Furanocoumarins from the Roots of Angelica dahurica with Inhibitory Activity against Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation

Plant-Derived Coumarins: A Narrative Review of Their Structural and Biomedical Diversity

Plant-derived coumarin (PDC) is a naturally occurring heterocyclic backbone that belongs to the benzopyrone family. PDC and its based products are characterized by low toxicity and high distribution in a variety of herbal treatments that have numerous therapeutic potentials. These include anticoagulants, antibacterials, anti-inflammatory agents, anticancer agents, antioxidants, and others. So, it may be appropriate to investigate the qualities and potential bioactivities of PDCs. This article provides an overview of the biomedical potentials, availability, and clinical use possibilities of PDCs, with a focus on their important modes of action, using information on various pharmacological qualities discovered. The data used in this study came from published research between 2015 and 2023. We reviewed a selection of databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, during that period. In conclusion, because of their abundance in medicinal plants, the clinical biochemistry attributes of PDCs are currently of interest. In a variety of medical specialties, PDCs serve a useful role as therapeutic agents.

The Wu-Shi-Cha formula protects against ulcerative colitis by orchestrating immunity and microbiota homeostasis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ulcerative colitis (UC) has become a healthy burden worldwide due to its insidious onset and repetitive relapse, with a rather complex etiology, including inappropriate immune response, dysbiosis, genetic susceptibility, and unhealthy diets. The Wu-Shi-Cha (WSC) formula is a widely utilized drug to protect against gastrointestinal disorders.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The study aspired to dissect the pertinent mechanisms of the WSC to treat UC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Network pharmacology and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were performed to predict the targets of WSC in the context of UC and colorectal cancer. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) was used to construct murine models of experimental colitis, and the WSC was given to colitis mice for 14 days. Feces and colon samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and biochemical experiments, respectively.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology analysis predicted that the WSC formula could orchestrate inflammation, infection, and tumorigenesis, and WGCNA based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database showed a potent anti-neoplastic effect of the WSC therapy for colorectal cancer. The WSC therapy rescued bursts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and colonic epithelial collapse in DSS-induced colitis mice. Moreover, the high dose of WSC treatment facilitated the alternative activation of peritoneal macrophages (Mφs) and these Mφs were conducive to the survival of intestinal stem cells (ISCs), and the disturbed homeostasis of gut microbiota was re-established after WSC treatment, as evidenced by the decreased colonization of pathological taxa in the fecal samples.

CONCLUSION

The WSC formula suppresses inflammation and re-establishes the homeostasis of gut microbiota, thereby ameliorating colitis progression.

Tsaokoic Acid: A New Bicyclic Nonene from the Fruits of Amomum tsao-ko with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity

A new bicyclic nonene, tsaokoic acid (1), was isolated from the fruits of Amomum tsao-ko, together with three known compounds (2–4). The structure of 1 was elucidated by analyzing spectroscopic data including 1D and 2D NMR spectra and compounds 2–4 were identified as tsaokoin, vanillin, and tsaokoarylone, respectively, by comparing their NMR spectra with previously reported data. Compounds 1–4 showed possible inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in silico molecular docking simulations. They were submitted to in vitro assay system and exhibited moderate inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 32.78, 41.70, 39.25, and 31.13 μM, respectively.

Design, synthesis and fungicidal evaluation of novel psoralen derivatives containing sulfonohydrazide or acylthiourea moiety

To search a novel lead structure for antiphytopathogenic fungus agent, a series of novel psoralen derivatives possessing sulfonohydrazide or acylthiourea structure were designed and synthesized, and their fungicidal activity against seven phytopathogens was evaluated. Their structures were confirmed by melting points, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and HRMS, and the typical crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction for validation. Preliminary fungicidal activity showed that some of the title compounds exhibited certain-to-high fungicidal activity. Compound I-13 exhibited good fungicidal activity against Botrytis cinerea, Cercospora arachidicola and Physalospora piricola with EC₅₀ values of 12.49, 13.22 and 12.12 μg/mL, respectively. Compounds II-9 and II-15 showed over 90% inhibition against B. cinerea at 50 μg/mL in vitro. In particular, II-9 exhibited significant higher fungicidal activity with a lower EC₅₀ value of 9.09 μg/mL than the positive control YZK-C22 (13.41 μg/mL). Our studies found that sulfonohydrazide or acylthiourea-containing psoralen derivatives were promising fungicide leads deserve for further study.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Psoralen-Based 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles as Potent Fungicide Candidates Targeting Pyruvate Kinase

