Phytochemistry of Daphne oleoides

Betulin-rich hydroalcoholic extract of Daphne oleoides attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rat

Background and objective

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic and progressive respiratory disease representing the final stage of lung inflammatory disorders. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), an essential factor in the formation and progression of pulmonary fibrosis, are a significant adverse effect of Bleomycin (BLM). Antioxidant activities have been found in Daphne oleoides. In this study, we attempted to explore the function of hydroalcoholic extract of Daphne oleoides (D. oleoides) and Betulin in inhibiting bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rat".

Materials and methods

The current experimental study used 36 male Wistar rats (180-220). Following a random process, the animals were divided into six groups six (n = 6). Group, I (the control group) received normal saline, while Group II (the hazardous group) received intratracheal BLM (7.5 units per kg). Following the administration of BLM, Groups V and VI received daily doses of vitamin E (500 mg/kg/d, p.o.) and Betulin (10 mg kg/d, p.o.), whereas Groups III and IV received daily doses of Daphne oleoides extract (300 and 600 mg/kg/d, p.o.). Then, blood samples from the hearts of the animals were taken to assess the plasma concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Finally, the rats were euthanized, and the lung tissues were taken out for histological analysis and assessments of the levels of lung hydroxyproline (HP), ferric-reducing ability (FRAP), NO, Glutathione Concentration (GSH), thiol content (tSH) and MDA.

Findings

Elevated lung index, lung hydroxyproline, NO, and MDA plasma levels, and a reduction in total body thiol content (tSH) in the group receiving BLM were evidence of pulmonary toxicity. Treatment with D. oleoides extracts, Betulin, and Vit E, especially at 600 mg/kg, led to a marked reduction in the above parameters compared with the BLM-received group (p < 0.01). Histological Analysis of the BLM-treated group showed a considerable Lung injury with interstitial infiltration, collapsed alveolar spaces, and alveolar septal thickening. These changes were mitigated with D. oleoides 600, Betulin-, and vitamin E. These changes were mitigated with D. oleoides 600, Betulin-, and vitamin E.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that D. oleoides and Betulin prevent bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in rats by decreasing inflammatory and antioxidant markers. Daphne oleoides, therefore, have the potential to be used therapeutically to treat pulmonary fibrosis.

A pre-clinical study to investigate the anti-diabetic potential of p-propoxybenzoic acid as a multi-target inhibitor in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced type-2 diabetic rats

Purpose

The study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-diabetic potential of p-propoxybenzoic acid (p-PBA).

Methods

36 Sprague-Dawley rats of either sex were utilized for the study. Animals were injected with nicotinamide (230 mg/kg) followed by streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) to induce Type-2 Diabetes (T2DM). Animals with blood glucose levels (BGL) over 200 mg/kg were allocated in six groups. Three groups were treated with p-PBA dose of 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg respectively; standard control group was treated with 5 mg/kg glibenclamide, while the other two groups were considered as normal control and disease control group. Body weight (BW) and BGL were recorded on Day 0, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 28. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum insulin levels and lipid profile were recorded on Day 28. Animals were euthanized on Day 28 and the pancreas was isolated for histopathological examination.

Results

Diabetic animals treated with p-PBA showed significant improvements in BW (P < 0.05) and BGL (P < 0.001) over 28 days. Levels of HbA1c (P < 0.05) and serum insulin (P < 0.001) were significantly regulated in animals treated with p-PBA. A significant decrease (P < 0.001) was observed in elevated levels of TC, TG, LDL cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol in animals treated with p-PBA. p-PBA significantly regulated the levels of HDL cholesterol (P < 0.001). A notable protective effect of p-PBA was observed through the histopathological examination of pancreas.

Conclusion

p-PBA can be characterized as a multi-target inhibiting anti-diabetic agent which can be evaluated against diabetic complications.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-022-01177-y.

