1
|
Reddy K, Stafford GI, Makunga NP. Skeletons in the closet? Using a bibliometric lens to visualise phytochemical and pharmacological activities linked to Sceletium, a mood enhancer. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1268101. [PMID: 38576783 PMCID: PMC10991851 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1268101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Plants from the Sceletium genus (Aizoaceae) have been traditionally used for millennia by the Khoe and Khoen people in southern Africa, as an appetite suppressant as well as a mood elevator. In more recent times, this mood-elevating activity has been commercialised in the South African natural products industry for the treatment of anxiety and depression, with several products available both locally and abroad. Research on this species has seen rapid growth with advancements in analytical and pharmacological tools, in an effort to understand the composition and biological activity. The Web of Science (WoS) database was searched for articles related to 'Sceletium' and 'Mesembrine'. These data were additionally analysed by bibliometric software (VOSviewer) to generate term maps and author associations. The thematic areas with the most citations were South African Traditional Medicine for mental health (110) and anxiolytic agents (75). Pioneer studies in the genus focused on chemical structural isolation, purification, and characterisation and techniques such as thin layer chromatography, liquid chromatography (HPLC, UPLC, and more recently, LC-MS), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to study mesembrine alkaloids. Different laboratories have used a diverse range of extraction and preanalytical methods that became routinely favoured in the analysis of the main metabolites (mesembrine, mesembranol, mesembranone, and Sceletium A4) in their respective experimental settings. In contrast with previous reviews, this paper identified gaps in the research field, being a lack of toxicology assays, a deficit of clinical assessments, too few bioavailability studies, and little to no investigation into the minor alkaloid groups found in Sceletium. Future studies are likely to see innovations in analytical techniques like leaf spray mass spectrometry and direct analysis in real-time ionisation coupled with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DART-HR-TOF-MS) for rapid alkaloid identification and quality control purposes. While S. tortuosum has been the primary focus, studying other Sceletium species may aid in establishing chemotaxonomic relationships and addressing challenges with species misidentification. This research can benefit the nutraceutical industry and conservation efforts for the entire genus. At present, little to no pharmacological information is available in terms of the molecular physiological effects of mesembrine alkaloids in medical clinical settings. Research in these fields is expected to increase due to the growing interest in S. tortuosum as a herbal supplement and the potential development of mesembrine alkaloids into pharmaceutical drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaylan Reddy
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Natural Sciences Faculty, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Gary I. Stafford
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Nokwanda P. Makunga
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Natural Sciences Faculty, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Olatunji TL, Siebert F, Adetunji AE, Harvey BH, Gericke J, Hamman JH, Van der Kooy F. Sceletium tortuosum: A review on its phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, biological, pre-clinical and clinical activities. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2022; 287:114711. [PMID: 34758918 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Sceletium tortuosum (L.) N.E.Br., the most sought after and widely researched species in the genus Sceletium is a succulent forb endemic to South Africa. Traditionally, this medicinal plant is mainly masticated or smoked and used for the relief of toothache, abdominal pain, as a mood-elevator, analgesic, hypnotic, anxiolytic, thirst and hunger suppressant, and for its intoxicating/euphoric effects. Sceletium tortuosum is currently of widespread scientific interest due to its clinical potential in treating anxiety and depression, relieving stress in healthy individuals, and enhancing cognitive functions. These pharmacological actions are attributed to its phytochemical constituents referred to as mesembrine-type alkaloids. AIM OF THE REVIEW The aim of this review was to comprehensively summarize and critically evaluate recent research advances on the phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, biological, pre-clinical and clinical activities of the medicinal plant S. tortuosum. Additionally, current ongoing research and future perspectives are also discussed. METHODS All relevant scientific articles, books, MSc and Ph.D. dissertations on botany, behavioral pharmacology, traditional uses, and phytochemistry of S. tortuosum were retrieved from different databases (including Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science). For pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects of S. tortuosum, the focus fell on relevant publications published between 2009 and 2021. RESULTS Twenty-five alkaloids belonging to four structural classes viz: mesembrine, Sceletium A4, joubertiamine, and tortuosamine, have been identified from S. tortuosum, of which the mesembrine class is predominant. The crude extracts and commercially available standardized extracts of S. tortuosum have displayed a wide spectrum of biological activities (e.g. antimalarial, anti-oxidant, neuromodulatory, immunomodulatory, anti-HIV, neuroprotection) in in vitro or in vivo studies. While the plant has been studied in clinical populations, this has only been in healthy subjects, so that further study in pathological states remains to be done. Nevertheless, the aforementioned studies have demonstrated that S. tortuosum has potential for enhancing cognitive function and managing anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION As an important South African medicinal plant, S. tortuosum has garnered many research advances on its phytochemistry and biological activities over the last decade. These scientific studies have shown that S. tortuosum has various bioactivities. The findings have further established the link between the phytochemistry and pharmacological application, and support the traditional use of S. tortuosum in the indigenous medicine of South Africa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T L Olatunji
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - F Siebert
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - A E Adetunji
