Metabolic profiling of flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, and terpenoids in the extract from Vernonia cinerea leaf using LC-Q-TOF-MS

Vernonia britteniana Root Phytochemical Studies, In Vitro Cercaricidal Activity on the Larval Stage of Schistosoma mansoni and Antioxidant Activities

Vernonia britteniana Hiern. (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant used in traditional Angolan medicine against schistosomiasis. Our study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition and the cercaricidal and antioxidant activities in vitro of a traditional herbal preparation (Water-Vbr) and a 70% hydroethanolic extract (EtOH70%-Vbr) prepared with this medicinal plant. The activity of the extracts against Schistosoma mansoni cercariae was assessed at different extract concentrations (500, 438, and 125 µg/mL) and at different time intervals, and the phytochemical profiles were obtained by LC-UV-ESI/MS-MS. In addition, the major chemical classes of the identified metabolites were quantified by colorimetry, and the antioxidant potential was assessed using the DPPH and FRAP methods. After 30 min, 100% cercarial mortality was observed at a concentration of 500 μg/mL after exposure, and after 120 min, an LC₅₀ of 438 μg/mL was observed for both extracts. Phenolic acid derivatives (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid; 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid; 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid; and 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid) and triterpenoids (stigmastane-type steroidal saponins; vernoamyoside D and vernonioside D1; vernoamyoside B; and vernoniamyoside A and C) were identified as the main secondary metabolites. The Water-Vbr extract showed the highest antioxidant activity-DPPH: IC₅₀ = 1.769 ± 0.049 µg/mL; FRAP: mean = 320.80 ± 5.1325 µgAAE/g.

Optimization of microwave-enhanced extraction parameters to recover phenolic compounds and antioxidants from Corchorus olitorius leaves

Vegetables are industrial crops endowed with both nutritional and medicinal values. The overwhelming contributions of vegetables to human living in the form of nutrients and medicine cannot be under emphasised. Thus, this study examined the recoveries of phenolic compounds and antioxidants from Corchorus olitorius leaves using a microwave-enhanced extraction technique. Furthermore, the phenolic compounds in the leaf extract of C. olitorius were comprehensively identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry quadrupole of flight (LC-QToF-MS). At the optimized conditions of microwave-enhanced extraction (extraction time of 131 s, microwave power 305 W, solvent/sample ratio of 12 mL/g, and ethanol concentration of 50%), total phenolic content (TPC) of 343.098 ± 3.05 mg GAE/10 g d.b., IC50 values of 68.89 ± 1.08 and 29.76 ± 1.00 µg/mL for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6'-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, respectively, were achieved. Furthermore, an aggregate of fourteen phenolic compounds that include 1-galloyl-glucose, 1,3,5-O-tricaffeoylquinic acid, procyanidin C-1, 4,4',5,6-tetrahydroxystilbene, 3,4,5-O-tricaffeoylquinic acid, 5-desgalloylstachyurin, sanguiin H-4, corilagin_1, 1-O-galloylpedunculagin, laevigatin A, pedunculagin, 2,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, 1,3,6-trigalloyl-β-D-glucose, and 1,2,3,6-tetra-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose was tentatively identified in the leaf extract of C. olitorius. In general, this study has established C. olitorius leaves as sources of phenolic compounds and natural antioxidants. Thus, the intake can continue to be promoted as a way forward in solving the problem of food insecurity.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11696-023-02771-x.

Qualitative and quantitative determination of chemical constituents in Jinbei oral liquid, a modern Chinese medicine for coronavirus disease 2019, by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Introduction: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has the advantages of syndrome differentiation and rapid determination of etiology, and many TCM prescriptions have been applied to the clinical treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Among them, Jinbei Oral Liquid (Jb.L) has also shown an obvious curative effect in the clinic, but the related material basic research is relatively limited. Methods: Therefore, in this process, a systematic data acquisition and mining strategy was established using ultra-high- performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Results and Discussion: With the optimized conditions, a total of 118 peaks were tentatively characterized, including 43 flavonoids, 26 phenylpropanoids, 14 glycosides, 9 phthalides, 8 alkaloids and others. To determine the content of relevant pharmacological ingredients, we firstly exploited the ultra-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) method for simultaneous detection of 31 active ingredients within 17 min, and the validation of methodology showed that this method has good precision and accuracy. Moreover, analyzing the pharmacology of 31 individual of the medicinal material preliminarily confirmed the efficacy of Jb.L and laid a foundation for an in-depth study of network pharmacology.

