Antioxidants of Natural Products

Traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and applications of Labisia pumila: A comprehensive review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Labisia pumila (Blume) Fern.-Vill, also known as Kacip Fatimah, is a traditional medicinal herb common throughout Southeast Asia. It is primarily used to facilitate childbirth and postpartum recovery in women. Additionally, it can also be used to treat dysentery, rheumatism, gonorrhea, and as an anti-flatulent.

AIM OF THIS REVIEW

This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the traditional uses, botany, cultivation, phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, practical applications, and potential uses of L. pumila (LP). Furthermore, we also explore the safety of this plant and its potential prospects for application.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The keywords "Labisia pumila," "Kacip Fatimah," and "Marantodes pumilum" were used to collect relevant information through electronic searches (including Elsevier, PubMed, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, CNKI, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science).

RESULTS

This review summarizes 102 chemical components from different parts of the plant, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, saponins, and other chemical components. In addition, we also address the associated cultivation conditions, traditional uses, pharmacological effects and toxicity. A large number of reports indicate that LP has various pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, phytoestrogenic, anti-inflammtory, antimicrobial, anti-osteoporosis and anti-obesity properties. These results provide valuable references for future research on LP. In addition, LP is also a potential medicinal and edible plant, and is currently sold on the market as a dietary supplement.

CONCLUSIONS

LP is a renowned traditional ethnic medicine with numerous pharmacological activities attributed to its bioactive components. Therefore, isolation and identification of the chemical components in LP can be a focus of our future research. Current studies have focused only on the effects of LP on estrogen deficiency-related diseases in women and bone diseases. There is no scientific evidence for other traditional uses. Therefore, it is important to further explore its pharmacological activities and fill the research gaps related to other traditional uses. Furthermore, research on its safety should be expanded to prepare clinical applications.

Dynamic Microenvironment-Adaptable Hydrogel with Photothermal Performance and ROS Scavenging for Management of Diabetic Ulcer

Persistent bacterial infections and excessive oxidative stress prevent the healing of diabetic ulcers, leading to an increased disability rate. Current treatments fail to kill bacteria while simultaneously relieving oxidative stress. Herein, a dynamic microenvironment-adaptable hydrogel (BP@CAu) with photothermal performance and reactive oxygen species scavenging is presented for diabetic ulcer healing. This hydrogel prepared using a dynamic borate-ester could respond to acidity in the infection microenvironment for a controllable drug release. An excellent photothermal conversion effect was integrated in the hydrogel, which exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The hydrogel attenuated intracellular oxidative stress and inflammation and promoted cell migration. In a full-thickness skin defect model of diabetic rats, the BP@CAu hydrogel contributed to the fastest wound closure, with ideal reepithelialization, granulation tissue formation, and regeneration of blood vessels. Further mechanistic studies revealed that the hydrogel relieved oxidative stress and downregulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines, resulting in dramatic therapeutic effects on diabetic wounds. Therefore, this study provides a synergistic therapeutic strategy for efficient photothermal performance and reactive oxygen species scavenging in diabetic ulcers.

Synthesis of 7-hydroxydibenzopyran-6-ones via benzannulation of coumarins

We have successfully demonstrated a facile synthesis of a variety of 7-hydroxydibenzopyran-6-ones via a two-step protocol from 3-acylcoumarins having a latent Nazarov dienone functionality. Condensation of 3-acylcoumarins and ethyl cyanoacetate under basic (wet K₂CO₃) and microwave irradiation conditions followed by decarboethoxylative aromatization with Br₂ or DDQ furnished dibenzopyran-6-ones in high yields. The formation of ring C of the dibenzopyran-6-one motif critically depended on an active methylene compound and C7 substitution on coumarins. The Ar-Br or ArOTf substitution in dibenzopyran-6-ones was leveraged for the palladium-catalysed Suzuki coupling with diverse aryl boronic acids to increase the structural diversity. Reductive decyanation of C10 cyano dibenzopyran-6-ones furnished some of the isomers of urolithin A.

Chrysanthemum boreale Makino Inhibits Oxidative Stress-Induced Neuronal Damage in Human Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells by Suppressing MAPK-Regulated Apoptosis

Oxidative stress has been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in the pathological processes of many neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, we demonstrated that Chrysanthemum boreale Makino extract (CBME) suppresses oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanism. Our observations revealed that CBME effectively protected neuronal cells against H₂O₂-induced cell death by preventing caspase-3 activation, Bax upregulation, Bcl-2 downregulation, activation of three mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and NF-κB phosphorylation, and iNOS induction. These results provide evidence that CBME has remarkable neuroprotective properties in SH-SY5Y cells against oxidative damage, suggesting that the complementary or even alternative role of CBME in preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases is worth further studies.