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4001, South Africa
| | - B H Harvey
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa; SAMRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - J Gericke
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - J H Hamman
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - F Van der Kooy
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kumar A, Malik AK, Singh B. Recent advances in the analysis of plant alkaloids by capillary electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography. SEPARATION SCIENCE PLUS 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/sscp.202100040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashwini Kumar
- Government Post‐Graduate College Department of Chemistry Una Himachal Pradesh India
| | | | - Baljinder Singh
- Department of Biotechnology Panjab University Chandigarh India
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Olatunji TL, Siebert F, Adetunji AE, Harvey BH, Gericke J, Hamman JH, Van der Kooy F. Sceletium tortuosum: A review on its phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, biological and clinical activities. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2021; 280:114476. [PMID: 34333104 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Sceletium tortuosum (L.) N.E.Br, the most sought after and widely researched species in the genus Sceletium is a succulent forb endemic to South Africa. Traditionally, this medicinal plant is mainly masticated or smoked and used for the relief of toothache, abdominal pain, and as a mood-elevator, analgesic, hypnotic, anxiolytic, thirst and hunger suppressant, and for its intoxicating/euphoric effects. Sceletium tortuosum is currently of widespread scientific interest due to its clinical potential in treating anxiety and depression, relieving stress in healthy individuals, and enhancing cognitive functions. These pharmacological actions are attributed to its phytochemical constituents referred to as mesembrine-type alkaloids. AIM OF THE REVIEW The aim of this review was to comprehensively summarize and critically evaluate recent research advances on the phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, biological and clinical activities of the medicinal plant S. tortuosum. Additionally, current ongoing research and future perspectives are also discussed. METHODS All relevant scientific articles, books, MSc and Ph.D. dissertations on botany, behavioral pharmacology, traditional uses, and phytochemistry of S. tortuosum were retrieved from different databases (including Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science). For pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects of S. tortuosum, the focus fell on relevant publications published between 2009 and 2021. RESULTS Twenty-five alkaloids belonging to four structural classes viz: mesembrine, Sceletium A4, joubertiamine, and tortuosamine, have been identified from S. tortuosum, of which the mesembrine class is predominant. The crude extracts and commercially available standardized extracts of S. tortuosum have displayed a wide spectrum of biological activities (e.g. antimalarial, anti-oxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-HIV, neuroprotection, enhancement of cognitive function) in in vitro or in vivo studies. This plant has not yet been studied in a clinical population, but has potential for enhancing cognitive function, and managing anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION As an important South African medicinal plant, S. tortuosum has garnered many research advances on its phytochemistry and biological activities over the last decade. These scientific studies have shown that S. tortuosum has various bioactivities. The findings have further established the link between the phytochemistry and pharmacological application, and support the traditional use of S. tortuosum in the indigenous medicine of South Africa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T L Olatunji
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
| | - F Siebert
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
| | - A E Adetunji
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa.
| | - B H Harvey
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa; SAMRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2520, South Africa.
| | - J Gericke
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2520, South Africa.
| | - J H Hamman
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| | - F Van der Kooy
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Krstenansky JL. Mesembrine alkaloids: Review of their occurrence, chemistry, and pharmacology. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2017; 195:10-19. [PMID: 27939420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Revised: 11/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Mesembrine alkaloids are considered to be the primary active constituents of the South African medicinal plant Sceletium tortuosum (L.) N.E.Br. (Aizoaceae), and it is used as the dried or fermented aerial material from the plant, which is known as kanna (aka, channa, kougoed). Traditional regional use ranged from relieving thirst, mild analgesia, and alteration of mood. Current interest has focused primarily on the antidepressant action of preparations based on the plant and commercialization is expanding the recognition and availability of these preparations. MATERIALS AND METHODS Searches for the keywords "Sceletium or mesembrine" were performed in "PubMed-NCBI", "Chemical Abstracts SciFinder" and "Thomson Reuters Web of Science" databases in addition to the inclusion of references cited within prior reviews and scientific reports. Additionally the "SciFinder" database was searched using 3a-phenyl-cis-octahydroindole in the SciFinder Substructure Module (SSM). Plant taxonomy was validated by the database "The Plant List". RESULTS This review focuses on the chemistry, analysis, and pharmacology of the mesembrine alkaloids. Despite a long history of medicinal used and research investigation, there has been a renewed interest in the pharmacological properties of the mesembrine alkaloids and much of the pharmacology has only recently been published. The two major active alkaloids mesembrine and mesembrenone are still in the process of being more fully characterized pharmacologically. They are serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which provides a rationale for the plant's traditional use as an antidepressant, but other actions are beginning to appear in the literature. Additionally, mesembrenone has reasonably potent PDE4 inhibitory activity. This review intends to provide an overview of the available literature, summarize the current findings, and put them in perspective with earlier studies and reviews.
