Pressurized liquid extraction of coumarins from fruits of Heracleum leskowii with application of solvents with different polarity under increasing temperature

Does the Invasive Heracleum mantegazzianum Influence Other Species by Allelopathy?

Heracleum mantegazzianum is an invasive species in middle Europe. The mode of action of its invasiveness is still not known. Our study focuses on observation of potential allelopathic influence by the production and release of phytochemicals into its environment. Plant material was collected four times within one season (April, May, June, July 2019) at locality Lekárovce (eastern Slovakia) for comparison of differences in composition and potential allelopathy. Water extracts from collected samples were used for different biological assays. The total phenols and flavonoids were determined spectrophotometrically. The profile and content of phenolic components, including coumarins, were determined by two techniques of liquid chromatography along with in vitro evaluation of the free radical scavenging activity of extracts (DPPH, Hydroxyl, Superoxide, and FRAP). The changes in composition in extracts in different seasonal periods were evident as well as potential phytotoxic activity in some concentrations on specific model plants. The slight antioxidant activity was noted. The invasiveness of the current species could be supported by the excretion of its phytochemicals into its surroundings and by different modes of action influencing living organisms in its environment.

Chemical Analysis and Investigation of Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Prangos trifida (Apiaceae)

Plants of the genus Prangos are intensively investigated as potential new sources of bioactive isolated products. In this work, the chemical composition of volatile constituents (essential oils and headspace volatiles) and dichloromethane extracts, as well as antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of essential oils and MFDEs (methanol fractions of dichloromethane extracts) of Prangos trifida from Serbia, were investigated. Volatiles of roots, leaves, stems and fruits, and fatty acids and phytosterols in dichloromethane extracts of roots and fruits were analyzed by GC-FID-MS, whereas coumarins in MFDEs by LC-MS and some isolated coumarins by 1H-NMR. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations/minimum fungicidal concentrations (MBCs/MFCs) of essential oils and MFDEs were determined against 13 microorganisms. Antibiofilm activity was assessed against four microorganisms. Additionally, congo red and ergosterol binding assays were conducted to elucidate selected mechanisms of antibiofilm action in the case of Candida albicans. Total of 52 volatile constituents, 16 fatty acids, eight phytosterols and 10 coumarins were identified. Essential oils demonstrated significant activity, surpassing that of commercial food preservatives, against six tested molds from the Aspergillus, Penicillium and Trichoderma genera, as well as against bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. Most of the oils strongly inhibited the formation of biofilms by S. aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli. MFDEs exhibited noteworthy effects against B. cereus and the tested Aspergillus species, particularly A. niger, and significantly inhibited C. albicans biofilm formation. This inhibition was linked to a marked reduction in exopolysaccharide production, while antifungal mechanisms associated with ergosterol remained unaffected.

Hogweed Seed Oil: Physico-Chemical Characterization, LC-MS Profile, and Neuroprotective Activity of Heracleum dissectum Nanosuspension

The seeds of dissected hogweed (Heracleum dissectum Ledeb., Apiaceae) are the source of hogweed oil (HSO), which is still underexplored and requires careful chemical and biological studies. The performed physico-chemical analysis of HSO elucidated basic physical characteristics and revealed the presence of fatty acids, essential oil components, pigments, and coumarins. High-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-PDA-ESI-tQ-MS/MS) identified 38 coumarins that were characterized and quantified. Various furanocoumarins were the major components of HSO polyphenolics, including imperatorin, phellopterin, and isoimperatorin, and the total coumarin content in HSO varied from 181.14 to 238.42 mg/mL. The analysis of storage stability of the selected compounds in HSO indicated their good preservation after 3-year storage at cold and freezing temperatures. The application of the CO₂-assisted effervescence method allowed the production of an HSO nanosuspension, which was used in a brain ischemia model of rats. The HSO nanosuspension enhanced cerebral hemodynamics and decreased the frequency of necrotic processes in the brain tissue. Thus, H. dissectum seeds are a good source of coumarins, and HSO nanosuspension promotes neuroprotection of the brain after lesions, which supports earlier ethnopharmacological data.