Comparative metabolomics analysis reveals alkaloid repertoires in young and mature Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil. Leaves

The fresh leaves of Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil. have been traditionally consumed for centuries in Southeast Asia for its healing properties. Although the alkaloids of M. speciosa have been studied since the 1920s, comparative and systematic studies of metabolite composition based on different leaf maturity levels are still lacking. This study assessed the secondary metabolite composition in two different leaf stages (young and mature) of M. speciosa, using an untargeted liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-TOF-MS) metabolite profiling. The results revealed 86 putatively annotated metabolite features (RT:m/z value) comprising 63 alkaloids, 10 flavonoids, 6 terpenoids, 3 phenylpropanoids, and 1 of each carboxylic acid, glucoside, phenol, and phenolic aldehyde. The alkaloid features were further categorised into 14 subclasses, i.e., the most abundant class of secondary metabolites identified. As per previous reports, indole alkaloids are the most abundant alkaloid subclass in M. speciosa. The result of multivariate analysis (MVA) using principal component analysis (PCA) showed a clear separation of 92.8% between the young and mature leaf samples, indicating a high variance in metabolite levels between them. Akuammidine, alstonine, tryptamine, and yohimbine were tentatively identified among the many new alkaloids reported in this study, depicting the diverse biological activities of M. speciosa. Besides delving into the knowledge of metabolite distribution in different leaf stages, these findings have extended the current alkaloid repository of M. speciosa for a better understanding of its pharmaceutical potential.

Picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids: chemistry, chemo- and bio-syntheses and biological activities

Covering: up to December 2021Picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids are a special category of natural products known to have a picrotoxane skeleton and are characterised by a highly oxidised cis-hydrindene core, lactone rings, and epoxide functionalities. Ever since the first picrotoxane was isolated from Menispermum cocculus in the early 19^th century, these compounds have long attracted the attention of natural product chemists, synthetic chemists, and pharmacologists for their particular structures and powerful biological activities. This review extensively summarizes a total of 132 naturally occurring picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids, taking into account their distributions, structural classifications, chemical and bio-synthetic researches, and bioactivities. It provides a comprehensive and in-depth perspective for further investigation on picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids.

Screening of Hibiscus and Cinnamomum Plants and Identification of Major Phytometabolites in Potential Plant Extracts Responsible for Apoptosis Induction in Skin Melanoma and Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Carcinogenesis is a major concern that severely affects the human population. Owing to persistent demand for novel therapies to treat and prohibit this lethal disease, research interest among scientists is drawing its huge focus toward natural products, as they have minimum toxicity comparable with existing treatment methods. The plants produce secondary metabolites, which are known to have the anticancer potential for clinical drug development. Furthermore, the use of nanocarriers could boost the solubility and stability of phytocompounds to obtain site-targeting delivery. The identification of potential phytochemicals in natural compounds would be beneficial for the synthesis of biocompatible nanoemulsions. The present study aimed to investigate the potential cytotoxicity of ethanol extracts of Hibiscus syriacus and Cinnamomum loureirii Nees plant parts on human skin melanoma (G361) and lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells. Importantly, biochemical analysis results showed the presence of high phenol (50-55 µgGAE/mg) and flavonoids [42-45 µg quercetin equivalents (QE)/mg] contents with good antioxidant activity (40-58%) in C. loureirii Nees plants extracts. This plant possesses potent antiproliferative activity (60-90%) on the malignant G361 and A549 and cell lines correlated with the production of nitric oxide. Especially, C. loureirii plant extracts have major metabolites that exhibit cancer cell death associated with cell cycle arrest. These findings support the potential application of Cinnamomum for the development of therapeutic nanoemulsion in future cancer therapy.

Buchholzia coriacea seed (wonderful kolanut) alleviates insulin resistance, steatosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in high fat diet model of fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic condition with multiple pathological features and it currently has no specific treatment or approved drug. Wonderful kolanut widely consumed fresh or cooked has been applied in the treatment of numerous diseases in folk medicine. In this study, we evaluate the therapeutic potentials of hydroethanolic extract of defatted Buccholzia coriacea seeds (HEBCS) in NAFLD model. HEBCS was subjected to liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry, and 30 male BALB/c mice (28 ± 2 g) were allocated to three (3) experimental groups (n = 10/group). Mice in group I were fed chow diet (CD); those in group II, high fat diet (HFD) and group III, HFD and 250 mg/kg HEBCS p.o. daily for six weeks. HEBCS alleviates HFD-induced insulin resistance and high plasma insulin and glucose levels. It further alleviates hepatic steatosis, and alters plasma lipid profile. HEBCS also protected against HFD-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and hepatocellular damage. In conclusion, HEBCS alleviated NAFLD in mice via suppression of insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, inflammation and oxidative stress. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Bioactive polyphenols and alkaloids were identified in hydroethanolic extract of defatted Buccholzia coriacea seeds (HEBCS). This study projects HEBCS as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of NAFLD. NAFLD is a multi-factorial condition and therefore, HEBCS is promising considering its multiple-target actions in the current model of NAFLD. HEBCS alleviates insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, steatosis, and inflammation in this model. There is a need to further investigate HEBCS in other models of NAFLD as a lead to future use in clinical studies.

