Studies on the detoxification effects and acute toxicity of a mixture ofcis-sec-butyl-1-propoenyl disulphide andtrans-sec-butyl-1-propoenyl disulphide isolated from crude essential oil ofFerula sinkiangensisK.M. Shen, a Chinese traditional herbal medicine

Three new tetrahydrobenzofuran derivatives from Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen and their cytotoxic activities

Phytochemical investigation the resins of Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen yielded three new tetrahydrobenzofuran derivatives named as Sinkiangensis A-C (1-3). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by analysis of their NMR, HRMS, and ECD spectra, and the absolute configurations were established through the comparison of experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Compound 3 exhibited moderate antitumor activities against AGS cancer cell with IC50 values of 15.6 µM. Moreover, assays demonstrated that compound 3 could induce AGS cancer cell apoptosis.

Ferula sinkiangensis (Chou-AWei, Chinese Ferula): Traditional Uses, Phytoconstituents, Biosynthesis, and Pharmacological Activities

Ferula is the third largest genus of the Apiaceae family, its species are utilized as a remedy for diverse ailments all over the world. F. sinkiangensis K. M. Shen (Chou-AWei, Chinese Ferula) is mainly found in Xin-jiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Traditionally, it is utilized for treating various illnesses such as digestive disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, wound infection, baldness, bronchitis, ovarian cysts, intestinal worms, diarrhea, malaria, abdominal mass, cold, measles, and bronchitis. It can produce different classes of metabolites such as sesquiterpene coumarins, steroidal esters, lignans, phenylpropanoids, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, coumarins, organic acid glycosides, and sulfur-containing compounds with prominent bioactivities. The objective of this work is to point out the reported data on F. sinkiangensis, including traditional uses, phytoconstituents, biosynthesis, and bioactivities. In the current work, 194 metabolites were reported from F. sinkiangensis in the period from 1987 to the end of 2022. Nevertheless, future work should be directed to conduct in vivo, mechanistic, and clinical assessments of this plant`s metabolites to confirm its safe usage.

The current status of old traditional medicine introduced from Persia to China

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) includes over ten thousand herbal medicines, some of which were introduced from outside countries and territories. The Silk Road enabled the exchange of merchandise such as teas, silks, carpets, and medicines between the East and West of the Eurasia continent. During this time, the ‘Compendium of Materia Medica’ (CMM) was composed by a traditional medicine practitioner, Shizhen Li (1,518–1,593) of the Ming Dynasty. This epoch-making masterpiece collected knowledge of traditional medical materials and treatments in China from the 16th century and before in utmost detail, including the origin where a material was obtained. Of 1892 medical materials from the CMM, 46 came from Persia (now Iran). In this study, the basic information of these 46 materials, including the time of introduction, the medicinal value in TCM theory, together with the current status of these medicines in China and Iran, are summarized. It is found that 20 herbs and four stones out of the 46 materials are registered as medicinal materials in the latest China Pharmacopoeia. Now most of these herbs and stones are distributed in China or replacements are available but saffron, ferula, myrrh, and olibanum are still highly dependent on imports. This study may contribute to the further development, exchange, and internationalization of traditional medicine of various backgrounds in the world, given the barriers of transportation and language are largely eased in nowadays.

Purification and identification of anticancer organosulfides from Ferula assa-foetida gum: integrative analysis employing GC/GC-MS/RP-HPLC/NMR

Ferula assa-foetida, containing organosulfides is widely used in Indian cuisine and traditionally claimed to have several medicinal properties including anticancer properties. Ferula oil enriched with organosulfides displayed significant inhibition of the cell growth in-vitro against SKOV3 and A549 cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. This prompted us to investigate and delineate the compounds responsible for the activity. In this endeavor, the employed GC/GC-MS analysis resulted in the indecisive outcome. This led to the development of an expedient isocratic RP-HPLC method for the separation and purification of four major compounds which were further unambiguously characterised as (-)-E-2-butyl propenyl disulfide, (-)-Z-2-butyl propenyl disulfide, (-)-1-(methylthio)propyl(E)-1-propenyl disulfide, and (-)-1-(methylthio)propyl(Z)-1-propenyl disulfide employing ¹H, ¹³C, and 2 D NMR. The isolated compounds were further evaluated for their potential against SKOV3 and A549 cell lines where a trisulfide has displayed better activity.

