isolated and characterized from B. officinalis, primarily flavonoids, phenylethanoids, triterpenoids, and monoterpenes. Extracts and compounds derived from B. officinalis have been reported to possess broad pharmacological effects including anti-dry eye disease, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-diabetes, anti-obesity, improving osteoporosis and treatment of skin diseases. This review provides a reference for the future studies on of B. officinalis.

CONCLUSIONS

As a natural medicinal plant, B. officinalis is worthy of further development in botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential for ophthalmic diseases. Although some components have demonstrated multiple pharmacological activities, their mechanisms of action remain unclear. Further studies on the underlying molecular basis and mechanism of action are warranted.

Green Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Ag/Fe2O3 Nanocomposite Using Buddleja lindleyana Extract

In the study reported in this manuscript, silver/iron oxide nanocomposites (Ag/Fe₂O₃) were phytosynthesized using the extract of Buddleja lindleyana via a green, economical and eco-friendly strategy. The biosynthesized Ag/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, FTIR, XRD, TEM, DLS and SEM-EDX analyses. The particulates showed a triangular and spherical morphology having sizes between 25 and 174 nm. FTIR studies on the nanoparticles showed functional groups corresponding to organic metabolites, which reduce and stabilize the Ag/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite. The antimicrobial efficacy of the phytosynthesized Ag/Fe₂O₃ against bacterial pathogens was assessed. In addition, Ag/Fe₂O₃ exhibited broad spectrum activities against B. subtilis, S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa with inhibition zones of 23.4 ± 0.75, 22.3 ± 0.57, 20.8 ± 1.6, and 19.5 ± 0.5 mm, respectively. The Ag/Fe₂O₃ composites obtained showed promising antibacterial action against human bacterial pathogens (S. aureus, E. coli, B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa), making them candidates for medical applications.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of chemical constituents from the flower buds of Buddleja officinalis

Five new glycosides including mimenghuasu A and B (1-2), isolinarin (3), cyclocitralosides A and B (4-5), along with forty-seven known compounds were isolated from the flower buds of Buddleja officinalis. These structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis (UV, IR, 1 D, 2 D NMR, and MS spectra). The anti-inflammatory activities of the isolated compounds were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the expression of TNF-α (LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells) and MTT experiment on LPS-induced HUVECs proliferation effects. Good suppressive effects on the expression of TNF-α were shown by 4 and 5 with IC₅₀ values of 19.35 and 22.10 μM, respectively, compared to positive control indomethacin (IC₅₀ 16.40 μM). In addition to this, some isolated compounds exhibited excellent antioxidant activities including compounds 16, 18, 29, 39, and 47 (IC₅₀ μM: 82.59, 72.94, 33.65, 46.67, and 20.81, respectively) with almost the same or stronger potency with reference to vitamin C as positive control (IC₅₀ 81.83 μM).

Chemical Characterization and Anti-HIV-1 Activity Assessment of Iridoids and Flavonols from Scrophularia trifoliata

Plants are the everlasting source of a wide spectrum of specialized metabolites, characterized by wide variability in term of chemical structures and different biological properties such antiviral activity. In the search for novel antiviral agents against Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) from plants, the phytochemical investigation of Scrophularia trifoliata L. led us to isolate and characterize four flavonols glycosides along with nine iridoid glycosides, two of them, 5 and 13, described for the first time. In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, the contents of a methanol extract of S. trifoliata leaves, in order to explore the potential antiviral activity against HIV-1. The antiviral activity was evaluated in biochemical assays for the inhibition of HIV-1Reverse Transcriptase (RT)-associated Ribonuclease H (RNase H) activity and HIV-1 Integrase (IN). Three isolated flavonoids, rutin, kaempferol-7-O-rhamnosyl-3-O-glucopyranoside, and kaempferol-3-O-glucopyranoside, 8-10, inhibited specifically the HIV-1 IN activity at submicromolar concentration, with the latter being the most potent, showing an IC50 value of 24 nM.

The development and validation of a sensitive HPLC-MS/MS method for the quantitative and pharmacokinetic study of the seven components of Buddleja lindleyana Fort

