Survey of solasodine-type glycoalkaloids by western blotting and ELISA using anti-solamargine monoclonal antibody

Progress in Immunoassays of Toxic Alkaloids in Plant-Derived Medicines: A Review

Plants are the cradle of the traditional medicine system, assuaging human or animal diseases, and promoting health for thousands of years. However, many plant-derived medicines contain toxic alkaloids of varying degrees of toxicity that pose a direct or indirect threat to human and animal health through accidental ingestion, misuse of plant materials, or through the food chain. Thus, rapid, easy, and sensitive methods are needed to effectively screen these toxic alkaloids to guarantee the safety of plant-derived medicines. Antibodies, due to their inherent specificity and high affinity, have been used as a variety of analytical tools and techniques. This review describes the antigen synthesis and antibody preparation of the common toxic alkaloids in plant-derived medicines and discusses the advances of antibody-based immunoassays in the screening and detection of toxic alkaloids in plants or other related matrices. Finally, the limitations and prospects of immunoassays for toxic alkaloids are discussed.

Immunological Separation of Bioactive Natural Compounds from Crude Drug Extract and Its Application for Cell-Based Studies

In this study, we present a review on a useful approach, namely, immunoaffinity column coupled with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), to separate natural compounds and its application for cell-based studies. The immunoaffinity column aids in separating the specific target compound from the crude extract. The column capacity was stable even after more than 10 purification cycles of use under the same conditions. After applying the crude extract to the column, the column was washed with washing buffer and eluted with elution buffer. The elution fraction contained the target compound bound to MAb, whereas the washing fraction was the crude extract, which contained all compounds except a group of target compounds; therefore, the washing fraction was referred to as a knockout (KO) crude extract. Cell-based studies using the KO extract revealed the actual effects of the natural compounds in the crude extract. One-step separation of natural compounds using the immunoaffinity column coupled with MAbs may help in determining the potential functions of natural compounds in crude extracts.

Anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic activities of Solanum khasianum Clarke

In order to scientifically appraise some of the folkloric uses of Solanum khasianum Clarke (Solanaceae), the present study was undertaken to examine the anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic properties of the berries of ethanol extract. Anti-inflammatory activity was tested in carrageenan induced rat hind paw edema method at three dose level of 200, 300, and 400 mg kg(-1) respectively, Diclofenac sodium (100 mg kg(-1)) was used as the reference standard. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extract was compared with standard and control. The anthelmintic activity of the extract was tested on tape worm, liver fluke, thread worm, and hook worm using two different concentrations, 100 and 200 mg mL(-1) respectively. Time taken for the inhibition of motility was noted and compared with the standard drug, Piperazine citrate 15 mg mL. The plant extract significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the inflammation of the rats when compared to the control group. Also, the ethanol extract of the plant paralyzed the worms followed by death, which was comparable with that of the standard. This study supports the folk claim.

A novel glucosyltransferase involved in steroid saponin biosynthesis in Solanum aculeatissimum

Steroidal saponins are widely distributed in many plant species. Their diverse structures have resulted in a wide range of applications, including drug and medicine production. It has been suggested that the nature of the non-saccharide and oligosaccharide portions of the saponin molecule both contribute to the properties of individual saponins. Despite numerous studies on the occurrence, chemical structure, and varying pharmaceutical activities of steroidal saponins, their biosynthesis pathway is poorly understood. Glycosylation is thought to be the final step in steroidal saponin biosynthesis and it is thought to be involved in regulating the biological activities of saponins. Isolation of the glycosyltransferases that catalyze the transfer of sugar molecules to steroidal compounds will help to clarify the mechanisms that produce diverse saponins and control their activities in plants. In this study, we obtained three cDNAs encoding putative glycosyltransferases from Solanum aculeatissimum. One of the three, SaGT4A showed UDP-glucosyltransferase activity. This is the first cloned glucosyltransferase involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis. SaGT4A catalyzes the 3-O-glucosylation of steroidal sapogenins, such as diosgenin, nuatigenin, and tigogenin. This enzyme also glucosylates steroidal alkaloids, such as solanidine, solasodine, and tomatidine. Gene expression analysis revealed that the accumulation of SaGT4A transcripts showed a unique response to wounding stress indicating the involvement of SaGT4A in plant defense system.