Daphnetin: A bioactive natural coumarin with diverse therapeutic potentials

Daphnetin (DAP), a coumarin derivative extracted from Daphne species, is biologically active phytochemical with copious bioactivities including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, neuroprotective, analgesic, anti-pyretic, anti-malarial, anti-bacterial, anti-arthritic, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and anti-cancer activities. A wide range of studies have been conducted exploring the significance and therapeutic potential of DAP. This study reviewed various databases such as NCBI, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar for published research articles regarding the sources, synthesis, and various bioactivities of DAP using different key words, including but not limited to “pharmacological activities,” “sources,” “neuroprotective effect,” “synthesis,” “cancer,” “anti-inflammatory effect” of “daphnetin.” Furthermore, this review encompasses both in-vivo and in-vitro studies on DAP for treating various diseases. A comprehensive review of the literature revealed that the DAP had a promising pharmacological and safety profile, and could be employed as a pharmaceutical moiety to treat a variety of illnesses including microbial infections, cancer, arthritis, hepatic damage, inflammation and neurological anomalies. The current review intends to provide an in-depth focus on all pharmacological activities and therapeutic approaches for the pharmaceutical and biomedical researchers.

Potential cytotoxic and mutagenic effect of Pinus wallichiana, Daphne oleiodes and Bidens chinensis

The Pinus wallichiana, Daphne oleiodes and Bidens chinensis have a long history of being used traditionally for treatment of various types of disorders. Most of the uses have been without any scientific evidence and toxicological assessment. We evaluated the mutagenic and cytotoxic capabilities of various parts of P. wallichiana, D. oleoides and B. chinensis. Ames Salmonella mutagenicity assay determined the mutagenicity activity against TA 98 and TA 100 bacterial strains of Salmonella typhimurium without metabolic activator S9 system. The number of mutant colonies in negative control was considered as limit to determine the mutagenicity effects of every extract. Brine shrimps lethality bioassay was used to determine the cytotoxic capabilities of the selected plants. The P. wallichiana, D. oleiodes and B. chinensis did not showed any mutagenic activity both for frameshift mutation (TA98) and base-pair substitution (TA100) without S9 mixture. The crude methanolic extract of P. wallichiana stem showed moderate cytotoxicity (53.33%) at 1000 μg/ml with LD₅₀ value 599.634. The D. oleoides fruit showed a toxicity of 60% at 1000 μg/ml with LD₅₀ value 367.730. The B. chinensis (whole plant) showed lethality of 63.3% at 1000 μg/ml, with LD₅₀ 204.833. The absence of any mutagenic activity of crude extract of the tested plants in both bacteria strains, TA 98 and TA 100 without the S9 mix confirms the safety of these plants to the consumers.

Anti-inflammatory activity of crude and detoxified leaves of Daphne oleoides Schreb. on carrageenan-induced paw edema in wistar rats

BACKGROUND

Mazaryun (Daphne oleoides Schreb.) is used as an anti-inflammatory drug in Unani medicine after detoxification, as it is defined under fourth-degree drugs.

OBJECTIVE(S)

To evaluate and compare the anti-inflammatory activity of crude and detoxified Mazaryun in maximum and minimum doses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Anti-inflammatory activity was carried out by carrageenan-induced paw edema test. Wistar rats of either sex, weighing 150-200 gm, were divided into seven groups (I, II, IIIA, IIIB, IVA, IVB, and V) of six animals in each. Group I - plain control, administered with 1 ml of 1% CarboxyMethyl Cellulose (CMC); Group II - standard control, given Diclofenac Sodium (6 mg/kg); Group III - crude Mazaryun and Group IV - detoxified Mazaryun, A and B are maximum and minimum doses of test drug, respectively; and V group - positive control was not treated with any other drugs. The data was statistically analyzed by ANOVA repeated for inter-group analysis and ANOVA one-way for intra-group analysis with post hoc Tukey Kramer multiple comparison test. The GC-MS analysis of crude and detoxified leaves of Mazaryun was also carried out in continuation of study to determine the phytochemical changes before and after detoxification.

RESULTS

Maximum dose of detoxified Mazaryun and standard control groups showed significant anti-inflammatory activity at p < 0.001, and detoxified Mazaryun showed dose-dependent activity. The GC-MS fingerprints showed totally eight different chemical constituents in its crude and detoxified form.

CONCLUSION

The study standardised the concept of detoxication in Unani medicine, as the detoxified Mazaryun showed significant anti-inflammatory activity and present of totally different chemicals constituents.

