High-speed countercurrent chromatographic recovery and off-line electrospray ionization mass spectrometry profiling of bisdesmodic saponins from Saponaria officinalis possessing synergistic toxicity enhancing properties on targeted antitumor toxins

Saponin and Phenolic Composition and Assessment of Biological Activities of Saponaria officinalis L. Root Extracts

The purpose of this study was to identify the saponin and phenolic components in root extracts of Saponaria officinalis, a widespread species, found in Cyprus. A total of six major saponins, including gypsogenin and gypsogenic acid derivatives, as well as saponariosides C, D, and E, were identified using UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS analysis, with gypsogenin derivatives being the most common saponins detected through quantitative analysis. A total of six phenolic compounds were also identified, including rutin, quercetin galactoside, syringic acid, apigenin, protocatechuic, and vanillic acid. In addition to their saponin and phenolic contents, the root extracts were prepared through different extraction methods, and their biological activity was assessed. All samples demonstrated antioxidant capacity, as well as antibacterial activity, against four bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Salmonella enteritidis), with the acetone extract presenting higher susceptibility. The evaluation of anticancer activity in A375 (human malignant melanoma), HeLa (human cervical epithelioid carcinoma), and HaCaT (healthy human keratinocytes) cell lines revealed that the acetone extract of S. officinalis extract demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of A375 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. None of the extracts demonstrated anti-neurotoxic potential against Aβ25-35 cytotoxic peptides. The results of this study support previous findings that reveal that the Saponaria species are an excellent natural source of biologically active compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties.

Biomass-derived carbon dots as significant biological tools in the medicinal field: A review

Early disease detection is crucial since it raises the likelihood of treatment and considerably lowers the cost of therapy. Therefore, the improvement of human life and health depends on the development of quick, efficient, and credible biosensing methods. For improving the quality of biosensors, distinct nanostructures have been investigated; among these, carbon dots have gained much interest because of their great performance. Carbon dots, the essential component of fluorescence nanoparticles, having outstanding chemical characteristics, superb biocompatibility, chemical inertness, low toxicity and potential optical characteristics have attracted the researchers from every corner of the globe. Several carbon dots applications have been thoroughly investigated in recent decade, from optoelectronics to biomedical investigations. This review study primarily emphasizes the recent advancements in the field of biomass-derived carbon dots-based drug delivery, gene delivery and bioimaging, and highlights achievements in two major areas: in vivo applications that involve carbon dots absorption in zebrafish and mice, tumour therapeutics, and imaging-guided drug delivery. Additionally, the possible advantages, difficulties, and future possibilities of using carbon dots for biological applications are also explored.

Antimicrobial Activities of Saponaria cypria Boiss. Root Extracts, and the Identification of Nine Saponins and Six Phenolic Compounds

The purpose of this study was to identify the chemical components in root extracts of Saponaria cypria, an endemic species of Cyprus. Subsequently, the synergistic bioactivity of its root extracts through different extraction procedures was also investigated for the first time. A total of nine saponins, along with six phenolic compounds, were identified and quantified using the UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS method. Additionally, S. cypria root extracts demonstrated antibacterial potential against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Salmonella enteritidis. S. aureus presented the highest susceptibility among all bacteria tested. These findings provide the first phytochemical data regarding the saponin, phenolic content and antimicrobial activity of S. cypria extracts, indicating that the Cyprus saponaria species is a rich natural source for bioactive compounds with a potentially wider bioactivity spectrum.

Advances in Separation and Purification of Bioactive Polysaccharides through High-speed Counter-Current Chromatography

Polysaccharides, with an extensive distribution in natural products, represent a group of natural bioactive substances having widespread applications in health-care food products and as biomaterials. Devising an efficient system for the separation and purification of polysaccharides from natural sources, hence, is of utmost importance in the widespread applicability and feasibility of research for the development of polysaccharide-based products. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) is a continuous liquid-liquid partitioning chromatography with the ability to support a high loading amount and crude material treatment. Due to its flexible two-phase solvent system, HSCCC has been successfully used in the separation of many natural products. Based on HSCCC unique advantages over general column chromatography and its enhanced superiority in this regard when coupled to aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), this review summarizes the separation and purification of various bioactive polysaccharides through HSCCC and its coupling to ATPS as an aid in future research in this direction.

Synthesis and Characterization of Green Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles with Antiproliferative Effects through Apoptosis Induction and MicroRNA Modulation in Breast Cancer Cells

Changes in the expression of microRNAs can affect cancer cells' viability and behavior and the impact on cancer treatment. In this study, the expression of miR-155-5p, miR-203a-3p, and miR-223-3p in the MCF7 cancer cell line was studied when exposed to ZnO nanoparticles synthesized through a green route. Mentioned ZnO-NPs were well characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, DLS, XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM, EDX, zeta potential, and AFM analyses. Cellular studies were conducted using ZnO-NPs before miRNA investigations including MTT cytotoxicity test against MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and HFF cell lines. Moreover, apoptosis assays were performed using morphological analysis, fluorescent dyes, flow cytometry, and evaluation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 gene expression. Biological properties such as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of these novel ZnO-NPs were considered. MTT assays showed that the inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of ZnO-NPs after 24 h was 11.16 μg/mL, 60.08 μg/mL, and 26.3 μg/mL on MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and HFF cells, respectively. The qRT-PCR results showed reduced expression of miR-155-5p, miR-203a-3p, and miR-223-3p when the MCF7 cells were treated with the IC50 concentration of ZnO-NPs (11.16 μg/mL). The antioxidant activity results showed EC₅₀ values at 57.19 μg/mL and 31.5 μg/mL in DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of ZnO-NPs was determined on Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains and fungi using MIC and MBC assays. These NPs had a significant effect in reducing the expression of microRNAs in breast cancer cells. Finally, ZnO-NPs exerted antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

