Simultaneous determination of flavones and phenolic acids in the leaves of Ricinus communis Linn. by capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection

The Potential Health Benefits of Gallic Acid: Therapeutic and Food Applications

Gallic acid (GA), a phenolic acid found in fruits and vegetables, has been consumed by humans for centuries. Its extensive health benefits, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, have been well-documented. GA's potent antioxidant capabilities enable it to neutralize free radicals, reduce oxidative stress, and protect cells from damage. Additionally, GA exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines and enzymes, making it a potential therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases. It also demonstrates anticancer properties by inhibiting cancer cell growth and promoting apoptosis. Furthermore, GA offers cardiovascular benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, decreasing cholesterol, and enhancing endothelial function, which may aid in the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases. This review covers the chemical structure, sources, identification and quantification methods, and biological and therapeutic properties of GA, along with its applications in food. As research progresses, the future for GA appears promising, with potential uses in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals aimed at improving overall health and preventing disease. However, ongoing research and innovation are necessary to fully understand its functional benefits, address current challenges, and establish GA as a mainstay in therapeutic and nutritional interventions.

Evaluation of molluscicidal activity on Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818) and phytochemical characterization of hydroalcoholic extract of leaves of Ricinus communis L. (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection of great prevalence worldwide, affecting 250 million people in 78 countries. Faced with this problem, studies that seek to analyze molluscicidal activity from plant extracts have stood out. The present work aimed to obtain the phytochemical characterization and investigate the molluscicidal activity in the hydroalcoholic extract of Ricinus communis leaves on Biomphalaria glabrata. The hydroalcoholic extract was prepared by macerated with solvent ethanol P.A 96%, followed by filtration and concentration in rotary evaporator. Next, five groups of snails with 10 animals each, one being the negative control group, were submitted to treatments with four concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/L of hydroalcoholic extract of R. communis. The parameters mortality, physiological and behavioral aspects of mollusks were analyzed during 96h. The chemical characterization of the extract was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Chemical characterization revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids and ricinin alkaloid, but under the conditions analyzed, the presence of saponins was not observed. There was no significant molluscicidal activity of the extract. However, a greater influence was observed in the diet, in addition to the motility and physiological state of the snails (alteration of cephalopodal mass and oviposition). The toxicity test was performed with Artemia salina and no toxicity was observed for this microcrustacean. It is expected that the results obtained contribute to the fight against the expansion of schistosomiasis and that they make room for other studies that investigate the molluscicidal action of plant extracts.

Chlorogenic acid, a natural product as potential inhibitor of COVID-19: virtual screening experiment based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a potential inhibitor of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). ACE2 and its co-expressed proteins are SARS-CoV-2 receptors, which have been linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and considered as the key target of SARS-CoV-2 in entering target cells. Here, network pharmacology was used to investigate the mechanism by which CGA affected COVID-19. A total of 70 potential targets related to the treatment of COVID-19 were obtained, among which NFE2L2, PPARG, ESR1, ACE, IL6, and HMOX1 might be the main potential targets. Finally, CGA and potential target proteins were scored by molecular docking, and the prediction results of network pharmacology were preliminarily verified. Moreover, CGA had potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity via integrating three common receptors in clinical practice compared with clinical trial drugs registered for the treatment of COVID-19, as shown by molecular docking. The mechanism of CGA against COVID-19 was initially investigated using network pharmacology, followed by molecular docking.

Ricin and Ricinus communis in pharmacology and toxicology-from ancient use and "Papyrus Ebers" to modern perspectives and "poisonous plant of the year 2018"

While probably originating from Africa, the plant Ricinus communis is found nowadays around the world, grown for industrial use as a source of castor oil production, wildly sprouting in many regions, or used as ornamental plant. As regards its pharmacological utility, a variety of medical purposes of selected parts of the plant, e.g., as a laxative, an anti-infective, or an anti-inflammatory drug, have been described already in the sixteenth century BC in the famous Papyrus Ebers (treasured in the Library of the University of Leipzig). Quite in contrast, on the toxicological side, the native plant has become the "poisonous plant 2018" in Germany. As of today, a number of isolated components of the plant/seeds have been characterized, including, e.g., castor oil, ricin, Ricinus communis agglutinin, ricinin, nudiflorin, and several allergenic compounds. This review mainly focuses on the most toxic protein, ricin D, classified as a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP2). Ricin is one of the most potent and lethal substances known. It has been considered as an important bioweapon (categorized as a Category B agent (second-highest priority)) and an attractive agent for bioterroristic activities. On the other hand, ricin presents great potential, e.g., as an anti-cancer agent or in cell-based research, and is even explored in the context of nanoparticle formulations in tumor therapy. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the pharmacology and toxicology-related body of knowledge on ricin. Toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic aspects of ricin poisoning and possibilities for analytical detection and therapeutic use are summarized as well.

Quantitative analysis of flavonoids and phenolic acid in Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt. by capillary zone electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis was developed for the simultaneous determination of five flavonoids and one phenolic acid, including taxifolin-7-O-glucoside, flavanomarein, quercetagetin-7-O-glucoside, okanin 4'-O-glucoside, okanin, and chlorogenic acid, in different parts and origins of Coreopsis tinctoria and its related species. Effects of acidity, running-buffer concentration, and modifier concentration were investigated to determine the optimum conditions for analyte determination. Analysis was performed within 18 min by using 50 mM borax buffer containing 15% acetonitrile as a modifier (pH 9.0) at 25 kV and 25°C. Hyperoside was used as internal standard for quantification. The method was accurate, simple, and repeatable, and was successfully applied to the analysis in 13 samples with satisfactory assay results. Results showed that C. tinctoria obviously differed from the related flower tea materials, "Hangju" and "Gongju". The parts (flowers, buds, seeds, stems, and leaves) of C. tinctoria also varied among one another. This study can serve as a foundation for the quality control and pharmacological evaluation of different parts of C. tinctoria and its related species.