Metabolic Profile, Bioactivities, and Variations in the Chemical Constituents of Essential Oils of the Ferula Genus (Apiaceae)

The genus Ferula is the third largest and a well-known genus of the Apiaceae family. It is categorized in the Peucedaneae tribe and Ferulinae subtribe of the Apiaceae family. At present, about 180 Ferula species have been reported. The genus is mainly distributed throughout central and South-West Asia (especially Iran and Afghanistan), the far-East, North India, and the Mediterranean. The genus Ferula is characterized by the presence of oleo-gum-resins (asafoetida, sagapenum, galbanum, and ammoniacum) and their use in natural and conventional pharmaceuticals. The main phytochemicals present in the genus Ferula are as follows: coumarin, coumarin esters, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene lactones, monoterpene, monoterpene coumarins, prenylated coumarins, sulfur-containing compounds, phytoestrogen, flavonoids and carbohydrates. This genus is considered to be a valuable group of medicinal plants due to its many different biological and pharmacological uses as volatile oils (essential oils). Numerous biological activities are shown by the chemical components of the essential oils obtained from different Ferula species. Because this genus includes many bioactivities such as antimicrobial, insecticidal, antioxidant, cytotoxic, etc., researchers are now focusing on this genus. Several reviews are already available on this particular genus, including information about the importance and the uses of all the phytochemicals found in the species of Ferula. Despite this, no review that specifically provides information about the biological activities of Ferula-derived essential oils, has been published yet. Therefore, the present review has been conducted to provide important information about the chemical profile, factors affecting the chemical composition, and biological activities of essential oils of the Ferula species.

Sesquiterpene coumarins from Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen and their cytotoxic activities

Five undescribed sesquiterpene coumarins, one undescribed coumarin derivative, and twenty-five known analogues, were isolated from the resin of Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen. The planar structures and relative configurations of the undescribed compounds were determined by NMR experiment and HRESIMS data. The absolute configurations were established by Electrostatic Circular Dichroism method. Among these analogues, Sinkiangenol E showed the best cytotoxic activity against HeLa cervical cancer cells. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining indicated that Sinkiangenol E induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. Cell cycle analysis showed Sinkiangenol E arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase. Western blot results proved that Sinkiangenol E affected apoptosis-related and cell cycle regulation-related protein expression by activating the MAPK pathway.

Effects of dietary asafoetida (Ferula sinkiangensis K. M. Shen) levels on feeding attraction activity, growth performance, healthiness, and digestive enzyme activity in juvenile Lateolabrax japonicus

The study was to investigate effects of asafoetida (Ferula sinkiangensis K. M. Shen) powder on feeding attraction activity (FAA), growth performance, healthiness, and digestive enzyme activity of juvenile Lateolabrax japonicus. Six concentration levels (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 g/kg diets) were formulated for luring and feeding experiment. Results showed that asafoetida could stimulate the appetite of L. japonicus at the dietary levels from 10 to 25 g/kg; reduce the feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed intake (FI) at 10-20 g/kg; increase the weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) at 5-10 g/kg; increase the hepatosomatic index (HSI), body crude lipid content, serum total protein (TP) content, and lysozyme activity at 10-15 g/kg; decrease the moisture at 10-15 g/kg; and increase the serum total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity at 5-15 g/kg, when compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Digestive enzyme activities including amylase (AMS) and trypsin in the intestine were significantly affected by the asafoetida powder (p < 0.05). Regression analyses between the FAA, FCR, WG, SGR, HSI, LZM, T-SOD, AMS, trypsin, and the dietary asafoetida powder levels showed that the optimal additional amount was 16.95, 13.65, 8.36, 8.15, 15.45, 9.94, 8.75, 11.77, and 7.07 g/kg, respectively, indicating that the optimal amount of asafoetida powder was located in 7.07-16.95 g/kg diet. However, combined with the significant difference analyses obtained from the current study, we would suggest the additive suitable dosage was 10 g/kg.

