Phenolic amides with anti-Parkinson’s disease (PD) effects from Nicandra physaloides

Protective effect of phenylpropionamides in the seed of Cannabis Sativa L. on Parkinson's disease through autophagy

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. As one of the major degradation pathways, autophagy plays a pivotal role in maintaining the effective turnover of proteins and damaged organelles in cells. Lewy bodies composed of α-synuclein (α-syn) abnormally aggregated in the substantia nigra are important pathological features of PD, and autophagy dysfunction is considered to be an important factor leading to abnormal aggregation of α-syn. Phenylpropionamides (PHS) in the seed of Cannabis sativa L. have a protective effect on neuroinflammation and antioxidant activity. However, the therapeutic role of PHS in PD is unclear. In this study, the seeds of Cannabis sativa L. were extracted under reflux with 60% EtOH-H2O, and the 60% EtOH-H2O elution fraction was identified as PHS with the UPLC-QTOF-MS. The 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridine (MPTP)-induced PD model in C57BL/6 J mice was used for behavioral and pharmacodynamic experiments. Behavioral symptoms were improved, Nissl-stained and TH-positive neurons in the substantia nigra were significantly increased in PHS-treated MPTP-induced PD model mice. Compared with the model group, PHS treatment reduced the expression level of α-syn, and the expression of TH increased significantly by western blotting, compared with the model group, the PHS group suppressed Caspase 3 and Bax expression and promoted Bcl-2 expression and levels of p62 decreased significantly, the ratio of LC3-II/I and p-mTOR/mTOR in the PHS group had a downward trend, suggesting that the therapeutic effect of PHS on MPTP-induced PD model mice may be triggered by the regulation of autophagy.

Stereochemical insights into structurally diverse lignanamides from the herbs of Solanum lyratum Thunb

A chemical investigation of Solanum lyratum Thunb. (Solanaceae) afforded six pairs of enantiomeric lignanamides consisting of twelve undescribed compounds, along with two undescribed racemic mixtures, and the separations of the enantiomers were accomplished by chiral-phase HPLC. The structures of these undescribed compounds were elucidated by the analysis of spectroscopic data, NMR and electronic circular dichroism calculations. All isolated compounds were assessed for neuroprotective activities in H2O2-induced human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities. Among tested isolates, some enantiomeric lignanamides exhibited conspicuous neuroprotective effects and AChE inhibitory effect.

Natural Bioactive Molecules as Neuromedicines for the Treatment/Prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases

The brain is vulnerable to different types of stresses, particularly oxidative stress as a result of oxygen requirements/utilization in the body. Large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids present in the brain increase this vulnerability. Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are brain disorders that are characterized by the gradual loss of specific neurons and are attributed to broad evidence of cell-level oxidative stress. The accurate characterization of neurological disorders relies on several parameters along with genetics and environmental risk factors, making therapies less efficient to fight NDDs. On the way to tackle oxidative damage and discover efficient and safe therapies, bioactives are at the edge of NDD science. Naturally occurring bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, essential fatty acids, phytosterols, essential oils, etc. are particularly of interest owing to their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and they offer lots of brain-health-promoting features. This Review focuses on probing the neuroefficacy and bioefficacy of bioactives and their role in supporting relatively low antioxidative and low regenerative capacities of the brain, neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and ameliorating/treating NDDs.

Nicandra physalodes Extract Exerts Antiaging Effects in Multiple Models and Extends the Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via DAF-16 and HSF-1

The development of safe and effective therapeutic interventions is an important issue for delaying aging and reducing the risk of aging-related diseases. Chinese herbal medicines for the treatment of aging and other complex diseases are desired due to their multiple components and targets. Through screening for effects on lifespan of 836 Chinese herbal medicine extracts, Nicandra physalodes extract (HL0285) was found to exhibit lifespan extension activity in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). In further experiments, HL0285 improved healthspan, enhanced stress resistance, and delayed the progression of neurodegenerative diseases in C. elegans. Additionally, it ameliorated senescence in human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5 cells) and reversed liver function damage and reduced senescence marker levels in doxorubicin- (Dox-) induced aging mice. In addition, the longevity effect of HL0285 in C. elegans was dependent on the DAF-16 and HSF-1 signaling pathways, as demonstrated by the results of the mutant lifespan, gene level, and GFP level assays. In summary, we discovered that HL0285 had an antiaging effect in C. elegans, MRC-5 cells, and Dox-induced aging mice and deserves to be explored in the future studies on antiaging agents.