Buddleja lindleyana Fort., a traditional Chinese medicine, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antidementia, neuroprotective, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects. Its flowers, leaves, and roots have been used as traditional Chinese medicines. A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was applied in the multicomponent determination of Buddleja lindleyana Fort., and the discrepancies in the contents from ten different habitats were analyzed. The present study simultaneously determined the concentrations of seven chemical compounds of Buddleja lindleyana Fort. extract in rat plasma via HPLC-MS/MS, which was applied in the pharmacokinetic (PK) study of Buddleja lindleyana Fort. A C18 column was used for chromatographic separation, and ion acquisition was achieved by multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) in negative ionization mode. The optimized mass transition ion-pairs (m/z) for quantization were 591.5/282.8 for linarin, 609.4/300.2 for rutin, 284.9/133.0 for luteolin, 300.6/151.0 for quercetin, 268.8/116.9 for apigenin, 283.0/267.9 for acacetin, 623.3/160.7 for acteoside, and 252.2/155.8 for sulfamethoxazole (IS). A double peak appeared in the drug–time curve of apigenin, which was associated with entero-hepatic recirculation. There were discrepancies in the contents of seven chemical compounds from 10 batches of Buddleja lindleyana Fort., which were associated with the growth environments. Herein, the pharmacokinetic parameters of seven analytes in Buddleja lindleyana Fort. extract are summarized. The maximum plasma concentration (C_max) of linarin, rutin, luteolin, quercetin, apigenin, acacetin and acteoside were 894.12 ± 9.34 ng mL⁻¹, 130.76 ± 18.33 ng mL⁻¹, 77.37 ± 25.72 ng mL⁻¹, 20.15 ± 24.85 ng mL⁻¹, 146.42 ± 14.88 ng mL⁻¹, 31.92 ± 17.58 ng mL⁻¹, and 649.78 ± 16.42 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The time to reach C_max for linarin, rutin, luteolin, quercetin, apigenin, acacetin, and acteoside were 10, 5, 5, 5, 180, 10 and 10 min, respectively. This is the first report on the simultaneous determination of seven active components for 10 different growing environments and the pharmacokinetic studies of seven active components in rat plasma after the oral administration of Buddleja lindleyana Fort. extract. This study lays the foundation for a better understanding of the absorption mechanism of Buddleja lindleyana Fort., and the evaluation of its clinical application.

Quality control and pharmacokinetics of Buddleja lindleyana Fort by HPLC-MS/MS.

Glycosides from Buddleja officinalis with their protective effects on photoreceptor cells in light-damaged mouse retinas

A new phenylethanoid, hebitol IV (1), along with fifteen known glycosides (2-16), were isolated from water extract of the flower buds of Buddleja officinalis. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of 1 D-NMR, 2 D-NMR and MS data. Molecular docking showed the potential activities of the natural products against VEGFR-2. Bioassay results revealed that the compounds 10 and 14 exhibited strong inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2 with IC₅₀ values of 0.51 and 0.32 μM, respectively. Moreover, the potential retinal protective effects of 10 and 14 were then investigated in the mouse model featuring bright light-induced retinal degeneration. The results demonstrated remarkable photoreceptor protective activities of 10 and 14 in vivo.

A new diterpene and bioactivities of labdanes isolated from Buddleja marrubiifolia

The new labdane [(3R*,4aR*,7S*,10aS*,10bR*)-3-ethenyl-3,4a,7,10a-tetramethyl-dodecahydro-1H-naphtho-[2,1-b]-pyran-7-yl]-methylbenzoate together with other 7 labdanes were isolated from the aerial parts of Buddleja marrubiifolia. Compound structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Some compounds showed moderate to weak antimicrobial activity towards a panel of bacterial and fungal pathogens. In addition, trans-biformene (2) and ribenol acetate (8) showed to be highly cytotoxic with LC50 < 1 µg/mL, the other compounds showed moderate cytotoxic effect with a LC50 range of 6.008-15.26 µg/mL. For all isolated compounds, no inflammatory response was observed.

Antioxidants and Atherosclerosis: Mechanistic Aspects

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease which is a major cause of coronary heart disease and stroke in humans. It is characterized by intimal plaques and cholesterol accumulation in arterial walls. The side effects of currently prescribed synthetic drugs and their high cost in the treatment of atherosclerosis has prompted the use of alternative herbal medicines, dietary supplements, and antioxidants associated with fewer adverse effects for the treatment of atherosclerosis. This article aims to present the activity mechanisms of antioxidants on atherosclerosis along with a review of the most prevalent medicinal plants employed against this multifactorial disease. The wide-ranging information in this review article was obtained from scientific databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Natural and synthetic antioxidants have a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis through different mechanisms. These include: The inhibition of low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, the inhibition of cytokine secretion, the prevention of atherosclerotic plaque formation and platelet aggregation, the preclusion of mononuclear cell infiltration, the improvement of endothelial dysfunction and vasodilation, the augmentation of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, the modulation of the expression of adhesion molecules such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on endothelial cells, and the suppression of foam cell formation.

