Coumarins from Seseli devenyense Simonk.: Isolation by Liquid-Liquid Chromatography and Potential Anxiolytic Activity Using an In Vivo Zebrafish Larvae Model

Toxicological and Sedative Effects of Chipilin (Crotalaria longirostrata) Leaf Extracts Obtained by Maceration and Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Chipilin (Crotalaria longirostrata) is consumed as a vegetable in the preparation of traditional dishes. As a folk medicine, Chipilin extracts are used as a hypnotic and sedative agent; however, there are few reports that support these uses. This study aimed to characterize the compounds present in Chipilin leaf extracts and to investigate their sedative effect using zebrafish as an in vivo model. Extracts were obtained by maceration with water (H2O), ethanol (EtOH), and EtOH-H2O, while oleoresin was obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified by colorimetric methods. Phytochemical constituents were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The chronic and acute toxicities of Chipilin extracts were tested in zebrafish embryos and larvae, respectively. Chipilin sedative effect was tested by the larvae response to dark-light-dark transitions. EtOH-H2O extracts had the highest value of total phenolics (5345 ± 5.1 μg GAE/g), followed by water and oleoresin (1815 ± 5.1 and 394 ± 5.1 μg GAE/g, respectively). In water extracts were identified the alkaloid trachelanthamidine, 1,2β-epoxy- and the alkyl ketone 7,9-di-tert-butyl-1-oxaspiro(4,5)deca-6,9-diene-2,8-dione, while oleamide, α-monostearin, and erucamide were detected in all samples except in water extracts. Oleoresin extract had the lowest embryotoxicity (LC50 = 4.99 μg/mL) and the highest sedative effects. SFE is a green alternative to obtain Chipilin extracts rich in erucamide, an endocannabinoid analogue, which plays an important role in the development of the central nervous system and in modulating neurotransmitter release.

Inhibitory Activity of Natural cis-Khellactone on Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase and Proinflammatory Cytokine Production in Lipopolysaccharides-Stimulated RAW264.7 Cells

The pursuit of anti-inflammatory agents has led to intensive research on the inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and cytokine production using medicinal plants. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of cis-khellactone, a compound isolated for the first time from the roots of Peucedanum japonicum. The compound was found to be a competitive inhibitor of sEH, exhibiting an IC50 value of 3.1 ± 2.5 µM and ki value of 3.5 µM. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations illustrated the binding pose of (-)cis-khellactone within the active site of sEH. The results suggest that binding of the inhibitor to the enzyme is largely dependent on the Trp336-Gln384 loop within the active site. Further, cis-khellactone was found to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines, including NO, iNOS, IL-1β, and IL-4. These findings affirm that cis-khellactone could serve as a natural therapeutic candidate for the treatment of inflammation.

Simple Coumarins from Peucedanum luxurians Fruits: Evaluation of Anxiolytic Activity and Influence on Gene Expression Related to Anxiety in Zebrafish Model

Anxiety is one of the most common central nervous system disorders, affecting at least one-quarter of the worldwide population. The medications routinely used for the treatment of anxiety (mainly benzodiazepines) are a cause of addiction and are characterized by many undesirable side effects. Thus, there is an important and urgent need for screening and finding novel drug candidates that can be used in the prevention or treatment of anxiety. Simple coumarins usually do not show side effects, or these effects are much lower than in the case of synthetic drugs acting on the central nervous system (CNS). This study aimed to evaluate the anxiolytic activity of three simple coumarins from Peucedanum luxurians Tamamsch, namely officinalin, stenocarpin isobutyrate, and officinalin isobutyrate, in a 5 dpf larval zebrafish model. Moreover, the influence of the tested coumarins on the expression of genes involved in the neural activity (c-fos, bdnf) or dopaminergic (th1), serotoninergic (htr1Aa, htr1b, htr2b), GABA-ergic (gabarapa, gabarapb), enkephalinergic (penka, penkb), and galaninergic (galn) neurotransmission was assessed by quantitative PCR. All tested coumarins showed significant anxiolytic activity, with officinalin as the most potent compound. The presence of a free hydroxyl group at position C-7 and the lack of methoxy moiety at position C-8 might be key structural features responsible for the observed effects. In addition, officinalin and its isobutyrate upregulated the expression of genes involved in neurotransmission and decreased the expression of genes connected with neural activity. Therefore, the coumarins from P. luxurians might be considered as promising drug candidates for the therapy of anxiety and related disorders.