Pharmacological and Therapeutic Aspects of Plants from the Genus Ferula: A Comprehensive Review

Inspired by nature, humankind has been able to attain significant achievements in the drug and food industries. Particularly, medicinal plants are a rich source of medicinal, cosmetic, sanitary, and aromatic substances. Genus Ferula from the Apiaceae family is a plant genus that possesses over 170 species, which have been carefully documented with regard to their medicinal properties. Ferula spp. affects many body organs, and their respective functions, in humans, such as the immune system, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary, endocrine, respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous system, bone (skeleton), and teeth. In spite of the benefits, ferulosis (Ferula toxicity) is an important aspect of Ferula consumption in humans and animals. Hemorrhagic problems and infertility are important signs of ferulosis. In this review, we have described all of the effects of the active ingredients of Ferula spp. and their mechanisms of actions, when known, based on an extensive literature review. Thus, our review opens a window of the benefits of Ferula as a phyto-pharmaceutical and its therapeutic applications in pharmacy, dentistry, and medicine.

Apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest induced by Sinkiangenone B, a novel phenylpropanoid derivative from the resin of Ferula sinkiangensis K. M. Shen

A new compound from Ferula sinkiangensis has the potential to treat gastric cancer through apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest.

Chemical composition and phagocyte immunomodulatory activity of Ferula iliensis essential oils

Essential oil extracts from Ferula iliensis have been used traditionally in Kazakhstan for treatment of inflammation and other illnesses. Because little is known about the biologic activity of these essential oils that contributes to their therapeutic properties, we analyzed their chemical composition and evaluated their phagocyte immunomodulatory activity. The main components of the extracted essential oils were (E)-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (15.7-39.4%) and (Z)-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (23.4-45.0%). Ferula essential oils stimulated [Ca²⁺]_i mobilization in human neutrophils and activated ROS production in human neutrophils and murine bone marrow phagocytes. Activation of human neutrophil [Ca²⁺]_i flux by Ferula essential oils was dose-dependently inhibited by capsazepine, a TRPV1 channel antagonist, indicating that TRPV1 channels mediate this response. Furthermore, Ferula essential oils stimulated Ca²⁺ influx in TRPV1 channel-transfected HEK293 cells and desensitized the capsaicin-induced response in these cells. Additional molecular modeling with known TRPV1 channel agonists suggested that the active component is likely to be (Z)-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide. Our results provide a cellular and molecular basis to explain at least part of the beneficial therapeutic properties of FEOs.

Umbelliprenin and lariciresinol isolated from a long-term-used herb medicine Ferula sinkiangensis induce apoptosis and G0/G1 arresting in gastric cancer cells

Effective chemicals isolated from folk medicine are commonly used in the treatment of cancer in Asian countries like China and India.

Oleo gum resin of Ferula assa-foetida L. ameliorates peripheral neuropathy in mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

According to the Chinese, European, Iranian and Indian traditional medicines, oleo gum resin of Ferula assa-foetida (asafoetida) has therapeutic effects on different kinds of diseases. Some of these effects are related to the diseases of nervous system such as hysteresis and convulsion. In recent studies, some anti-epileptic and neuroprotective roles were also considered for it and we examined its possible role on treatment of peripheral neuropathy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

in vitro studies were carried out to identify the response of isolated sciatic nerves to different concentrations of oleo gum resin of asafoetida solved in Lock׳s solution. Then, in vivo studies were conducted to evaluate its effect on amelioration of peripheral neuropathy in mice. Peripheral neuropathy was induced by intraperiotoneal injection of high doses of pyridoxine in adult Balb/c male mice. Tail flick tests were performed to identify the incidence of neuropathy in animals. After 10 days treatment with asafoetida, the efficiency of treatment was assessed by behavioral, electrophysiological and histological studies.

RESULTS

in vitro experiments confirmed that incubating the nerves in aqueous extract of oleo gum rein of asafoetida increased the amplitude and decreased the latent period of nerve compound action potential (CAP). Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and amplitude of CAP also improved in asafoetida treated animals. Histological and behavioral studies showed that asafoetida was able to facilitate the healing process in peripheral nerves.

CONCLUSIONS

in vitro experiments showed that asafoetida is a nerve stimulant and its administration in neuropathic mice exerted neuroprotecting effects through stimulating axonal regeneration and remyelination and decrement of lymphocyte infiltration.