Natural Bioactive Cinnamoyltyramine Alkylamides and Co-Metabolites

Natural products are a vital source for agriculture, medicine, cosmetic and other fields. Among them alkylamides are a broad and expanding group found in at least 33 plant families. Frequently, they possess a simple carbon skeleton architecture but show broad structural variability and important properties such as immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, larvicidal, insecticidal and antioxidant properties, amongst others. Despite to these several and promising biological activities, up to today, only two reviews have been published on natural alkylamides. One focuses on their potential pharmacology application and their distribution in the plant kingdom and the other one on the bioactive alkylamides specifically found in Annona spp. The present review is focused on the plant bioactive cinnamoyltyramine alkylamides, which are subject of several works reported in the literature. Furthermore, the co-metabolites isolated from the same natural sources and their biological activities are also reported.

A Natural Polymer Captor for Immobilizing Polysulfide/Polyselenide in Working Li-SeS2 Batteries

SeS₂ has become a promising cathode material owing to its enhanced electrical conductivity over sulfur and higher theoretical specific capacity than selenium; however, the working Li-SeS₂ batteries have to face the practical challenges from the severe shuttling of soluble dual intermediates of polysulfide and polyselenide, especially in high-SeS₂-loading cathodes. Herein, a natural organic polymer, Nicandra physaloides pectin (NPP), is proposed to serve as an effective polysulfide/polyselenide captor to address the shuttling issues. Informed by theoretical calculations, NPP is competent to provide a Lewis base-based strong binding interaction with polysulfides/polyselenides via forming lithium bonds, and it can be homogeneously deposited onto a three-dimensional double-carbon conductive scaffold to finally constitute a polysulfide/polyselenide-immobilizing interlayer. Operando spectroscopy analysis validates the enhanced polysulfide/polyselenide trapping and high conversion efficiency on the constructed interlayer, hence bestowing the Li-SeS₂ cells with ultrahigh rate capability (448 mAh g^-1 at 10 A g^-1), durable cycling lifespan (≈ 0.037% capacity attenuation rate per cycle), and high areal capacity (> 6.5 mAh cm^-2) at high SeS₂ loading of 15.4 mg cm^-2. Importantly, pouch cells assembled with this interlayer exhibit excellent flexibility, decent rate capability with relatively low electrolyte-to-capacity ratio, and stable cycling life even under a low electrolyte condition, promising a low-cost, viable design protocol toward practical Li-SeS₂ batteries.

Tyramine-derived hydroxycinnamic acid amides in plant foods: sources, synthesis, health effects and potential applications in food industry

Tyramine-derived hydroxycinnamic acid amines (HCAAT) are naturally occurring group of secondary metabolites present in various plant genera, such as Allium, Cannabis, Lycium, Polyganotum and Solanum. It belongs to the neutral, water-insoluble compounds and plays a role in plant growth, development and defence mechanism. The past two decades have seen a shift in the study of HCAAT from its role in plants to its potent biological activities. This review highlights the sources, roles in plants, biosynthetic pathways, metabolic engineering and chemical synthesis of HCAAT. The biological properties of HCAAT remain the focus in this paper, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-melanogenesis and neuroprotective properties. The effects of food processing and technology on HCAAT are also discussed. Given the current research gap, this review proposes future directions on the study of HCAAT, as well as its potential applications in food and pharmaceutical industry.