Xanthotoxin (8-methoxypsoralen): A review of its chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity

Xanthotoxin (XAT) is a natural furanocoumarins, a bioactive psoralen isolated from the fruit of the Rutaceae plant Pepper, which has received increasing attention in recent years due to its wide source and low cost. By collecting and compiling literature on XAT, the results show that XAT exhibits significant activity in the treatment of various diseases, including neuroprotection, skin repair, osteoprotection, organ protection, anticancer, antiinflammatory, antioxidative stress and antibacterial. In this paper, we review the pharmacological activity and potential molecular mechanisms of XAT for the treatment of related diseases. The data suggest that XAT can mechanistically induce ROS production and promote apoptosis through mitochondrial or endoplasmic reticulum pathways, regulate NF-κB, MAPK, JAK/STAT, Nrf2/HO-1, MAPK, AKT/mTOR, and ERK1/2 signaling pathways to exert pharmacological effects. In addition, the pharmacokinetics properties and toxicity of XAT are discussed in this paper, further elucidating the relationship between structure and efficacy. It is worth noting that data from clinical studies of XAT are still scarce, limiting the use of XAT in the clinic, and in the future, more in-depth studies are needed to determine the clinical efficacy of XAT.

Progress in Pretreatment and Analytical Methods of Coumarins: An Update since 2012 - A Review

Coumarins are widely used due to their wide range of biological activities, but the long-term or excessive use of coumarin flavors can pose serious health hazards. Therefore, sensitive and specific methods for the quantification of these compounds in different matrices have been developed. In this review, an updated overview of the latest trends in sample preparation techniques and methods used to detect coumarins from March 2012 to April 2019 is provided. This study reviews different analytical methods (such as liquid chromatography coupled with different detectors, electrochemical sensors, capillary electrophoresis, etc.) and different pretreatment methods (such as liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, etc.). Different methods for the pretreatment and determination of coumarins in plant, food, environmental, pharmaceutical and biological samples are summarized, discussed and compared.HighlightsProgress in pretreatment and analytical methods of coumarins are summarized.Fundamentals, instrumentation and applications of purification and quantification are summarized and compared.Optimization of experimental conditions are discussed.Newly emerged eco-friendly methods are introduced.

Chemosystematic Significance of Essential Oil Constituents and Furanocoumarins of Underground Parts and Fruits of Nine Heracleum L. Taxa from Southeastern Europe

The composition of the essential oils and the furanocoumarin profiles of CH₂ Cl₂ extracts from underground parts and fruits of nine Heracleum taxa (Apiaceae) from Southeastern Europe were statistically analyzed to evaluate their chemosystematic significance. Eight investigated taxa (H. orphanidis and members of H. sphondylium group: H. sphondylium, H. sibiricum, H. montanum, H. ternatum, H. pyrenaicum subsp. pollinianum, H. pyrenaicum subsp. orsinii and H. verticillatum) belong to the type section of the genus. Additionally analyzed taxon, H. austriacum subsp. siifolium, belongs to H. sect. Wendia. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oils was performed by GC-FID and GC/MS, and of the furanocoumarins by LC/MS. Furanocoumarins were identified using standards and/or based on UV, MS, ¹ H- and ROESY NMR spectra. Multivariate statistics (PCA, nMDS, UPGMA) of analyzed metabolites showed that the investigated taxa were grouped according to their taxonomic classification. PCA revealed the significance of some monoterpenes and (Z)-falcarinol of the underground parts oils, octyl esters of the fruit oils, and most of the total of 12 identified furanocoumarins.

Isolation and Antimicrobial Activity of Coumarin Derivatives from Fruits of Peucedanum luxurians Tamamsch

As a continuation of searching for phytoconstituents that act as promising agents for antimicrobial therapy, rare coumarins were isolated from fruits of Peucedanum luxurians and tested. In a first step, the content of major compounds in the aerial parts and fruits of P. luxurians were compared. The results clearly showed that the fruits with dichloromethane as a solvent yielded, in most cases, higher concentrations of almost all the analyzed coumarins than the aerial parts, with peucedanin detected as the most abundant compound with a concentration of 4563.94 ± 3.35 mg/100 g. Under this perspective, the dichloromethane extract from the fruits of P. luxurians was further submitted to high performance countercurrent chromatography with a mixture of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water 6:5:6:5 (v/v). Combination of HPCCC and prep-HPLC yielded 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin (1), officinalin (2), stenocarpin isobutyrate (3), officinalin isobutyrate (4), 8-methoxypeucedanin (5), and peucedanin (6). Isolated compounds were tested against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains. 6',7'-Dihydroxybergamottin, peucedanin, and officinalin isobutyrate appeared to be the most active against all tested bacteria strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 1.20 and 4.80 mg/mL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about countercurrent isolation of mentioned coumarins, as well as the first information about their antimicrobial activity.