Checklist of African Soapy Saponin-Rich Plants for Possible Use in Communities' Response to Global Pandemics

Plants that exhibit foaming properties when agitated in aqueous solutions are commonly referred to as soapy plants, and they are used in different communities for washing, bathing, and hair shampooing. The frothing ability of these plants is attributed to saponins which are also well-documented to possess antimicrobial attributes. In the light of COVID-19, soap and hand hygiene have taken center stage. The pandemic has also revealed the low access to running water and commercial soaps in many marginalized and poor communities to the detriment of global health. Thus, soapy plants, either in their natural form or through incorporation in commercial products, may be a relevant additional weapon to assist communities to improve hand hygiene and contribute to curbing COVID-19 and other communicable infections. This review paper was compiled from a review of literature that was published between 1980 and 2020. We found 68 plant species, including those which are already used as traditional soaps. Our findings support the potential use of extracts from soapy plants because of their putative viricidal, bactericidal, and fungicidal activities for use in crude home-based formulations and possibly for developing natural commercial soap products.

Isolation and Biological Properties of the Natural Flavonoids Pectolinarin and Pectolinarigenin-A Review

Flavonoids are metabolites widely distributed in plants and commonly present in foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Pectolinarin, which belongs to the flavone subclass, has attracted considerable attention due to its presence in many medicinal plants. It has turned out to be a good biological agent especially due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antitumor activities, evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Its aglycone, the metabolite pectolinarigenin, is also known for a series of biological properties including anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects. In the first overview on the two metabolites here presented, their collection, isolation and the results of their biological evaluation are reported.

Rapid discrimination of Notopterygium incisum and Notopterygium franchetii based on characteristic compound profiles detected by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS coupled with multivariate analysis

INTRODUCTION

The herbs Notopterygium incisum (NI) and N. franchetii (NF) are referred to as "Qianghuo" in the Chinese Pharmacopeia and are popular for treatment of certain conditions, including headaches, rheumatoid arthritis and the common cold. Recently, several adulterations of NI and NF have been found in the Chinese herbal market.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to rapidly identify the unique characteristic compounds of NI and NF, to discriminate Qianghuo from its adulterations.

METHODOLOGY

Twenty-four batches of NI and NF samples with different origins were collected and extracted with methanol. The extracts were analysed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial squared discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were then used to distinguish between NI and NF and to identify their potential characteristic markers.

RESULTS

Fifty compounds were identified or tentatively characterised according to the retention time, m/z value and MS/MS fragment analysis. Six compounds were selected as potential markers of NI and NF by PCA and OPLS-DA. They were successfully applied to authenticate 17 kinds of Chinese patent medicines containing Qianghuo. The markers could not be detected in three of the Chinese patent medicines, indicating that they were counterfeit products.

CONCLUSION

The UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS coupled with the multivariate analysis method could discriminate NI and NF from their adulterations. Moreover, the data clearly demonstrated significant differences in the chemical compositions of NI and NF. Further research is needed to examine the relationship between therapeutic efficacy and the chemical constituents of NI and NF.

Metabolic Profiling of Water-Soluble Compounds from the Extracts of Dark Septate Endophytic Fungi (DSE) Isolated from Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Seedlings Using UPLC-Orbitrap-MS

Endophytes are microorganisms living inside plant hosts and are known to be beneficial for the host plant vitality. In this study, we isolated three endophytic fungus species from the roots of Scots pine seedlings growing on Finnish drained peatland setting. The isolated fungi belonged to dark septate endophytes (DSE). The metabolic profiles of the hot water extracts of the fungi were investigated using Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection and Electron Spray Ionization source Mass Spectrometry with Orbitrap analyzer (UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS-Orbitrap). Out of 318 metabolites, we were able to identify 220, of which a majority was amino acids and peptides. Additionally, opine amino acids, amino acid quinones, Amadori compounds, cholines, nucleobases, nucleosides, nucleotides, siderophores, sugars, sugar alcohols and disaccharides were found, as well as other previously reported metabolites from plants or endophytes. Some differences of the metabolic profiles, regarding the amount and identity of the found metabolites, were observed even though the fungi were isolated from the same host. Many of the discovered metabolites have been described possessing biological activities and properties, which may make a favorable contribution to the host plant nutrient availability or abiotic and biotic stress tolerance.

Kinetics studies on effects of extraction techniques on bioactive compounds from Vernonia cinerea leaf

Recently, unconventional methods especially microwave-assisted hydrodistillation extraction (MAHE) is being used as an alternative technique for extracting bioactive compounds from plant materials due to its advantages over conventional methods such as Soxhlet extraction (SE). In this study, bioactive compounds were extracted from Vernonia cinerea leaf using both MAHE and SE methods. In addition, the kinetic study of MAHE and SE methods were carried out using first- and second-order kinetic models. The results obtained showed that MAHE can extract higher yield of bioactive compounds from V. cinerea leaf in a shorter time and reduced used of extracting solvent compared with SE method. Based on the results obtained, second-order kinetic models can actually describe the extraction of bioactive compounds from V. cinerea leaf through MAHE with extraction rate coefficient of 0.1172 L/gmin and extraction capacity of 1.0547 L/g as compared to SE with 0.0157 L/gmin and 1.1626 L/g of extraction rate coefficient and extraction capacity, respectively. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the oil showed the presence of numerous heavy fractions in the oil obtained through MAHE as compared with the SE method. Moreover, the electric consumption and environmental impacts analysis of the oil suggested that MAHE can be a suitable green technique for extracting bioactive compounds from V. cinerea leaf.