Chemical constituents from the barks of Melia azedarach and their PTP1B inhibitory activity

New anti-inflammatory limonoids from the fruits of Melia azedarach

The phytochemical study of the fruits of Melia azedarach (Meliaceae) led to the isolation and characterisation of two novel natural limonoids1-deoxy- 3, 20-dicinnamoyl-11-methoxy-meliacarpinin (1) and 12β- O- methyl nimbolinin A (2), along with twelve known limonoids. Its structure was identified by 1D- and 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS and comparison with published data. The anti-inflammatory effect of the compounds was measured in vitro in RAW 264.7 cells by evaluating the production of NO stimulated by LPS. Compounds 1, 8 and 14 indicated significant anti-inflammatory effect with inhibition rate of 11.76, 8.45 and 6.59 μM, respectively. Limonoid 1 significantly inhibited the production of NO, TNF-α and IL-1β in RAW 264.7 cells. Therefore, limonoid derivative may be a promising source of bioactive metabolite for inflammatory diseases.

Sesquiterpenoids from Meliaceae Family and Their Biological Activities

Sesquiterpenoids, an important class of natural products possessing three isoprene-derived units, are widely distributed across plants and have a variety of biological activities. All sesquiterpenoids are derived from farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), a biosynthesis precursor that can form various carbon skeletons. In order to provide a reference for further research and development of these compounds, this review focused on the increasing number of isolated and volatile sesquiterpenoids found to be produced by plants of the Meliaceae family between 1968 and 2023. The related articles were collected from SciFinder, Google Scholar, and PubMed. According to a literature review, several studies were started for more than 55 years on the plant's stem barks, twigs, leaves, flowers, seeds, and pericarps, where approximately 413 sesquiterpenoid compounds from several groups such as eudesmane, aromadendrane, cadinane, guaiane, bisabolane, furanoeremophilane, humulene, germacrane, and oppositane-type were isolated and identified with some minor products. Additionally, the hypothetical route of sesquiterpenoids biosynthesis from this family was identified, and eudesmane-type was reported to be 27% of the total compounds. The antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, antiviral, and cytotoxic activities of the isolated compounds and major volatile sesquiterpenoids constituent on essential oil were also evaluated. The result showed the fundamental of using the sesquiterpenoid compounds from the Meliaceae family in traditional medicine and the discovery of new drugs.

Triterpenoids from the fruits of Melia azedarach L. and their cytotoxic activities

Eleven undescribed tetracyclic triterpenoids, meliazedarachins A-K, along with twenty-six known compounds were isolated from the fruits of Melia azedarach L.. Their structures were determined by HRESIMS, UV, IR, NMR, X-ray diffraction, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, and the modified Mosher's method. The cytotoxic activities of all the isolates were measured. Meliazedarachin K and mesendanin N showed cytotoxicity against five human cancer cell lines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 9.02 to 31.31 μM. Meliazedarachin K showed significant cytotoxicity against HCT116 cell line with IC₅₀ value of 9.02 ± 0.84 μM. 21α-methylmelianodiol showed significant cytotoxicity against HCT116 and RKO cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 10.16 ± 1.22 and 8.57 ± 0.80 μM, respectively.

Identification of a New Badnavirus in the Chinaberry (Melia azedarach) Tree and Establishment of a LAMP-LFD Assay for Its Rapid and Visual Detection

The Chinaberry tree, a member of the Meliaceae family, is cultivated in China for use in traditional medicines. In 2020, Chinaberry trees with leaf deformation symptoms were found in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. In order to identify possible pathogenic viruses, a symptomatic sample was subjected to deep sequencing of small interfering RNAs. Assembly of the resulting sequences led to the identification of a novel badnavirus, provisionally designated Chinaberry tree badnavirus 1 (ChTBV1). With the recent development of China’s seedling industry and increasing online shopping platforms, the risk of tree virus transmission has increased substantially. Therefore, it is important to detect the occurrence of ChTBV1 to ensure the safety of the Chinaberry tree seedling industry. Here, we describe the development and validation of a sensitive and robust method relying on a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, targeting a 197 nt region, to detect ChTBV1 from Chinaberry tree leaves. The LAMP assay was also adapted for rapid visualization of results by a lateral flow dipstick chromatographic detection method.