Effects of an ethyl acetate extract of Daphne altaica stem bark on the cell cycle, apoptosis and expression of PPARγ in Eca‑109 human esophageal carcinoma cells

Daphne altaica Pall. (D. altaica; Thymelaeaceae) has long been used in traditional Kazakh medicine for the treatment of cancer and respiratory diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated the in vitro anticancer effects of D. altaica extract and its constituents in certain cancer cell lines; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understooD. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the activity of an ethyl acetate extract of D. altaica (Da‑Ea) by assessing its effects on cell morphology, cell apoptosis, cell cycle progression and the expression levels of peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in Eca‑109 cells. Cell morphology was observed under a phase contrast microscope. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle progression were assessed by flow cytometry following Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) double staining and PI single staining, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PPARγ were determined by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively. Compared with the control group, the percentage of apoptotic cells, cell cycle arrest at S phase and apoptotic morphological cell characteristics were increased in Da‑Ea‑treated Eca‑109 cells. Furthermore, Da‑Ea treatment upregulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of PPARγ compared with the control cells. High‑performance liquid chromatography with diode‑array detection indicated that daphnetin‑7‑O‑β‑D‑glucoside, daphnetin, demethyldaphnoretin‑7‑O‑β‑D‑glucopyranoside and genkwanol A were the main constituents of Da‑Ea. Collectively, the results suggested that Da‑Ea displayed antiproliferative activities in Eca‑109 cells by inducing apoptosis and S phase cell cycle arrest, as well as upregulating PPARγ expression levels.

The genus Daphne: A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology

The genus Daphne belongs to the Thymeleaceae family and contains over 90 species that are distributed in Asia, Europe and parts of North Africa. The species of the genus Daphne are used in the traditional medicine of China, Tibet, Korea, and the Middle East for the treatment of various conditions. A broad range of studies has shown the significant biological potential of these species as sources of biologically and pharmacologically active compounds. Daphne species are a source of several classes of valuable phytochemicals such as coumarins, flavonoids, lignans, steroids and different classes of terpenes. The phytochemical diversity of this genus is demonstrated by over 350 secondary metabolites isolated from various species. The genus possesses a broad spectrum of biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antiviral, abortive and haemostatic effects. A variety of bioactive secondary metabolites found in this genus may have potential use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Thus, species belonging to the genus Daphne can be considered an important source both for the treatment of various disorders, due to the presence of a plethora of bioactive constituents with potent bioactivities, and as possible leads in the discovery and synthesis of new medications.

Genkwalathins A and B, new lathyrane-type diterpenes from Daphne genkwa

Screening for new natural anti-neuroinflammatory compounds was performed with the traditional folk medicine Genkwa Flos, which potently inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production by LPS-activated microglial BV-2 cells. Two new lathyrane-type diterpenes, genkwalathins A (1) and B (2), and 14 known daphnane-type diterpenes (3-16) were isolated. The lathyrane-type diterpenes were isolated for the first time from the Thymelaeaceae family in this study. Compounds 1 and 2 moderately inhibited LPS-induced NO production in BV-2 cells without affecting cell viability, while six daphnane-type diterpenes (3, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10) potently reduced NO production with IC₅₀ values less than 1 μM, although they did display weak cytotoxicity. A structure-activity relationship study on the daphnane-type diterpenes indicated that the stereochemistry at C-19, the benzoate group at C-20, and the epoxide moiety could be important for their anti-neuroinflammatory effects.

New Coumarinyl Ethers in Daphne oleoides Schreb. Collected from Sardinia Island

The phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic extract obtained from D. oleoides collected from Sardinia Island allowed the isolation of several new constituents for the species (3, 8, and 9) together with two new coumarinyl ethers (1 and 2) besides the chemotaxonomic markers of the Daphne genus (4 - 7 and 10) which are also known to possess interesting biological activities. The structure of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses. The identification of these compounds gives an experimental evidence of the variability in the secondary metabolites pattern owned by populations growing in restricted area in respect to populations not confined by geographical barrier.

Diterpenoids of terrestrial origin

This review covers the isolation and chemistry of diterpenoids from terrestrial as opposed to marine sources and includes labdanes, clerodanes, abietanes, pimaranes, kauranes, cembranes and their cyclization products. The literature from January to December, 2016 is reviewed.