Phenolamides: Plant specialized metabolites with a wide range of promising pharmacological and health-promoting interests

Phenolamides constitute a family of metabolites, widely represented in the plant kingdom, that can be found in all plant organs with a predominance in flowers and pollen grains. They represent a large and structurally diverse family, resulting from the association of phenolic acids with aliphatic or aromatic amines. Initially revealed as active compounds in several medicinal plant extracts, phenolamides have been extensively studied for their health-promoting and pharmacological properties. Indeed, phenolamides have been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antimicrobial properties, but also protective effects against metabolic syndrome and neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of this review is to summarise this large body of literature, including in vitro and in vivo studies, by describing the diversity of their biological properties and our actual knowledge of the molecular mechanisms behind them. With regard to their considerable pharmacological interest, the question of industrial production is also tackled through chemical and biological syntheses in engineered microorganisms. The diversity of biological activities already described, together with the active discovery of the broad structural diversity of this metabolite family, make phenolamides a promising source of new active compounds on which future studies should be focused.

Lignanamides: sources, biosynthesis and potential health benefits - a minireview

Lignanamides are natural plant secondary metabolites derived from oxidative coupling mechanism with hydroxycinnamic acid amides as intermediates. These compounds display powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-hyperlipidemic capacities in vitro, cell culture and in vivo studies. With strong potential to be utilized as protective agents against human chronic diseases, these compounds have attracted the interest of researchers. This review aims to discuss current understanding on the sources, classification, biosynthesis of lignanamides in plants, and importantly their biological activity and potential health benefits. The general biosynthesis pathway for lignanamides is comprehensively summarized, though some details in molecular regulation of the coupling process have yet to be elucidated. Lignanamides deserves additional clinical studies involving animal and human subjects, to prove its health benefits.

Secondary Metabolites from Solanum rostratum and Their Antifeedant Defense Mechanisms against Helicoverpa armigera

Solanum rostratum is a worldwide malignant invasive weed, causing serious harm to the ecological environment and biodiversity. Strong chemical defense against herbivorous insects is supposed to be one of the successful invasive mechanisms of this exotic plant. However, the real defense components and their action mechanisms and distributions are still unknown. To address these problems, we bioassay-guided isolated compounds from the aerial part of S. rostratum and determined their structures using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electronic circular dichroism calculation. One new and seven known compounds were identified, and all of the isolates exhibited different levels of antifeedant activities, especially compounds 1 and 4. Consistently, compounds 1 and 4 displayed potent inhibitory effects on antifeedant-related enzymes (AchE and CarE). The action mechanisms of active compounds 1 and 4 were revealed by molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation studies. Furthermore, the distributions of the active compounds in leaves, stems, and flowers were also analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Characterization of enantiomeric lignanamides from Solanum nigrum L. and their neuroprotective effects against MPP+-induced SH-SY5Y cells injury

Five pairs of enantiomeric lignanamides including nine undescribed compounds along with a known one were obtained from Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae). Their structures with absolute configurations were elucidated based on comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and quantum chemical calculations of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) curves. Additionally, all isolates were evaluated for their neuroprotective activity against MPP⁺ (1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium)-induced SH-SY5Y cells injury. Among them, cannabisin F showed the most significant neuroprotective effects at different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50 μM). Further studies by Hoechst 33258 staining, monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and Annexin V/PI analysis demonstrated that cannabisin F could induce protective autophagy to protect SH-SY5Y cells from MPP⁺-induced apoptosis.

Discovery of cycloneolignan enantiomers from Isatis indigotica Fortune with neuroprotective effects against MPP+-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury

A pair of new cycloneolignan enantiomers (1a and 1b) were isolated from the leaves of Isatis indigotica Fortune. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, MS/MS analysis, together with theoretical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds 1a and 1b were then evaluated for their neuroprotective effects against MPP⁺-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury. As a result, compounds 1a (77.64%) and 1b (78.62%) exhibited moderate neuroprotective activity at the concentration of 12.5 µM compared with that of MPP⁺ treated group (62.00% at 1 mM) by MTT assay. Furthermore, Annexin V-FITC/PI analysis showed that apoptosis ratios of 1a and 1b were reduced to 10.99% and 9.31%, respectively.

Alismanoid A, an unprecedented 1,2-seco bisabolene from Alisma orientale, and its protective activity against H2O2-induced damage in SH-SY5Y cells

A pair of unprecedented 1,2-seco bisabolenes, (8R)-alismanoid A (1a) and (8S)-alismanoid A (1b), were isolated from A. orientale.