Determination of khellin and visnagin in Ammi visnaga fruits by capillary electrophoresis

Therapeutic potential and pharmacological mechanism of visnagin

Visnagin is a furanochromone and one of the most important compound in the Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam (a synonym of Visnaga daucoides Gaertn.) plant, which is used to cure various ailments. Many investigations into the bioactive properties of visnagin have been studied to date. The literature on visnagin demonstrates its biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and beneficial effects in cardiovascular and renal diseases. Moreover, visnagin improves sperm quality parameters, stimulates steroidogenesis, and increases serum gonadotropins and testosterone levels, while decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, oxidative damage, genomic instability, and it modulates apoptosis. Thus, visnagin has emerged as an exciting lead for further research, owing to its potential in various unmet clinical needs. The current review summarized its basic structure, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacological effects, focusing on its mechanisms of action. The review will help to understand the potential of visnagin as an alternative treatment strategy for several diseases and provide insight into research topics that need further exploration for visnagin's safe clinical use. Please cite this article as: Yadav P, Singh SK, Datta S, Verma S, Verma A, Rakshit A, Bali A, Bhatti JS, Khurana A, Navik U. Therapeutic potential and pharmacological mechanism of visnagin. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(4): 399-412.

Khellin and visnagin in different organs of Ammi visnaga and Ammi majus

Ammi visnaga and Ammi majus are plants that have long been used in traditional medicine. Nowadays, both herbs are commercially marketed as alternative medicines in different formulations. The main active ingredients of A. visnaga are known as khellin and visnagin. Information on the quantitative amounts of both bioactive substances in the different organs of the plant is lacking. This study aims to determine the amounts of these two active substances in the five organs of both plants from Turkey and provide information to the pharmaceutical industry. For this purpose, a fast and reliable micellar electrokinetic chromatography method was applied. It was found that Ammi visnaga, flowers, seeds, and leaves are good sources of both khellin and visnagin. Ammi majus only contains khellin in its seeds and flowers.

A Multistage In Silico Study of Natural Potential Inhibitors Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease

Among a group of 310 natural antiviral natural metabolites, our team identified three compounds as the most potent natural inhibitors against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (PDB ID: 5R84), Mpro. The identified compounds are sattazolin and caprolactin A and B. A validated multistage in silico study was conducted using several techniques. First, the molecular structures of the selected metabolites were compared with that of GWS, the co-crystallized ligand of Mpro, in a structural similarity study. The aim of this study was to determine the thirty most similar metabolites (10%) that may bind to the Mpro similar to GWS. Then, molecular docking against Mpro and pharmacophore studies led to the choice of five metabolites that exhibited good binding modes against the Mpro and good fit values against the generated pharmacophore model. Among them, three metabolites were chosen according to ADMET studies. The most promising Mpro inhibitor was determined by toxicity and DFT studies to be caprolactin A (292). Finally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies were performed for caprolactin A to confirm the obtained results and understand the thermodynamic characteristics of the binding. It is hoped that the accomplished results could represent a positive step in the battle against COVID-19 through further in vitro and in vivo studies on the selected compounds.

Analytical Methods for Furanochromone Natural Product, Khellin and Its Inspired Drug Candidates, Amiodarone and Sodium Cromoglycate

Khellin is the key furanocoumarin of Ammi visnaga L. (Lam.) that exhibits various biological properties. This unique natural product has inspired the discovery of two first-in-class drugs, amiodarone and sodium cromoglycate. A wide range of analytical methods were generated while translating khellin scaffold into clinically used drugs; however, they have never been reviewed and critically assessed. The present review aims to review and evaluate the analytical techniques for the natural products, khellin, visnagin, and their inspired drugs, amiodarone and sodium cromoglycate. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the extensively used technique in most analytical methods reported for these compounds; however, other techniques including the fluorimetry, luminescence spectrophotometry, potentiometry, voltammetry, FT-Raman spectroscopy, and ELISA were also employed. The review will be helpful for further basic and translational research on furanochromone and related scaffolds.

