Antimalarial evaluation of the chemical constituents of hairy root culture of Bixa orellana L

Bixasteroid, a new compound from the fruits of Bixa orellana and its anti-inflammatory activity

Bixasteroid (1), one new steroid together with five known compounds (2-6), were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of ethanol extract of Bixa orellana fruits. All of these known compounds were isolated from the plant for the first time. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was determined by X-ray crystallographic data analysis as well as by the quantum chemical ECD calculations. All the isolated compounds were tested for their anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibiting NO release activities in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages with the IC₅₀ values of 4.72 ± 0.28 and 5.48 ± 1.48 μM, respectively.

Medicinal plants used against hepatic disorders in Bangladesh: A comprehensive review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Liver disease is a major cause of illness and death worldwide which accounts for approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide, 1 million due to complications of cirrhosis and 1 million due to viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. That's why it is seeking the researchers' attention to find out the effective treatment strategies. Phytochemicals from natural resources are the main leads for the development of noble hepatoprotective drugs. The majority of the natural sources whose active compounds are currently employed actually have an ethnomedical use. Ethnopharmacological research is essential for the development of these bioactive compounds. These studies not only provide scientific evidence on medicinal plants utilized for particular therapeutic purposes, but they also ensure cultural heritage preservation. Plenty of experimental studies have been well-documented that the ethnomedicinal plants are of therapeutics' interest for the advanced pharmacological intervention in terms of hepatic disorders.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study summarizes the processes of hepatotoxicity induced by various toxins and explores identified hepatoprotective plants and their phytoconstituents, which can guide the extraction of novel phytochemical constituents from plants to treat liver injury. This review aimed to summarize the hepatoprotective activity of Bangladeshi medicinal plants where the bioactive compounds may be leads for the drug discovery in future.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Literature searches in electronic databases, such as Web of Science, Science Direct, SpringerLink, PubMed, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, Scopus, BanglaJOL, and so on, were performed using the keywords 'Bangladesh', 'ethnomedicinal plants', 'Hepatoprotective agents' as for primary searches, and secondary search terms were used as follows, either alone or in combination: traditional medicine, medicinal plants, folk medicine, liver, hepatitis, therapeutic uses, and anti-inflammatory. Besides, several books, including the book entitled "Medicinal plants of Bangladesh: chemical constituents and uses" authored by Abdul Ghani, were carefully considered, which contained pharmacological properties and phytoconstituents of many medicinal plants growing and traditionally available in Bangladesh. Among them, the most promising plant species with their latest therapeutic effects against hepatic disorders were deeply considered in this review.

RESULTS

The results of this study revealed that in most cases, therapy using plant extracts stabilized altered hepatic biochemical markers induced by hepatotoxins. Initially, we investigated 32 plant species for hepatoprotective activity, however after extensive literature searching; we observed that 20 plants offer good pharmacological evidence of hepatoprotective function. Consequently, most bioactive compounds derived from the herbs including berberine, thymoquinone, andrographolide, ursolic acid, luteolin, naringenin, genistein, quercetin, troxerutin, morin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, chlorogenic acid, emodin, curcumin, resveratrol, capsaicin, ellagic acid, etc. are appeared to be effective against hepatic disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Flavonoids, phenolic acids, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, chromenes, capsaicinoids, curcuminoids, and anthraquinones are among the phytoconstituents were appraised to have hepatoprotective activities. All the actions displayed by these ethnomedicinal plants could make them serve as leads in the formulation of drugs with higher efficacy to treat hepatic disorders.

Strategies to meet the global demand for natural food colorant bixin: A multidisciplinary approach

Bixin is an apocarotenoid derived from Bixa orellana L. well known as a food colorant along with its numerous industrial and therapeutic applications. With the current surge in usage of natural products, bixin has contributed immensely to the world carotenoid market and showcases a spike in its requirement globally. To bridge the gap between bixin availability and utility, owed to its bioactivity and demand as a colouring agent in industries the sustainable production of bixin is critical. Therefore, to meet up this challenge effective use of multidisciplinary strategies is a promising choice to enhance bixin quantity and quality. Here we report, an optimal blend of approaches directed towards manipulation of bixin biosynthesis pathway with an insight into the impact of regulatory mechanisms and environmental dynamics, engineering carotenoid degradation in plants other than annatto, usage of tissue culture techniques supported with diverse elicitations, molecular breeding, application of in silico predictive tools, screening of microbial bio-factories as alternatives, preservation of bixin bioavailability, and promotion of eco-friendly extraction techniques to play a collaborative role in promoting sustainable bixin production.