Bioactivities of Natural Catalpol Derivatives

Catalpol, a famous molecule of iridoids, possesses extensive pharmacological activities. Our studies found that compounds with low-polarity substituents at the 6-O position of catalpol exhibited higher NF-κB inhibitory potency than catalpol. However, catalpol derivatives are not much focused. Here this review provides extensive coverage of naturally occurring catalpol derivatives discovered from 1888 until 2018. It covers their distribution, chemotaxonomic significance, chemical structures, and bioactivities from more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, and highlights the structure-activity relationship of catalpol derivatives.

Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from the Aerial Parts of Buddleja macrostachya

A new iridoid glycoside, buddlemacroside A (1) and 15 known compounds, including 6-α-L-(4″- O-trans-p-coumaroyl)rhamnopyranosylcatalpol (2), 6-α-L-(2″-caffeoyl)rhamnopyranosylcatalpol (3), salidroside (4), echipuroside A (5), darendoside A (6), decaffeoylacteoside (7), acteoside (8), martynoside (9), 8-hydroxylinalool 3- O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10), 9- O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-4-hydroxy-cinnamic acid (11), apigenin (12), acacetin-7- O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (13), mimengoside C (14), buddlejasaponin Ia (15), and buddejasaponin I (16) were isolated from a methanol extract of the aerial parts of Buddleja macrostachya Benth. Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including MS and NMR spectra as well as by comparison with the data reported in the literature. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging test showed that compounds 3 and 7-9 possess significant scavenging capacity, with SC50 values ranging from 6.9-19.6 μM. Compound 8 was shown to have potent inhibitory effect against the release of malondialdehyde (MDA) - the major product of the cellular lipid peroxidation, with IC50 value of 2.3 μM. Compounds 12 and 16 significantly inhibited nitrite production in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia, with IC50 values of 14.2 and 11.4 μM, respectively. Furthermore, compound 16 showed cytotoxicity toward three human cancer cell lines, including SK-LU-1, MCF7, HepG2, with IC50 values in the range of 6.5-8.0 μM.

Activation of AMPK by Buddleja officinalis Maxim. Flower Extract Contributes to Protecting Hepatocytes from Oxidative Stress

The Buddleja officinalis Maxim. flower is used in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine to treat inflammation, vascular diseases, headache, and stroke, as well as enhance liver function. This research investigated the effects of B. officinalis Maxim. flower extract (BFE) on hepatotoxicity. The cytoprotective effects and mechanism of BFE against severe mitochondrial dysfunction and H₂O₂ production in hepatotoxicity induced by coadministration of arachidonic acid (AA) and iron were observed in the HepG2 cell line. In addition, we performed blood biochemical, histopathological, and histomorphometric analyses of mice with carbon tetrachloride- (CCl₄-) induced acute liver damage. BFE inhibited the AA + iron-mediated hepatotoxicity of HepG2 cells. Moreover, it inhibited mitochondrial dysfunction, H₂O₂ production, and glutathione depletion mediated by AA + iron in the same cells. Meanwhile, the cytoprotective effects of BFE against oxidative stress were associated with the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). In particular, based on the histopathological observations, BFE (30 and 100 mg/kg) showed clear hepatoprotective effects against CCl₄-induced acute hepatic damage. Furthermore, it inhibited 4-hydroxynonenal and nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity in hepatocytes. These results provide evidence that BFE has beneficial hepatoprotective effects against hepatic damage via the activation of AMPK pathway. Accordingly, BFE may have therapeutic potential for diverse liver disorders.

Inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory responses by Buddleja officinalis extract in BV-2 microglial cells via negative regulation of NF-kB and ERK1/2 signaling

Buddleja officinalis has been traditionally used in the supportive treatment of inflammatory and neuronal diseases in Korea and China. Although several reports have shown the anti-inflammatory effects of Buddleja officinalis, the anti-neuroinflammatory effect has remained unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of flower buds of B. officinalis Maximowicz water extract (BOWE) on LPS-induced inflammatory processes in BV-2 microglial cells. BOWE dose-dependently inhibited the production of nitric oxide as well as iNOS mRNA expression. Moreover, BOWE prevented IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression. However, BOWE had no effect on LPS-induced COX-2 or TNF-α mRNA expression. The extract also had no effect on LPS-stimulated p38 MAPK, JNK, and c-Jun phosphorylation, whereas ERK1/2 phosphorylation was strongly inhibited by BOWE. BOWE also inhibited the LPS-induced degradation of IκB-α, and LPS-induced phosphorylation of p65 NF-κB protein. These data indicate that BOWE inhibited the nitric oxide production and pro-inflammatory gene expression in BV-2 microglial cells, possibly through a negative regulation of the NF-κB and ERK1/2 pathways. Further identification of the direct target molecule(s) of BOWE is required to support its use as an anti-neuroinflammatory agent against the neurodegenerative disorders.