Efficient Separation of the Methoxyfuranocoumarins Peucedanin, 8-Methoxypeucedanin, and Bergapten by Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC)

Pure methoxyfuranocoumarins were isolated from a crude petroleum ether extract (CPE; Soxleth extraction efficiency 12.28%) from fruits of Peucedanum tauricum MB. (Apiaceae) by counter-current chromatography in a hydrostatic equilibrium system (centrifugal partition chromatography-CPC). The optimized biphasic solvent system composed of n-heptane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (5:2:5:2; v/v/v/v) in the ascending mode of elution was used (3 mL/min, 1600 rpm). In the single run, peucedanin (P), 8-methoxypeucedanin (8MP), and bergapten (5MOP) were obtained as pure as 95.6%, 98.1%, and c.a. 100%, respectively. The carefully optimized and developed CPC was effectively transferred from the analytical to the semi-preparative scale (where 20 mg and 150 mg of CPE were loaded, respectively). Identification and quantitative analysis of methoxyfuranocoumarins was carried out in the plant material, in the CPE, and in individual CPC fractions by use of validated high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS). For the separation steps, the extraction/isolation recovery was calculated. In this case, CPC proved to be an effective tool for the simultaneous isolation and separation of P, 8MP, and 5MOP from a multicomponent plant matrix, without additional pre-purification steps. The high purity of the obtained plant metabolites makes it possible to consider their use in pharmacological or biological studies.

Evaluation of the Antiseizure Activity of Endemic Plant Halfordia kendack Guillaumin and Its Main Constituent, Halfordin, on a Zebrafish Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-Induced Seizure Model

Epilepsy is a neurological disease that burdens over 50 million people worldwide. Despite the considerable number of available antiseizure medications, it is estimated that around 30% of patients still do not respond to available treatment. Herbal medicines represent a promising source of new antiseizure drugs. This study aimed to identify new drug lead candidates with antiseizure activity from endemic plants of New Caledonia. The crude methanolic leaf extract of Halfordia kendack Guillaumin (Rutaceae) significantly decreased (75 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL) seizure-like behaviour compared to sodium valproate in a zebrafish pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced acute seizure model. The main coumarin compound, halfordin, was subsequently isolated by liquid-liquid chromatography and subjected to locomotor, local field potential (LFP), and gene expression assays. Halfordin (20 μM) significantly decreased convulsive-like behaviour in the locomotor and LFP analysis (by 41.4% and 60%, respectively) and significantly modulated galn, and penka gene expression.

Plant Pyranocoumarins: Description, Biosynthesis, Application

This overview article contains information about pyranocoumarins over the last 55 years. The article is based on the authors' phytochemical and physiological studies in vivo and in vitro as well as search and analysis of data in literature available on Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect before January 2022. Pyranocoumarins are synthesized in plants of the Apiaceae, Rutaceae families, and one species in each of the Cornaceae, Calophyllaceae, and Fabaceae families can synthesize this class of compounds. The physiological role of these compounds in plants is not clear. It has been proven that these substances have a wide range of biological activities: anti-cancer, anti-spasmatic, and anticoagulant, and they also inhibit erythrocyte lysis and accumulation of triacylglycerides. The overview generalizes the modern understanding of the classification, structure, and biological activity of natural pyranocoumarins, and summarizes dispersed data into a unified scheme of biosynthesis. The review analyzes data on the localization and productivity of these substances in individual organs and the whole plant. It discusses a link between the unique structure of these substances and their biological activity, as well as new opportunities for pyranocoumarins in pharmacology. The article evaluates the potential of different plant species as producers of pyranocoumarins and considers the possibilities of cell cultures to obtain the end product.

Origin, evolution, breeding, and omics of Apiaceae: a family of vegetables and medicinal plants

Many of the world's most important vegetables and medicinal crops, including carrot, celery, coriander, fennel, and cumin, belong to the Apiaceae family. In this review, we summarize the complex origins of Apiaceae and the current state of research on the family, including traditional and molecular breeding practices, bioactive compounds, medicinal applications, nanotechnology, and omics research. Numerous molecular markers, regulatory factors, and functional genes have been discovered, studied, and applied to improve vegetable and medicinal crops in Apiaceae. In addition, current trends in Apiaceae application and research are also briefly described, including mining new functional genes and metabolites using omics research, identifying new genetic variants associated with important agronomic traits by population genetics analysis and GWAS, applying genetic transformation, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system, and nanotechnology. This review provides a reference for basic and applied research on Apiaceae vegetable and medicinal plants.

Anxiolytic-like effect of chrysophanol from Senna cana stem in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anxiolytic-like effect of chrysophanol (CHRY), isolated from hexane extract of Senna cana stem and its possible mechanism of action. CHRY was obtained through chromatographic treatments and its identity was confirmed by uni and bidimensional RMN¹H and RMN¹³C. Adult zebrafish (n = 6/group) were treated (with CHRY (4.0 or 12.0 or 40.0 mg/Kg; 20 µL; intraperitoneally) and submitted to acute toxicity and open field tests. Subsequently, other groups (n = 6/each) received CHRY for the analysis of its effect on the Light & Dark Test. The participation of the GABAergic system was also assessed using the diazepam (GABA_A receptor agonist) and flumazenil (GABA_A receptor antagonist). CHRY was considered non-toxic, it did not reduce the locomotor activity, and showed an anxiolytic-like effect. This effect was reduced by pre-treatment with flumazenil. The results suggest that CHRY is an anxiolytic-like agent mediated via the GABAergic system.