Comparison of various techniques for the extraction of umbelliferone and herniarin in Matricaria chamomilla processing fractions

Chamomile, a well-known medicinal plant, is a rich source of bioactive compounds, among which two coumarin derivatives, umbelliferone and herniarin, are often found in its extracts. Chamomile extracts have found a different uses in cosmetic industry, as well as umbelliferone itself, which is, due to its strong absorption of UV light, usually added to sunscreens, while herniarin (7-methoxycoumarin) is also known for its biological activity. Therefore, chamomile extracts with certain herniarin and umbelliferone content could be of interest for application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The aim of this study was to compare the extracts of different chamomile fractions (unprocessed chamomile flowers first class, processed chamomile flowers first class, pulvis and processing waste) and to identify the best material and method of extraction to obtain herniarin and umbelliferone. Various extraction techniques such as soxhlet, hydrodistillation, maceration and supercritical CO₂ extraction were used in this study. Umbelliferone and herniarin content was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest yield of umbelliferone (11.80 mg/100 g) and herniarin (82.79 mg/100 g) were obtained from chamomile processing waste using maceration technique with 50% aqueous ethanol solution and this extract has also proven to possess antioxidant activity (61.5% DPPH scavenging activity). This study shows a possibility of potential utilization of waste from chamomile processing applying different extraction techniques.

Imperatorin-pharmacological meaning and analytical clues: profound investigation

Imperatorin, a furanocoumarin derivative, has many documented pharmacological properties which make it a candidate for possible drug development. In this review, the activity on the central nervous system, the anticancer and antiviral properties and the influence on the cardiovascular system are described. The aim of this review is also to present an overview of the techniques used for the analysis, isolation, and separation of imperatorin from plant material from the practical perspective.

Isolation and evaluation of the myorelaxant effect of bergapten on isolated rat jejunum

CONTEXT

Plants of the genus Heracleum L. (Apiaceae) have a long history of being used in traditional medicines for the treatment of alimentary tract disorders, and these biological effects have been ascribed to the presence of furanocoumarins (including bergapten).

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to develop an efficient, preparative, counter-current chromatographic separation of bergapten in order to characterize its spasmolytic activity in isolated rat jejunum strips.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Successful separation of the dichloromethane extract of the fruits of Heracleum leskovii Grossh. was achieved by high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC) using a two-phase solvent system composed of n-heptane/EtOAc/MeOH/H2O (6:5:6:5, v/v/v/v). The pharmacological assessment of bergapten (0.0001-50 μM) on jejunum smooth muscle strips isolated from rats was conducted under isotonic conditions, following up to three hours of incubation.

RESULTS

The separation method was scaled up six-fold from analytical to semi-preparative conditions, affording bergapten of >99% purity in less than 30 min. This permitted bergapten to be available in quantity for spasmolytic tests on isolated jejunum strips from rats. Bergapten caused myorelaxation of the intestine preparations in the concentration range of 0.0001-1 μM. At higher doses, bergapten caused either relaxation or contraction of the smooth muscle.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Bergapten was successfully isolated by rapid HPCCC and its spasmolytic activity was confirmed, thereby providing a preliminary evidence base for the traditional medicine application. The data suggest that bergapten causes no irreversible changes to intestinal tissue.

Isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from plant resources: the role of analysis in the ethnopharmacological approach

The phytochemical research based on ethnopharmacology is considered an effective approach in the discovery of novel chemicals entities with potential as drug leads. Plants/plant extracts/decoctions, used by folklore traditions for treating several diseases, represent a source of chemical entities but no information are available on their nature. Starting from this viewpoint, the aim of this review is to address natural-products chemists to the choice of the best methodologies, which include the combination of extraction/sample preparation tools and analytical techniques, for isolating and characterizing bioactive secondary metabolites from plants, as potential lead compounds in the drug discovery process. The work is distributed according to the different steps involved in the ethnopharmacological approach (extraction, sample preparation, biological screening, etc.), discussing the analytical techniques employed for the isolation and identification of compound/s responsible for the biological activity claimed in the traditional use (separation, spectroscopic, hyphenated techniques, etc.). Particular emphasis will be on herbal medicines applications and developments achieved from 2010 up to date.