Potential and applications of capillary electrophoresis for analyzing traditional Chinese medicine: a critical review

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) presents a promising possibility for analyzing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) due to its low reagent consumption, high analysis speed, and enhanced efficiency. Herein we review the employment of CE for analyzing the effective components in TCM and identifying TCM via a fingerprint. Furthermore, we discuss the application of state-of-the-art capillary electrophoresis modes for screening enzyme inhibitors and investigating the interactions between TCM and plasma proteins. The review concludes with recommendations for future studies and improvements in this field of research. The general development trend identified in this review indicates that the application of CE has significantly improved TCM assay performance.

In vitro mass reduction of calcium oxalate urinary calculi by some medicinal plants

Background

Calcium oxalate is the most frequent urinary stone component; it exists in three different crystalline forms. In this case, the most common is the calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite). However, Morocco is one of the countries that has used the traditional medicine based on natural plants to treat many diseases including urolithiasis. In this respect, the most medicinal plants used for this purpose are Herniaria hirsuta L., Opuntia ficus-indica flowers, Zea mays styles and Ammi visnaga L. seeds. The purpose of this work is to study experimentally the effectiveness of each plant on the dissolution of whewellite stones.

Methods

In 1 L boiled saline solution (9 g/L of NaCl), 5 g of plant extract powder has been introduced. Thereafter, the mixture was left soaked for 15 min and then filtered. Further, a specific installation that resembles the urinary circuit has been conducted in the laboratory. As a starting step, three whewellite stones are placed in contact with extract solutions for 8 weeks. Two other solutions have been used to correct the loss mass: the first one is a solution of potassium citrate of 3 mmol/L served as a positive control, and the second one is a solution of NaCl of 9 g/L without extract used as a reference point.

Results

After 8 weeks, the loss mass is about 54.88 ± 1.32% with Z. mays styles, 49.86 ± 1.69% with H. hirsuta L., 47.10 ± 1019% with A. visnaga L. and 44.97 ± 1.76% with flowers O. ficus-indica, while the loss of mass in the presence of witnesses solutions is 21.95 ± 0.76% for potassium citrate (C Pot) and 21.05 ± 1.07% in the case of saline solutions.

Conclusion

Our experiments show the effectiveness of the extracts of four plants specially for Z. mays styles. These extracts can be effective remedies in the oxalocalcic stones’ dissolution.

Ammi Visnaga L., a Potential Medicinal Plant: A Review

Ammi visnaga L. (Visnaga daucoides Gaertn., Family Apiaceae), also known as Khella Baldi or toothpick weed, is an annual or biennial herb indigenous to the Mediterranean region of North Africa, Asia, and Europe. The plant is known to have been used in traditional medicine a long time ago. Nowadays, it is used in modern medicine to treat many aliments such as renal colic and coronary insufficiency, and is used as an antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial, with a larvicidal effect on mosquito larvae. Peer-reviewed studies show that these pharmacological activities are due its valuable chemical constituents that include mainly essential oil, polyphenolic compounds including flavonoids, as well as γ-pyrones, represented mainly by khellin and visnagin. Its essential oil is reported to have antiviral, antibacterial, and larvicidal effects, while its flavonoid content is responsible for its antioxidant activity. Its γ-pyrone content has a powerful effect on facilitating the passage of kidney stones and relieving renal colic, in addition to having a relaxant effect on smooth muscle including that of the coronary arteries. The current review represents the progress in research on A. visnaga in terms of either its chemistry or biological activities. This review represents scientific support material for the use of the plant by the pharmaceutical industry.

