3-Pentanol glycosides from root nodules of the actinorhizal plant Alnus cremastogyne

N-Containing triterpenoid saponins from Mussaenda densiflora and identification of heinsiagenin A as a potent immunosuppressant

Eleven triterpenoid saponins, including five new compounds, which were named densiflorasides A - E (1 - 5), were isolated from aerial parts of Mussaenda densiflora (Rubiaceae). Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and chemical methods. All the isolated compounds and the aglycone heinsiagenin A were evaluated for their immunosuppressive and antiosteoclastogenic activities in vitro. Compounds 6 - 8 and heinsiagenin A inhibited osteoclastogenesis, with IC50 values ranging from 8.24 to 17.7 µM. Furthermore, compounds 3, 6 - 8, and heinsiagenin A significantly inhibited T-cell proliferation, with IC50 values ranging from 2.56 to 8.60 µM, and compounds 3 - 5 and 11 inhibited the proliferation of B lymphocytes, with IC50 values ranging from 1.29 to 8.49 µM. Further in vivo experiments indicated that heinsiagenin A could significantly attenuate IMQ-induced psoriasis and DSS-induced colitis in mice.

Essentials in the acquisition, interpretation, and reporting of plant metabolite profiles

Plant metabolite profiling reveals the diversity of secondary or specialized metabolites in the plant kingdom with its hundreds of thousands of species. Specialized plant metabolites constitute a vast class of chemicals posing significant challenges in analytical chemistry. In order to be of maximum scientific relevance, reports dealing with these compounds and their source species must be transparent, make use of standards and reference materials, and be based on correctly and traceably identified plant material. Essential aspects in qualitative plant metabolite profiling include: (i) critical review of previous literature and a reasoned sampling strategy; (ii) transparent plant sampling with wild material documented by vouchers in public herbaria and, optimally, seed banks; (iii) if possible, inclusion of generally available reference plant material; (iv) transparent, documented state-of-the art chemical analysis, ideally including chemical reference standards; (v) testing for artefacts during preparative extraction and isolation, using gentle analytical methods; (vi) careful chemical data interpretation, avoiding over- and misinterpretation and taking into account phytochemical complexity when assigning identification confidence levels, and (vii) taking all previous scientific knowledge into account in reporting the scientific data. From the current stage of the phytochemical literature, selected comments and suggestions are given. In the past, proposed revisions of botanical taxonomy were sometimes based on metabolite profiles, but this approach ("chemosystematics" or "chemotaxonomy") is outdated due to the advent of DNA sequence-based phylogenies. In contrast, systematic comparisons of plant metabolite profiles in a known phylogenetic framework remain relevant. This approach, known as chemophenetics, allows characterizing species and clades based on their array of specialized metabolites, aids in deducing the evolution of biosynthetic pathways and coevolution, and can serve in identifying new sources of rare and economically interesting natural products.