Pyruvate kinase (PK) has been considered as a promising fungicide target discovered in our previous studies. Natural compounds are important sources for discovery and development of new pesticides. To continue our ongoing studies on the discovery of novel PK-targeted fungicides, a series of novel psoralen derivatives including a 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety were designed by a computer-aided pesticide molecular design method, synthesized, and evaluated for their fungicidal activity. The bioassay results indicated that compounds 11d, 11e, 11g, 11i, and 12a showed excellent in vitro fungicidal activity against Botrytis cinerea with EC₅₀ values of 4.8, 3.3, 6.3, 5.4, and 3.9 μg/mL, respectively. They were more active than the corresponding positive control YZK-C22 [3-(4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl)-6-(trichloromethyl)-[1,2,4]-triazolo-[3,4-b][1,3,4]-thiadiazole] (with an EC₅₀ value of 13.4 μg/mL). Compounds 11g and 11i displayed promising in vivo fungicidal activity against B. cinerea with 80 and 70% inhibition at a concentration of 200 μg/mL, respectively. They possessed much higher fungicidal activity than the positive control psoralen and comparable activity with the positive control pyrisoxazole. Enzymatic assays indicated that 11i showed good BcPK inhibition with an IC₅₀ value of 39.6 μmol/L, comparable to the positive control YZK-C22 (32.4 μmol/L). Molecular docking provided a possible binding mode of 11i in the BcPK active site. Our studies suggested that the psoralen-based 1,3,4-oxadiazole 11i could be used as a new fungicidal lead targeting PK for further structural optimization.

"Q-markers targeted screening" strategy for comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis in fingerprints of Angelica dahurica with chemometric methods

Angelica dahurica is a famous functional food and herb. To guarantee quality of A. dahurica, a strategy “Q-markers targeted screening” was successfully developed by sufficient extraction of compounds and the targeted screening of qualitative and quantitative markers calculated through chemometric methods based fingerprints. Accelerated solvent extraction was selected due to its prominent advantages exhibiting the maximum extraction yields and varieties of compounds and especially excellent reproducibility (RSD < 1). After extraction, the fingerprints of A. dahuricae samples were established. For the preliminary herb authenticity, the targeted screening of 23 quantitative markers were performed by similarity analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis based on the fingerprints, which were identified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Subsequently, for further quality control, the targeted screening of nine quantitative markers were done by similarity analysis & linear discriminant analysis, which were determined by LC. Lastly, the strategy was successfully applied to quality assessment of A. dahurica samples.

Structural characteristics and in vitro and in vivo immunoregulatory properties of a gluco-arabinan from Angelica dahurica

A water-soluble polysaccharide identified here as ADP80-2 was acquired from Angelica dahurica. ADP80-2 was a gluco-arabinan composed of arabinose and a trace of glucose with a molecular weight of 9950 g/mol. The backbone of ADP80-2 comprised →5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →3, 5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, with a terminal branch α-L-Araf-(1 → residue. In terms of immunoregulatory activity, ADP80-2 can significantly promote the phagocytosis, the production of nitric oxide (NO), and the secretion of cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) of macrophage. In addition to the cellular immunomodulatory activities, the chemokines related to immunoregulation were significantly increased in the zebrafish model after treated with ADP80-2. These biological results indicated that ADP80-2 with immunomodulatory effects was expected to be useful for the development of new immunomodulatory agents. Simultaneously, the discovery of ADP80-2 further revealed the chemical composition of A. dahurica used as a traditional Chinese medicine and spice.

Microbial Transformation of Broussochalcones A and B by Aspergillus niger

Broussochalcones A (BCA, 1) and B (BCB, 2) are major bioactive constituents isolated from Broussonetia papyrifera, a polyphenol-rich plant belonging to the family Moraceae. Due to their low yields from natural sources, BCA (1) and BCB (2) were prepared synthetically by employing Claisen-Schmidt condensation, and these were used as substrates for microbial transformation to obtain novel derivatives. Microbial transformation of BCA (1) and BCB (2) with the endophytic fungus Aspergillus niger KCCM 60332 yielded 10 previously undescribed chalcones (1a-1e and 2a-2e). Their structures were established based on the spectroscopic methods. The cytotoxicity of BCA (1), BCB (2), and their metabolites (1a-1e and 2a-2e) was determined by human cancer cell lines A375P, A549, HT-29, MCF-7, and HepG2, with 1e shown to be most cytotoxic.

Radiation Chemical Investigation of Antioxidant Activity of Biologically Important Compounds from Plant Materials

Radiation chemical modeling of redox reactions of biologically active compounds from plant materials showed that coumarins possess strong antiradical properties. Data confirming the radioprotective properties of these compounds were obtained. Antioxidant activity has been shown for specific medicinal plant extracts-Melilotus officinalis and Ledum palustre cormus. The radiation chemical transformations of coumarins revealed that an unsubstituted coumarin has greater radioprotective activity.

Sensory-guided identification of bitter compounds in Hangbaizhi (Angelica Dahurica)

As a traditional Chinese medicine, Angelica dahurica (Fisch. ex Hoffm.) Benth. et Hook. f. ex Franch. et Sav. cv. Hangbaizhi (Hangbaizhi) is not only used for the curative treatment of diseases such as the common cold and toothache, but also is an important spice that is used to increase the aroma and remove the unpleasant odor in many foods. Hangbaizhi has however, been reported to cause a bitter taste. In this study, the bitter compounds in Hangbaizhi after three common processes (boiling, frying and boiling after frying) were studied. Six bitter compounds (oxypeucedanin hydrate, bergapten, xanthotoxol, imperatorin, isoimpinellin and oxypeucedanin) were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detection (DAD)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS) and sensory evaluation. The contribution of these bitter compounds was ranked by taste dilution analysis (TDA). Upon the assessment of methods to reduce the bitter flavor, it was found that baijiu (Chinese liquor) pretreatment was more effective than water-pretreatment.