Collapse
|
6
|
Capillary electrophoresis methods for the analysis of antimalarials. Part II. Achiral separative methods. J Chromatogr A 2013; 1276:1-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2012.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
7
|
Roscher J, Posch TN, Pütz M, Huhn C. Forensic analysis of mesembrine alkaloids in Sceletium tortuosum by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry. Electrophoresis 2012; 33:1567-70. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201100683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tjorben Nils Posch
- Forschungszentrum Jülich; Central Division of Analytical Chemistry; Jülich; Germany
| | - Michael Pütz
- Bundeskriminalamt-Federal Criminal Police Office; Forensic Science Institute; KT 34-Toxicology; Wiesbaden; Germany
| | - Carolin Huhn
- Forschungszentrum Jülich; Central Division of Analytical Chemistry; Jülich; Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rabanes HR, Guidote AM, Quirino JP. Capillary electrophoresis of natural products: Highlights of the last five years (2006-2010). Electrophoresis 2011; 33:180-95. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201100223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2011] [Revised: 09/22/2011] [Accepted: 09/22/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
9
|
Chen XJ, Zhao J, Wang YT, Huang LQ, Li SP. CE and CEC analysis of phytochemicals in herbal medicines. Electrophoresis 2011; 33:168-79. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201100347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2011] [Revised: 09/25/2011] [Accepted: 09/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
10
|
Gotti R. Capillary electrophoresis of phytochemical substances in herbal drugs and medicinal plants. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2011; 55:775-801. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2010.11.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2010] [Revised: 11/22/2010] [Accepted: 11/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
11
|
Quality analytics of internet pharmaceuticals. Anal Bioanal Chem 2010; 398:125-36. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-010-3912-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2010] [Revised: 06/08/2010] [Accepted: 06/08/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
12
|
Recent advances of capillary electrophoresis in pharmaceutical analysis. Anal Bioanal Chem 2010; 398:29-52. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-010-3741-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2010] [Revised: 04/08/2010] [Accepted: 04/09/2010] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
|
13
|
Lao YM, Jiang JG, Yan L. Application of metabonomic analytical techniques in the modernization and toxicology research of traditional Chinese medicine. Br J Pharmacol 2009; 157:1128-41. [PMID: 19508399 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00257.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In the recent years, a wide range of metabonomic analytical techniques are widely used in the modern research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). At the same time, the international community has attached increasing importance to TCM toxicity problems. Thus, many studies have been implemented to investigate the toxicity mechanisms of TCM. Among these studies, many metabonomic-based methods have been implemented to facilitate TCM toxicity investigation. At present, the most prevailing methods for TCM toxicity research are mainly single analysis techniques using only one analytical means. These techniques include nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), etc.; with these techniques, some favourable outcomes have been gained in the toxic reaction studies of TCM, such as the action target organs assay, the establishment of action pattern, the elucidation of action mechanism and the exploration of action material foundation. However, every analytical technique has its advantages and drawbacks, no existing analytical technique can be versatile. Multi-analysed techniques can partially overcome the shortcomings of single-analysed techniques. Combination of GC-MS and LC-MS metabolic profiling approaches has unravelled the pathological outcomes of aristolochic acid-induced nephrotoxicity, which can not be achieved by single-analysed techniques. It is believed that with the further development of metabonomic analytical techniques, especially multi-analysed techniques, metabonomics will greatly promote TCM toxicity research and be beneficial to the modernization of TCM in terms of extending the application of modern means in the TCM safety assessment, assisting the formulation of TCM safety norms and establishing the international standards indicators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Min Lao
- College of Food and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
|