Chemical constituent from the roots of Solanum melongena L. and their potential anti-inflammatory activity

Three new compounds (1-3), were isolated from the ethanol extract of the roots of Solanum melongena L., together with twenty-seven knowns (4-30). On basis of their 1 D and 2 D NMR data, the chemical structures of islated compounds were elucidated combined with HR-MS and the relative values in literatures. In addition, the isolations were evaluated for the potential anti-inflammatory activity, by virtue of RAW 264.7 cells model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)in vitro inhibitory activities on nitric oxide (NO) production. Compounds 12 and 21 showed moderate inhibition of NO production with IC₅₀ values of 32.8 and 20.2 μM, respectively.

In vitro activities of crude extracts and triterpenoid constituents of Dichapetalum crassifolium Chodat against clinical isolates of Schistosoma haematobium

Dichapetalum crassifolium Chodat (Dichapetalaceae) is widely distributed in Africa, Tropical Asia and Latin America. As part of our quest for potential bioactive lead compounds for various neglected tropical diseases, we report the anti-schistosomal potential of the crude extracts and chemical constituents of the stems and roots of Dichapetalum crassifolium. Column chromatography of extracts of the stems and roots led to the isolation and identification of three oleanane-type triterpenoids, friedelan-3β-ol (1), friedelan-3-one (2), and maslinic acid (3); the ursane-type tritepenoid, pomolic acid (4) and the dammarane-type tetracyclic triterpenoids, dichapetalin A (5) and dichapetalin M (6). Dichapetalin A was isolated from only the roots. Isolated compounds were identified by comparison of their physico-chemical and spectral data with published data. The highest in vitro anti-schistosomal activity (IC₅₀) of the crude extracts against clinical isolates of Schistosoma haematobium (Bilharz 1852) was 248.6 μg/ml for the ethyl acetate extract of the root while dichapetalin A gave the highest activity at 151.1 μg/ml among the compounds compared with the 15.5 μg/ml for the standard drug, praziquantel. The rest of the compounds showed activities in the order 177.9, 191.0, and 378.1 μg/ml respectively for mixture of β-sitosterol/stigmasterol, dichapetalin M and friedelan-3-one. The least active extract was the methanol extract of the stem (893.7 μg/ml). The constituents of D. crassifolium showed activity against the S. haematobium that are below praziquantel. It is envisaged that the presence of multiple layers and the minute sizes of pores in the egg shells, may preclude penetration of eggs by the compounds.

Marine compounds targeting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in cancer therapy

Cancer is a disease characterized by overproliferation, including that due to transformation, apoptosis disorders, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis, and is one of the deadliest diseases. Currently, conservative chemotherapy is used for cancer treatment due to a lack of effective drugs. The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway plays a very essential role in the pathogenesis of many cancers, and abnormal activation of this pathway leads to abnormal expression of a series of downstream proteins, which ultimately results in the excessive proliferation of cancer cells. Therefore, the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is a critical target in cancer treatment. Marine drugs have attracted much attention in recent years, and studies have found that many extracts from oceanic animals, plants and microorganisms or their metabolites exert antitumor effects, including antiproliferative effects or the induction of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis or autophagy. However, most anticancer targets and the mechanisms of marine compounds remain unclear. The great potential of the development of marine drugs provides a new direction for cancer treatment. This review focuses on marine compounds that target the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway for the prevention and treatment of cancer and provides comprehensive information for those interested in research on marine drugs.

Genetic, evolutionary and phylogenetic aspects of the plastome of annatto (Bixa orellana L.), the Amazonian commercial species of natural dyes

The plastome of B. orellana reveals specific evolutionary features, unique RNA editing sites, molecular markers and the position of Bixaceae within Malvales. Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is a native species of tropical Americas with center of origin in Brazilian Amazonia. Its seeds accumulate the apocarotenoids, bixin and norbixin, which are only found in high content in this species. The seeds of B. orellana are commercially valued by the food industry because its dyes replace synthetic ones from the market due to potential carcinogenic risks. The increasing consumption of B. orellana seeds for dye extraction makes necessary the increase of productivity, which is possible accessing the genetic basis and searching for elite genotypes. The identification and characterization of molecular markers are essential to analyse the genetic diversity of natural populations and to establish suitable strategies for conservation, domestication, germplasm characterization and genetic breeding. Therefore, we sequenced and characterized in detail the plastome of B. orellana. The plastome of B. orellana is a circular DNA molecule of 159,708 bp with a typical quadripartite structure and 112 unique genes. Additionally, a total of 312 SSR loci were identified in the plastome of B. orellana. Moreover, we predicted in 23 genes a total of 57 RNA-editing sites of which 11 are unique for B. orellana. Furthermore, our plastid phylogenomic analyses, using the plastome sequences available in the plastid database belonging to species of order Malvales, indicate a closed relationship between Bixaceae and Malvaceae, which formed a sister group to Thymelaeaceae. Finally, our study provided useful data to be employed in several genetic and biotechnological approaches in B. orellana and related species of the family Bixaceae.