Fast and improved separation of major coumarins in Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam. by supercritical fluid chromatography

The first supercritical fluid chromatography method for the determination of five major coumarins (dihydrosamidin, visnadin, samidin, khellin, and visnagin) in Ammi visnaga fruits is described. Their baseline separation was possible in less than 5 min by using a UPC² HSS C₁₈ SB column with 1.8 μm particle size and a mobile phase comprising CO₂ , methanol, acetonitrile, and diethylamine. The type of stationary phase used was of particular relevance because, except for the selected one, the others did not resolve the two structural isomers dihydrosamidin and visnadin. Method validation confirmed that the procedure is linear (R² ≥ 0.9996) in a concentration range from 6 to 480 μg/mL, it is accurate (recovery rates: 97.2-103.6%) and precise (intraday deviation ≤ 6.6%, intraday deviation ≤ 1.7%); injecting 1 μL of standard solution, the determined limit of detection was below 1.9 μg/mL for all compounds. The analysis of different A. visnaga samples revealed their similar compositions, and khellin (0.75-1.01%) and visnagin (0.18-0.46%) were the dominant coumarins. Visnadin and dihydrosamidin, the individual quantification of which is described for the first time, were present at concentrations below 0.14%.

Development and validation of high-performance liquid chromatography and high-performance thin-layer chromatography methods for the quantification of khellin in Ammi visnaga seed

Objective:

The present study was used to design simple, accurate and sensitive reversed phase-high-performance liquid chromatography RP-HPLC and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) methods for the development of quantification of khellin present in the seeds of Ammi visnaga.

Materials and Methods:

RP-HPLC analysis was performed on a C18 column with methanol: Water (75: 25, v/v) as a mobile phase. The HPTLC method involved densitometric evaluation of khellin after resolving it on silica gel plate using ethyl acetate: Toluene: Formic acid (5.5:4.0:0.5, v/v/v) as a mobile phase.

Results:

The developed HPLC and HPTLC methods were validated for precision (interday, intraday and intersystem), robustness and accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantification. The relationship between the concentration of standard solutions and the peak response was linear in both HPLC and HPTLC methods with the concentration range of 10–80 μg/mL in HPLC and 25–1,000 ng/spot in HPTLC for khellin. The % relative standard deviation values for method precision was found to be 0.63–1.97%, 0.62–2.05% in HPLC and HPTLC for khellin respectively. Accuracy of the method was checked by recovery studies conducted at three different concentration levels and the average percentage recovery was found to be 100.53% in HPLC and 100.08% in HPTLC for khellin.

Conclusions:

The developed HPLC and HPTLC methods for the quantification of khellin were found simple, precise, specific, sensitive and accurate which can be used for routine analysis and quality control of A. visnaga and several formulations containing it as an ingredient.

Influence of growing conditions on metabolite profile of Ammi visnaga umbels with special reference to bioactive furanochromones and pyranocoumarins

The medicinal plant Ammi visnaga is a valuable source of furanochromones and pyranocoumarins used as vasodilator agents. Its ability to germinate under unfavourable growth conditions, such as saline soil and hypoxia characterizing clay soils and marshes ecosystems, prompted us to qualitatively characterize secondary metabolites in umbels of A. visnaga plants grown under different conditions (in field, hydroponically controlled, and contrasted by salinity and/or hypoxia) by HPLC-ESI/IT/MS(n) analysis. Subsequently, the quantitative analysis of the bioactive compounds, above all furanochromones and pyranocoumarins, was carried out by HPLC-ESI/QqQ/MS/MS. The results show the influence of growing conditions on the quali-quantitative profile of A. visnaga secondary metabolites and evidence that hydroponic culture leads to increased level of A. visnaga active principles. Furthermore, two furanochromones never reported before were identified and characterized by 1D- and 2D-NMR analysis.

The chemical investigations on the ripe fruits of Ammi visnaga (Lam.) Lamarck growing in Turkey

Two furanochromones and one furanochromone glycoside were isolated from the fruits of Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam. They were identified as khellin, visnagin, and khellol glycoside by interpretation of spectral analyses. Quantitative determination of furanochromones in A. visnaga (L.) ripe fruits from Hatay region (Turkey) was carried out by ultraviolet spectrophotometry and gas chromatography. In addition, photochemical properties of furanochromones and chemical composition of essential oil were determined.