Exploring potential antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory flavonoids from Euphorbia humifusa with an integrated strategy

Vasorelaxant effects of biochemical constituents of various medicinal plants and their benefits in diabetes

Endothelial function plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular health, and dysfunction in this context diminishes vasorelaxation concomitant with endothelial activity. The nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway, prostacyclin-cyclic adenosine monophosphate pathway, inhibition of phosphodiesterase, and the opening of potassium channels, coupled with the reduction of calcium levels in the cell, constitute critical mechanisms governing vasorelaxation. Cardiovascular disease stands as a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality among individuals with diabetes, with adults afflicted by diabetes exhibiting a heightened cardiovascular risk compared to their non-diabetic counterparts. A plethora of medicinal plants, characterized by potent pharmacological effects and minimal side effects, holds promise in addressing these concerns. In this review, we delineate various medicinal plants and their respective biochemical constituents, showcasing concurrent vasorelaxant and anti-diabetic activities.

Investigating the potential of 6-substituted 3-formyl chromone derivatives as anti-diabetic agents using in silico methods

In exploring nature's potential in addressing diabetes-related conditions, this study investigates the therapeutic capabilities of 3-formyl chromone derivatives. Utilizing in silico methodologies, we focus on 6-substituted 3-formyl chromone derivatives (1-16) to assess their therapeutic potential in treating diabetes. The research examined the formyl group at the chromone's C-3 position. ADMET, biological activities, were conducted along with B3LYP calculations using 3 different basis sets. The analogues were analyzed based on their parent structure obtained from PubChem. The HOMO-LUMO gap confirmed the bioactive nature of the derivatives, NBO analysis was performed to understand the charge transfer. PASS prediction revealed that 3-formyl chromone derivatives are potent aldehyde oxidase inhibitors, insulin inhibitors, HIF1A expression inhibitors, and histidine kinase. Molecular docking studies indicated that the compounds had a strong binding affinity with proteins, including CAD, BHK, IDE, HIF-α, p53, COX, and Mpro of SARS-CoV2. 6-isopropyl-3-formyl chromone (4) displayed the highest affinity for IDE, with a binding energy of - 8.5 kcal mol-1. This result outperformed the affinity of the reference standard dapagliflozin (- 7.9 kcal mol-1) as well as two other compounds that target human IDE, namely vitexin (- 8.3 kcal mol-1) and myricetin (- 8.4 kcal mol-1). MD simulations were revealed RMSD value between 0.2 and 0.5 nm, indicating the strength of the protein-ligand complex at the active site.

Potential hemostatic compounds targeting urokinase plasminogen activator explored from three Euphorbiaceae species: Euphorbia maculata, Euphorbia humifusa, and Acalypha australis, with bio-affinity ultrafiltration UPLC-MS

INTRODUCTION

Numerous species of the Euphorbiaceae family, including Euphorbia maculata, Euphorbia humifusa, and Acalypha australis, have been used to manage bleeding disorders. However, few investigations have demonstrated their hemostatic potential, and their procoagulant compounds remain elusive.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the most active procoagulant extracts from the three species' crude extract (CE) and fractions in order to screen out the active compounds and to analyze their possible mechanisms of action.

METHODS

An integrative approach, comprising prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time evaluations and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) inhibitory assessment, followed by bio-affinity ultrafiltration paired with UPLC/QTOF-MS targeting uPA and docking simulations, was used.

RESULTS

The extracts with highest procoagulant activity were the CE for both E. maculata (EMCE) and E. humifusa (EHCE) and the n-butanol fraction (NB) for A. australis (AANB). The most promising ligands, namely, isoquercetin, orientin, rutin, and brevifolin carboxylic acid, were selected from these lead extracts. All of these compounds exhibited pronounced specific binding values to the uPA target and showed tight intercalation with the crucial side chains forming the uPA active pocket, which may explain their mode of action. The activity validation substantiated their hemostatic effectivity in inhibiting uPA as they had better inhibition constant (Ki) values than the reference drug tranexamic acid.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, the integrative strategy applied to these three species allowed the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects on bleeding disorders, resulting in the fast detection of four potential hemostatic compounds and their mode of action.

Determination of biological activities of malabar spinach (Basellaalba) fruit extracts and molecular docking against COX-II enzyme

To achieve the health benefit from the natural of Basella. Albafruit. This study intended to figure out the bioactive compounds in the two varieties of B. alba (native and hybrid) fruit extract and measurement its biological activities like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic activities and a molecular docking were performed to observed the pharmaceutical impact on the anti-inflammatory Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme. The cold extractions along with GC-MS were used for the extraction of and analysis of phytoconstituents from B. alba fruit. The hemolytic inhibitory and BSA (Bovine serum albumin)-denaturation assay, DPPH(2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and H2O2-free radical scavenging analysis, and brine shrimp lethalness test were performed to measure the biological activities of the extracted The biological activities assay results showed that the ethanol extract of native malabar spinach exhibited dose-dependent antioxidant activity. The IC50 value 21.55 ± 1.51 μg/mL was for DPPH scavenging assay and 23.36 ± 0.36 μg/mL was for H2O2 scavenging analysis. In anti-inflammatory activity assessment study, the IC50 values of the ethanol extracts were 20.52 ± 0.91 μg/mL for BSA inhibition and 20.43 ± 1.30 μg/mL for RBC hemolytic inhibitory study. In this study, cytotoxicity test results reveal that aqueous extract exhibited no cytotoxicity as compared to ethanol and ethyl acetate extract (LD50 = 875.27 μg/mL). Conversely, the current study insist the in silico analysis, to find out the anti-inflammatory activity of the investigated two fruit varieties due to pharmacokinetics analysis, toxicity properties analysis, ADMETand molecular docking. The result of this study signified that both (native and hybrid) malabar spinach fruit varieties contain phytoconstituents with potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic action.Moreover, the in vitro and in silico results suggest that the native and hybrid fruit varieties of the extracts could be a superior striver for future appraisal as a prospective therapeutically active ingredient.

In Vitro Fecal Fermentation of Euphorbia humifusa-Derived Polysaccharides and Their Protective Effect against Ulcerative Colitis in Mice

Euphorbia humifusa is a plant species with medicinal and food characteristics used to treat diarrhea and other intestinal diseases. This study investigated the prebiotic effects of E. humifusa-derived polysaccharides (EHPs) on human colonic microbiota and their regulatory effects on ulcerative colitis (UC). Structural characterization showed that EHPs mainly consisted of galactose, glucose, and glucuronic acid and were heteropolysaccharides having molecular weights of 7.70 × 10³ and 1.76 × 10² kDa, respectively. EHPs were identified as poorly absorbed macromolecules, verified by the apparent permeability coefficient values (Papp < 1.0 × 10^-6 cm/s) and cellular uptake by Caco-2 cell monolayers. During in vitro fermentation studies, the contents of acetic, propionic, and valeric acids increased significantly in EHP-supplemented samples after 24 h compared to that in the control sample. Moreover, EHPs could alter the intestinal microbiota composition by increasing the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and Holdemanella and reducing that of Escherichia-Shigella, Tyzzerella, and Parasutterella at the genus level. In a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mouse model, EHPs alleviated UC symptoms by increasing the colon length, reversing the colon tissue damage and inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines. Overall, these results suggest that EHPs could be utilized as a potential prebiotic or a promising nutritional strategy for UC management.