Hydroalcoholic Extract and Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Bixa orellana Leaves Decrease the Inflammatory Response to Mycobacterium abscessus Subsp. massiliense

The incidence of infections caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM), especially Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense (Mabs), is increasing worldwide. Severe infections are associated with abscess formation and strong inflammatory response. This study evaluated the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of a hydroalcoholic extract (BoHE) and ethyl acetate fraction (BoEA) of Bixa orellana leaves. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by broth microdilution to determine the minimum inhibitory (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal (MBC) concentrations. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using erythrocytes and RAW 264.7 cells. Nitric oxide (NO) was assayed in stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and inflammatory cell migration and acute toxicity were evaluated in a Mabs-induced peritonitis mouse model. The compounds present in BoEA were identified by high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The MIC and MBC values were 2.34 mg/mL and 37.5 mg/mL for BoHE and 0.39 mg/mL and 6.25 mg/mL for BoEA. The extracts did not induce significant toxicity in erythrocytes and RAW 264.7 cells. High levels of NO induced by Mabs were decreased by treatment with both extracts. The anti-inflammatory activity was confirmed in vivo by significant reduction of the cell migration to the peritoneum following BoHE and BoEA pretreatment. Animals treated with BoHE or BoEA did not show signs of acute toxicity in stomach, liver, and kidney. The chemical characterization of BoEA (the most active extract) revealed that kaempferol-3-O-coumaroyl glucose is its major component. The extract of B. orellana may be effective for treating infections caused by Mabs.

The biotechnology (genetic transformation and molecular biology) of Bixa orellana L. (achiote)

Genetic transformation allows for greater bixin or norbixin production in achiote. Knowledge of genes that control the biosynthesis of these important secondary metabolites will allow for targeted amplification in transgenic plants. Annatto is a natural dye or coloring agent derived from the seeds, or their arils, of achiote (Bixa orellana L.), and is commercially known as E160b. The main active component of annatto dye is water-insoluble bixin, although water-soluble norbixin also has commercial applications. Relative to other antioxidants, bixin is light- and temperature stable and is thus safe for human consumption. Bixin is, therefore, widely applied as a dye and as an antioxidant in the medico-pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and dye industries. Even though bixin has also been isolated from leaves and bark, yield is lower than from seeds. More biotechnology-based research of this industrial and medicinal plant is needed. Building on provisional genetic transformation studies, it would be advantageous to transform genes that could result in greater bixin or norbixin production. Reliable protocols for the extraction of bixin and norbixin, as well as deeper knowledge of the genes that control the biosynthesis of these important secondary metabolites will allow for targeted amplification in transgenic plants.

Antimalarial and antiplasmodial activity of husk extract and fractions of Zea mays

CONTEXT

Zea mays L. (Poacae) husk decoctions are traditionally used in the treatment of malaria by various tribes in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the antimalarial and antiplasmodial potentials of the husk extract and fractions on malaria parasites using in vivo and in vitro models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The ethanol husk extract and fractions (187-748 mg/kg, p.o.) of Zea mays were investigated for antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei using rodent (mice) malaria models and in vitro activity against chloroquine sensitive (Pf 3D7) and resistant (Pf INDO) strains of Plasmodium falciparum using the SRBR green assay method. Median lethal dose and cytotoxic activities against HeLa and HEKS cells were also carried out. The GCMS analysis of the most active fraction was carried out.

RESULTS

The husk extract (187-748 mg/kg, p.o.) with LD50 of 1874.83 mg/kg was found to exert significant (p < 0.05-0.001) antimalarial activity against P. berghei infection in suppressive, prophylactive and curative tests. The crude extract and fractions also exerted prominent activity against both chloroquine sensitive (Pf 3D7) and resistant (Pf INDO) strains of P. falciparum with the ethyl acetate fraction exerting the highest activity with IC50 values of 9.31 ± 0.46 μg/mL (Pf 3D7) and 3.69 ± 0.66 μg/mL (Pf INDO). The crude extract and fractions were not cytotoxic to the two cell lines tested with IC50 values of >100 μg/mL against both HeLa and HEKS cell lines.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the husk extract/fractions of Zea mays possesses antimalarial and antiplasmodial activities and these justify its use in ethnomedicine to treat malaria infections.

