Isolation and structural elucidation of antifungal compounds from Ryudai gold (Curcuma longa) against Fusarium solani sensu lato isolated from American manatee

Anti-Inflammatory, Wound Healing, and Anti-Diabetic Effects of Pure Active Compounds Present in the Ryudai Gold Variety of Curcuma longa

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) contains curcumin, demethoxycurcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC). Nevertheless, curcumin is the most researched active ingredient for its numerous pharmacological effects. We investigated the impact of these curcuminoids found in Ryudai gold, an approved cultivar of Curcuma longa, on wound healing, inflammation, and diabetes. Sub-planter injections of carrageenan induced acute paw inflammation in rats. The wound-healing ability of 1% curcuminoids was examined by making a 6 mm round wound on the shaved dorsum of the mice with a biopsy punch. A single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) was used to induce diabetes in mice. Curcuminoids at a dose rate of 100 mg/kg body weight were used with feed and as a gastric gavage to treat diabetes and inflammation in experimental animals. Paw thickness was measured at 1, 3, and 6 h following carrageenan injection. After three hours, mean paw volume was 58% in carrageenan-injected mice, which was 35%, 37%, and 31% in the curcumin, DMC, and BDMC groups, respectively. Histopathology of the paw tissue demonstrated severe infiltration of inflammatory cells and thickening of the dermis, which were remarkably improved by the curcuminoids. The wound-healing abilities were significantly higher in the curcumin- (95.0%), DMC- (93.17%), and BDMC-treated (89.0%) groups, in comparison to that of the control (65.09%) group at day nine. There were no significant differences in wound-healing activity among the groups treated with 1% curcuminoids throughout the study. Streptozotocin-induced diabetes was characterized by an increased blood glucose (552.2 mg/dL) and decreased body weight (31.2 g), compared to that of the control rats (145.6 mg/dL and 46.8 g blood glucose and body weight, respectively). It also caused an increase in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT; 44.2 U/L) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST; 55.8 U/L) compared to that of the control group (18.6 U/L and 20.1 U/L, respectively). Histopathological examination of the liver showed that diabetes caused hepatic cellular necrosis, congestion of the central vein, and parenchymatous degeneration. However, all three curcuminoids significantly decreased blood glucose levels, ALT, and AST and improved the histopathological score of the liver. These results evidenced that not only curcumin but also DMC and BDMC have potent anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and anti-diabetic efficacy, and the Ryudai gold variety of turmeric could be used as a functional food supplement.

Plants from a semi-arid environment as a source of phytochemicals against Fusarium crown and foot rot in zucchini

Fusarium crown and foot rot, caused by F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae, are major fungal diseases affecting zucchini and other cucurbits. Despite the efficacy of synthetic fungicides, their health and environmental hazards have highlighted the urgent need for safer alternatives, such as phytochemical-based biocides. Owing to the upregulation of the plant secondary metabolism under stressful conditions, bioprospecting in harsh environments could reveal ore plants for bioactive metabolites. In this study, thirteen wild plants were collected from their natural habitat in a semiarid environment (Yanbu, Saudi Arabia) and extracted to obtain phenolics rich extracts. Total polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidant capacities and the antifungal activities of the extracts against a pathogenic isolate of F. solani were assessed. Fusarium solani was isolated from infected zucchini and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the phytochemical screening and in vitro bioactivity revealed that Rosmarinus officinalis, Pulicaria crispa, Achillea falcata and Haloxylon salicornicum were the richest in polyphenols and the most powerful against F. solani. Further, the extracts of these four plants significantly decreased the disease incidence in zucchini, where P. crispa was the premier. Interestingly, results of transmission electron microscopy revealed that extract of P. crispa, as a representative of the powerful group, induced ultrastructural disorders in fungal cells. Therefore, this study suggests the use of R. officinalis, P. crispa, A. falcata and H. salicornicum grown in semi-arid environments as ore plants to develop phytochemical-based biocides against Fusarium crown and foot rot.

Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Medicinal Plants Used by the Tenggerese Society in Java Island of Indonesia

The archipelagic country of Indonesia is inhabited by 300 ethnic groups, including the indigenous people of Tengger. Based on the reported list of medicinal plants used by the Tengger community, we have reviewed each of them for their phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities. Out of a total of 41 medicinal plants used by the Tengerrese people, 33 species were studied for their phytochemical and pharmacological properties. More than 554 phytochemicals with diverse molecular structures belonging to different chemical classes including flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and volatiles were identified from these studied 34 medicinal plants. Many of these medicinal plants and their compounds have been tested for various pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, wound healing, headache, antimalarial and hypertension. Five popularly used medicinal plants by the healers were Garcinia mangostana, Apium graveolens, Cayratia clematidea, Drymocallis arguta and Elaeocarpus longifolius. Only A. graviolens were previously studied, with the outcomes supporting the pharmacological claims to treat hypertension. Few unexplored medicinal plants are Physalis lagascae, Piper amplum, Rosa tomentosa and Tagetes tenuifolia, and they present great potential for biodiscovery and drug lead identification.

Two pairs of bisabolane sesquiterpenoid stereoisomers, bisacurone D-G, from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L

Phytochemical investigation of an extract of the rhizome of Curcuma longa L., resulted in the identification of four undescribed bisabolane sesquiterpenoids, namely as bisacurone D-G (1-4). With the aid of comprehensive spectroscopic techniques (NMR, IR, UV, MS), the structures of all isolated compounds were elucidated and subsequently screened for both anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic biological activities, Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate inhibitory activity toward LPS-induced NO production on RAW 264.7 macrophages.