Systematic characterization of flavonoids from Siraitia grosvenorii leaf extract using an integrated strategy of high-speed counter-current chromatography combined with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The chemical constituents of the Siraitia grosvenorii leaf extract were studied. Firstly, high-speed counter-current chromatography was applied to the one-step separation of four compounds from S. grosvenorii leaf extract with the solvent system composed of 0.01% acetic acid water/n-butanol/n-hexane/methanol (5:3:1:1, v/v/v/v). In this work, 270 mg of crude sample yielded four compounds, a new kaempferol O-glycoside derivative, kaempferol 3-O-α-L-[4-O-(4-carboxy-3-hydroxy-3-methylbutanoyl)]-rhamnopyranoside-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, named kaempferitrin A (2.1 mg, 90%), and three known compounds, grosvenorine (3.4 mg, 93%), kaempferitrin (14.4 mg, 99%) and afzelin (4 mg, 98%), and the structures of these compounds were identified by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Then, ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to illustrate the dominant flavonoids in S. grosvenorii leaf extract. 34 flavonoids including 19 kaempferol O-glycosides, 4 quercetin O-glycosides, 6 flavanone derivatives, and 5 polymethoxyflavones, were accurately or tentatively identified by carefully comparing their retention times, UV data, precise masses, the typical fragments of the standards and literature data. Most of these compounds were reported for the first time. This study establishes a foundation for the further development and utilization of S. grosvenorii leaves in future.

Glycosylated Triterpenoids as Endosomal Escape Enhancers in Targeted Tumor Therapies

Protein-based targeted toxins play an increasingly important role in targeted tumor therapies. In spite of their high intrinsic toxicity, their efficacy in animal models is low. A major reason for this is the limited entry of the toxin into the cytosol of the target cell, which is required to mediate the fatal effect. Target receptor bound and internalized toxins are mostly either recycled back to the cell surface or lysosomally degraded. This might explain why no antibody-targeted protein toxin has been approved for tumor therapeutic applications by the authorities to date although more than 500 targeted toxins have been developed within the last decades. To overcome the problem of insufficient endosomal escape, a number of strategies that make use of diverse chemicals, cell-penetrating or fusogenic peptides, and light-induced techniques were designed to weaken the membrane integrity of endosomes. This review focuses on glycosylated triterpenoids as endosomal escape enhancers and throws light on their structure, the mechanism of action, and on their efficacy in cell culture and animal models. Obstacles, challenges, opportunities, and future prospects are discussed.

Saponaria officinalis L. extract: Surface active properties and impact on environmental bacterial strains

Plant-derived surfactants are characterised by low toxicity, high biodegradability and environmental compatibility. They therefore have many applications; for instance, they can be used in bioremediation to accelerate biodegradation processes, especially of hydrophobic pollutants. This paper analyses the properties of an extract from Saponaria officinalis L. containing saponins and its impact on bacterial strains isolated from soil, as well as its potential for application in hydrocarbon bioremediation. The tested extract from Saponaria officinalis L. contains gypsogenin, hederagenin, hydroxyhederagenin and quillaic acid aglycone structures and demonstrates good emulsification properties. Contact with the extract led to modification of bacterial cell surface properties. A decrease in cell surface hydrophobicity and an increase in membrane permeability were recorded in the experiments. An increase of up to 63% in diesel oil biodegradation was also recorded for Pseudomonas putida DA1 on addition of 1gL^-1 of saponins from Saponaria officinalis L. Saponaria extract showed no toxic impact on the tested environmental bacterial strains at the concentration used in the biodegradation process.

Separation of phenolic acids and flavonoids from Trollius chinensis Bunge by high speed counter-current chromatography

In this work, eleven compounds were successfully separated from Trollius chinensis Bunge by using a two-step high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method. NRTL-SAC (nonrandom two-liquid segment activity coefficient) method, a newly developed solvent system selection strategy, was applied to screening the suitable biphasic liquid systems. Hexane/ethyl acetate/ethanol/water (3:7:3:7, v/v) solvent system was used in the first step, while the hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1:2:1:2, 1:4:1:4, 1:9:1:9, v/v) systems were employed in the second step. The chemical structures of the separated compounds were identified by UV, high resolution ESI-MS and MS/MS data. The separated compounds are 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol (1), vanillic acid (2), orientin (3), vitexin (4), veratric acid (5), 2″-O-(3‴, 4‴-dimethoxybenzoyl) orientin (6), 2″-O-feruloylorientin (7), 2″-O-feruloylvitexin (8), 2″-O-(2‴-methylbutyryl) vitexin (9), 2″-O-(2‴-methylbutyryl) isoswertiajaponin (10), 2″-O-(2‴-methylbutyryl) isoswertisin (11). The results demonstrate that HSCCC is a powerful tool for the separation of compounds from extremely complex samples.