Production of Bacalin, Bacalein and Wogonin in Hairy Root Culture of American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)by Auxin Treatment

ABSTRACT: The hairy root culture of American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) was studied to investigate the biomass and flavonoids content (baicalin, baicalein and wogonin) in response of various auxin concentrations.The growth rates of the hairy roots varied significantly only at IBA 0.1 mg/L and for all other auxin treatments did not vary significantly. The biomass of hairy roots was 8% higher when treated with IBA 0.1 mg/L and biomass was almost similar and slightly lower levels when treated with various IAA concentration and NAA, respectively. However, the auxins treatments responsed positively to increase flavone production in American Skullcaphairy root culture. The auxin indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at 1 mg/L performed the best for the accumulation of baicalin and wogonin. The auxin IBA at 1 mg/L accumulated 1.64 and 2.92 times higher baicalin and wogonin, respectively compared to control treatment. Meanwhile, the highest levels of baicalein were observed for hair root cultures in the presence of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 0.1 mg/L achieving 2.38 times higher than that of accumulated in the control. These findings indicate that hairy root cultures of S. lateriflorausing liquid 1/2MS medium supplemented with auxin could be a valuable alternative approach for flavonoid production.

Phytochemistry, biological activities and potential of annatto in natural colorant production for industrial applications - A review

Bixa orellana commonly known as annatto is one of the oldest known natural dye yielding plants native to Central and South America. Various parts of annatto have been widely used in the traditional medical system for prevention and treatment of a wide number of health disorders. The plethora of traditional uses has encouraged researchers to identify and isolate phytochemicals from all parts of this plant. Carotenoids, apocarotenoids, terpenes, terpenoids, sterols, and aliphatic compounds are main compounds found in all parts of this plant and are reported to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. In recent years annatto has received tremendous scientific interest mainly due to the isolation of yellow-orange natural dye from its seeds which exhibits high biodegradability, low toxicity, and compatibility with the environment. Considerable research work has already been done and is currently underway for its applications in food, textile, leather, cosmetic, solar cells, and other industries. The present review provides up-to-date systematic and organized information on the traditional usage, phytochemistry and pharmacology of annatto. It also highlights its non-food industrial applications in order to bring more interest on this dye plant, identifies the existing gaps and provides potential for future studies. Studies reported in this review have demonstrated that annatto holds a great potential for being exploited as source of drugs and a potential natural dye. However, further efforts are required to identify extract biomolecules and their action mechanisms in exhibiting certain biological activities in order to understand the full phytochemical profile and the complex pharmacological effects of this plant.

Using Hairy Roots for Production of Valuable Plant Secondary Metabolites

Plants synthesize a wide variety of natural products, which are traditionally termed secondary metabolites and, more recently, coined specialized metabolites. While these chemical compounds are employed by plants for interactions with their environment, humans have long since explored and exploited plant secondary metabolites for medicinal and practical uses. Due to the tissue-specific and low-abundance accumulation of these metabolites, alternative means of production in systems other than intact plants are sought after. To this end, hairy root culture presents an excellent platform for producing valuable secondary metabolites. This chapter will focus on several major groups of secondary metabolites that are manufactured by hairy roots established from different plant species. Additionally, the methods for preservations of hairy roots will also be reviewed.

Antimalarial activity of abietane ferruginol analogues possessing a phthalimide group

The abietane-type diterpenoid (+)-ferruginol, a bioactive compound isolated from New Zealand's Miro tree (Podocarpus ferruginea), displays relevant pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial, cardioprotective, anti-oxidative, anti-plasmodial, leishmanicidal, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer. Herein, we demonstrate that ferruginol (1) and some phthalimide containing analogues 2-12 have potential antimalarial activity. The compounds were evaluated against malaria strains 3D7 and K1, and cytotoxicity was measured against a mammalian cell line panel. A promising lead, compound 3, showed potent activity with an EC50 = 86 nM (3D7 strain), 201 nM (K1 strain) and low cytotoxicity in mammalian cells (SI>290). Some structure-activity relationships have been identified for the antimalarial activity in these abietane analogues.

Comparative study on the antioxidant and anti-Toxoplasma activities of vanillin and its resorcinarene derivative

A resorcinarene derivative of vanillin, resvan, was synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. We measured the cytotoxicity (in vivo and in vitro), antioxidant and anti-Toxoplasma activities of vanillin and the resorcinarene compound. Here we show that vanillin has a dose-dependent behavior with IC₅₀ of 645 µg/mL through an in vitro cytotoxicity assay. However, we could not observe any cytotoxic response at higher concentrations of resvan (IC₅₀ > 2,000 µg/mL). The in vivo acute toxicity assays of vanillin and resvan exhibited a significant safety margin indicated by a lack of systemic and behavioral toxicity up to 300 mg/kg during the first 30 min, 24 h or 14 days after administration. The obtained derivative showed greater antioxidative activity (84.9%) when comparing to vanillin (19.4%) at 1,000 μg/mL. In addition, vanillin presents anti-Toxoplasma activity, while resvan does not show that feature. Our findings suggest that this particular derivative has an efficient antioxidant activity and a negligible cytotoxic effect, making it a potential target for further biological investigations.