Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, Anti-Angiogenic and Skin Whitening Activities of Phryma leptostachya var. asiatica Hara Extract

The use of natural extracts with photoprotective activity: a 2015-2023 patent prospection

Synthetic sunscreen offers protection against excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, and protects the skin from possible damage. However, they have low efficacy against the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are highly reactive molecules that can be generated in the skin when it is exposed to UV radiation, and are known to play a role in oxidative stress, which can contribute to skin aging and damage. Thus, there is an ongoing search for sunscreens that do not have these negative effects. One promising source for these is natural products. Therefore, the current patent review summarizes topical formulations made from natural compounds that have antioxidant properties and can be used as photoprotective or anti-aging agents, either using a single natural extract or a combination of extracts. The review reports basic patent information (applicant country, type of applicant, and year of filing) and gives details about the invention, including its chemical composition, and the in vitro and in vivo tests performed. These patents describe natural products that can be used to protect the skin and validate their efficacy, and safety, in addition to standardizing their formulations. The compositions described illustrate the consistent innovation in the use of natural products to protect against UV damage and photoaging disorders, a promising field which is receiving growing global recognition.

Phylogeny and functional characterization of the cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase gene family in Phryma leptostachya

Phryma leptostachya has attracted increasing attention because it is rich in furofuran lignans with a wide range of biological activities. Biosynthesis of furofuran lignans begins with the dimerization of coniferyl alcohol, one of the monolignol. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) catalyzes the final step of monolignol biosynthesis, reducing cinnamyl aldehydes to cinnamyl alcohol. As it is in the terminal position of monolignol biosynthesis, its type and activity can cause significant changes in the total amount and composition of lignans. Herein, combined with bioinformatics analysis and in vitro enzyme assays, we clarified that CAD in P. leptostachya belonged to a multigene family, and identified nearly the entire CAD gene family. Our in-depth characterization about the functions and structures of two major CAD isoforms, PlCAD2 and PlCAD3, showed that PlCAD2 exhibited the highest catalytic activity, and coniferyl aldehyde was its preferred substrate, followed by PlCAD3, and sinapyl aldehyde was its preferred substrate. Considering the accumulation patterns of furofuran lignans and expression patterns of PlCADs, we speculated that PlCAD2 was the predominant CAD isoform responsible for furofuran lignans biosynthesis in P. leptostachya. Moreover, these CADs found here can also provide effective biological parts for lignans and lignins biosynthesis.

Total Synthesis and Anti-Tobacco Mosaic Virus Activity of the Furofuran Lignan (±)-Phrymarolin II and Its Analogues

Phrymarolin II, a furofuran lignan isolated from Phryma leptostachya L., features a 3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octane skeleton. Herein, we report an alternative total synthesis of (±)-phrymarolin II (2), which was performed in 9 steps from commercially available sesamol. The key steps of the synthesis included a zinc-mediated Barbier-type allylation and a copper-catalyzed anomeric O-arylation. Our total synthesis allowed the synthesis of analogues of (±)-phrymarolin II. Most derivatives displayed good to excellent in vivo activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). (±)-Phrymarolin II (2) and compounds (±)-31d and (±)-31g exhibited similar or higher activity than commercial ningnanmycin, which indicated that phrymarolin lignans are a promising new class of plant virus inhibitors.

Anti-Inflammatory, Barrier-Protective, and Antiwrinkle Properties of Agastache rugosa Kuntze in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes