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by communities of Northern Kordofan region, Sudan

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The present study provides significant ethnopharmacological information on plant species used in North Kordofan region, western Sudan. The study was undertaken with an aim to document the medicinal uses of the species known to some Northern Kordofan communities.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was conducted between 2012 and 2013. The plants were identified and voucher specimens prepared. Information was collected by means of semi-structured interviews with 258 informants (195 men and 63 women). In addition, the use value (UV) of the species was determined and the informant consensus factor (ICF) was calculated for the medicinal plants researched in the study. Further analysis was carried out to compare results with previous studies from the study area and other regions of Sudan.

RESULTS

A total of 44 plant species representing 24 families were found to be commonly used in the treatment of 73 different human health problems. The families most represented were Leguminosae (18%), Caesalpiniaceae (9%), Malvaceae (9%), Asclepiadaceae (6.8%) and Combretaceae (6.8%). The highest number of plant species are used against digestive system disorders (23 species) followed by microbial infections (21 species) and dermatology (19 species). Among all the plant parts leaves (20%), roots (19%), fruits and bark (14% each) were the most preferred plant parts used by the informants. There was strong agreement among the informants as to the usages of the plants (informant consensus factor 0.63-0.93). The most important plants on the basis of use-value were Acacia nilotica, Acacia seyal, Balanites aegyptiaca, Cassia occidentalis, Cassia senna, Guiera senegalensis and Tamarindus indica.

CONCLUSION

This study has helped to document information that may otherwise be lost to future generations. This is the first ethnobotanical study in which statistical calculations about plants are carried out by means of the ICF and UV methods in the study area. Plants with high ICF and UV values should be subjected for further phytochemical and pharmacological investigation for scientific validation.

Simultaneous determination of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, quercetin and apigenin in Swertia mussotii Franch by capillary zone electrophoresis with running buffer modifier

The method of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with direct UV detection was developed for the determination of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, quercetin and apigenin. and then for the first time successfully applied to the analysis of four analytes in Swertia mussotii Franch and its preparations. Various factors affecting the CZE procedure were investigated and optimized, and the optimal conditions were: 50 × 10(-3) mol/L borate-phosphate buffer (pH 9.5) with 5.0 × 10(-3) mol/L β-cyclodextrin, 15 kV separation voltage, 20 °C column temperature, 250 nm detection wavelength and 5 s electrokinetic injection time (voltage 20 psi). Under the conditions, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, quercetin and apigenin could be determined within the test ranges with a good correlation coefficient (r(2) > 0.9991). The limits of detection for conditions, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, quercetin and apigenin were 0.3415, 0.2003, 0.0062 and 0.2538 µg/mL, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were no more than 4.72%. This procedure provided a convenient, sensitive and accurate method for simultaneous determination of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, quercetin and apigenin in S. mussotii Franch.

Evaluation of the potential sensitization of chlorogenic Acid: a meta-analysis

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) widely exists in many plants, which are used as medicinal substances in traditional Chinese medicine injectables (TCMIs) that have been widely applied in clinical treatments. However, it is still controversial whether CGA is responsible for TCMIs-related hypersensitivity. Several studies have been performed to evaluate its potential sensitization property, but the results were inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate its potential sensitization systematically using meta-analysis based on data extracted from literatures, searching databases of PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, CNKI, VIP, and CHINAINFO from January 1979 to October 2012, a total of 108 articles were retrieved by electronic search strategy, out of which 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. In ASA test, odds ratio of behavior changes was 4.33 (1.62, 11.60), showing significant changes after CGA treatment (P = 0.004). Serum IgG, serum histamine, PLN cellularity, and IgG1 AFCs were significantly enhanced after CGA treatment (P < 0.05). Totally, these results indicated that CGA could induce a positive reaction in potential sensitization, and intravenous administration of it might be a key factor for sensitization triggering, which could at least warrant more careful application of TCMIs containing CGA in clinical practices.

Recent progress for capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an attractive technique in separation science because of its high separation performance, short analysis time and low cost. Electrochemical detection (EC) is a powerful tool for CE because of its high sensitivity. In this review, developments of CE-EC from 2008 to August, 2011 are reviewed. We choose papers of innovative and novel results to demonstrate the newest and most important progress in CE-EC.

Advanced separation methods of food anthocyanins, isoflavones and flavanols

In recent years, increasing knowledge of the positive health effects of food polyphenols has prompted the need to develop new separation techniques for their extraction, fractionation and analysis. This article provides an updated and exhaustive review of the application of counter-current chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and their hyphenation with mass spectrometry to the study of food polyphenols. Flavonoids constitute the largest class of polyphenols, widely spread in the plant kingdom and common in human diet which has been the most widely studied with respect to their antioxidant and biological activities. The main subgroups are anthocyanins, catechins, isoflavones, flavonols and flavones. They are reported to exhibit antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, anti-thrombotic, and immune modulating functions, among others. Since red fruit anthocyanins, soy isoflavones and flavanols from grapes and teas are currently the most used phenolic compounds for producing new nutraceuticals and functional foods, this review is focused on these three flavonoid groups.