This work aimed to assess the skin-beneficial properties of Agastache rugosa Kuntze, an herbal medication used to treat different types of disorders in traditional folk medicine. The total phenolic compounds and total antiradical, nitrite scavenging, superoxide scavenging, antielastase, and antihyaluronidase activities of a hot water extract of A. rugosa Kuntze leaves (ARE) were spectrophotometrically determined. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was fluorometrically quantitated using 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and filaggrin were evaluated using Western analysis. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure filaggrin mRNA. Caspase-14 activity was determined using a fluorogenic substrate. ARE contained the total phenolic content of 38.9 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract and exhibited 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, superoxide radical, and nitrite scavenging activities with the SC₅₀ values of 2.9, 1.4, and 1.7 mg/mL, respectively. ARE exerted suppressive activities on nitric oxide (NO) and ROS levels elevated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in HaCaT keratinocytes. It attenuated the LPS-stimulated expression of iNOS. ARE augmented the UV-B-reduced filaggrin expression on both protein and mRNA levels and was capable of upregulating the UV-B-reduced caspase-14 activity. ARE inhibited in vitro elastase and hyaluronidase activities associated with the wrinkling process. ARE, at the concentrations used, did not interfere with the viability of HaCaT keratinocytes. These findings preliminarily imply that the leaves of A. rugosa possess desirable cosmetic potentials, such as anti-inflammatory, barrier protective, and antiwrinkle activities, which infers their skin healing potentials.

A Synthetic View on Haedoxans and Related Neolignans From Phryma leptostachya

Haedoxans are a series of sesquilignan natural products isolated from the traditional insecticidal plant Phryma leptostachya. Given their significant insecticidal activity, haedoxans and related analogs have been considered as potential agents for plant defense. Moreover, these compounds also exhibit promising antifungal, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. The present paper is a review of the structure, biological activity, and chemical synthesis of naturally occurring haedoxan-like molecules.

Insecticidal Activity of Four Lignans Isolated from Phryma leptostachya

A new lignan (T4) and three known lignans (T1, T2, and T3) were isolated from the methanol extract of the roots of Phryma leptostachya using bioassay-guided method, and their structures were identified as phrymarolin I (T1), II (T2), haedoxan A (T3), and methyl 4-((6a-acetoxy-4-(6-methoxybenzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)tetrahydro-1H,3H-furo[3,4-c]furan-1-yl)oxy)-1-hydroxy-2,2-dimethoxy-5-oxocyclopent-3-ene-1-carboxylate (T4) byNMR and ESI-MS spectral data. Bioassay results revealed that haedoxan A exhibited remarkably high insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata with a stomach toxicity LC₅₀ value of 17.06 mg/L and a topical toxicity LC₅₀ value of 1123.14 mg/L at 24 h, respectively. Phrymarolin I and compound T4 also showed some stomach toxicity against M. separata with KD₅₀ values of 3450.21 mg/L at 4 h and 2807.10 mg/L at 8 h, respectively. In addition, phrymarolin I and haedoxan A exhibited some stomach toxicity against Plutella xylostella with an LC₅₀ value of 1432.05 and 857.28 mg/L at 48 h, respectively. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that lignans from P. leptostachya are promising as a novel class of insecticides or insecticide lead compounds for developing botanical pesticides.

An investigation of the rate of cyclooxygenase-2 expression on the surface of adenomatous and colorectal adenocarcinoma polyps

Background:

Colorectal cancer (CRC) (adenomatous, adenocarcinoma) is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in human societies. Considering the importance of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in the incidence of CRC, in this study, the rate of COX-2 gene expression on polyps and CRCs were addressed.

Materials and Methods:

This is a cross-sectional descriptive analytic study carried out on the blocks of sampled tissue of adenomatous and colorectal adenocarcinoma polyps on 68 patients referred to Digestive Clinic in Isfahan Shariati Hospital in 2013. Patients were divided into two groups of polyps (n = 52) and cancer (n = 16). Given the presence of CRC or polyps by colonoscopy, samples were sent to the laboratory to measure the rate of COX-2 gene expression using immunohistochemistry.

Results:

In polyp group, 41 individuals (78.8%) had two or <2 polyps, 24 cases (46.2%) had a tubular polyp, and about a third of all patients had a big polyp. The most frequency of the polyp site was related to sigmoid with 19 cases (36.54%), in cancer group, it was related to the rectum with 9 cases (56.25%) that there was no significant difference between two groups (P < 0.05). The overall prevalence of COX-2 expression was positive in 51 cases (75%) and negative in 17 cases (25%). COX-2 gene expression was separately observed in 38 individuals (73.10%) in the polyp group and in 13 cases (81.25%) in the cancer group, and no significant difference was found (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:

There is no relationship between COX-2 gene expression and the surface of adenomatous and colorectal adenocarcinoma polyps.