Multiomics analyses of two Leonurus species illuminate leonurine biosynthesis and its evolution

The Lamiaceae family is renowned for its terpenoid-based medicinal components, but Leonurus, which has traditional medicinal uses, stands out for its alkaloid-rich composition. Leonurine, the principal active compound found in Leonurus, has demonstrated promising effects in reducing blood lipids and treating strokes. However, the biosynthetic pathway of leonurine remains largely unexplored. Here, we present the chromosome-level genome sequence assemblies of Leonurus japonicus, known for its high leonurine production, and Leonurus sibiricus, characterized by very limited leonurine production. By integrating genomics, RNA sequencing, metabolomics, and enzyme activity assay data, we constructed the leonurine biosynthesis pathway and identified the arginine decarboxylase (ADC), uridine diphosphate glucosyltransferase (UGT), and serine carboxypeptidase-like (SCPL) acyltransferase enzymes that catalyze key reactions in this pathway. Further analyses revealed that the UGT-SCPL gene cluster evolved by gene duplication in the ancestor of Leonurus and neofunctionalization of SCPL in L. japonicus, which contributed to the accumulation of leonurine specifically in L. japonicus. Collectively, our comprehensive study illuminates leonurine biosynthesis and its evolution in Leonurus.

Extracts

Leonurus japonicus Houtt. is a medicinal plant popular in Brazil as "rubim", used in local folk medicine for several applications as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, and antimicrobial phytomedicine. The traditional use for wound healing is related; however, few studies have evaluated the wound healing activity. Thus, this study aimed to analyse the popular indication of the hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of L. japonicus aerial parts in a rat wound healing model. The initial chemical characterization was performed using flavonoid quantification and complemented with mass spectroscopy/chemometrics analysis. The wound's lesion contraction and tissue regeneration (histological study stained with hematoxylin-eosin and picrosirius) were determined. Hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts presented high flavonoid content, and mass spectrometry analysis of the extracts demonstrated the presence of compounds with a mass between 100-650, reinforcing the presence of polyphenolic constituents. The extracts of L. japonicus improve various wound healing phases, like inflammatory modulation, wound contraction, and collagen synthesis, resulting in faster healing in rats. These effects could be related to the extracts' polyphenolic compounds.

The serum lipidomics reveal the action mechanism of Danggui-Yimucao herbal pair in abortion mice

Medical abortion is a common medical procedure that women choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, but it often brings post-abortion complications. Danggui (Angelica sinensis Radix)-Yimucao (Leonuri Herba), as a herbal pair (DY) in clinical prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, is often used in the treatment of gynecological diseases and has the traditional functions of tonifying the blood, promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis and regulating menstruation. In this study, serum lipidomics were adopted to dissect the mechanism of DY in promoting recovery after medical abortion. A total of 152 differential metabolites were screened by lipidomics. All metabolites were imported into MetaboAnalyst for analysis, and finally key metabolic pathways such as glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism and pentose and glucuronate interconversions were enriched. Our results indicated that metabolic disorders in abortion mice were alleviated by DY through glycerophospholipid metabolism, while prostaglandin and leukotriene metabolites might be the key targets of DY to promote post-abortion recovery.

Prediction of the potentially suitable areas of Leonurus japonicus in China based on future climate change using the optimized MaxEnt model

Leonurus japonicus Houtt. is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant with high medicinal and edible value. Wild L. japonicus resources have reduced dramatically in recent years. This study predicted the response of distribution range of L. japonicus to climate change in China, which provided scientific basis for the conservation and utilization. In this study, 489 occurrence points of L. japonicus were selected based on GIS technology and spThin package. The default parameters of MaxEnt model were adjusted by using ENMeva1 package of R environment, and the optimized MaxEnt model was used to analyze the distribution of L. japonicus. When the feature combination in the model parameters is hing and the regularization multiplier is 1.5, the MaxEnt model has a higher degree of optimization. With the AUC of 0.830, our model showed a good predictive performance. The results showed that L. japonicus were widely distributed in the current period. The maximum temperature of warmest month, the min temperature of coldest month, the precipitation of wettest month, the precipitation of driest month, and altitude were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of L. japonicus. Under the three climate change scenarios, the suitable distribution area of L. japonicus will range shift to high latitudes, indicating that the distribution of L. japonicus has a strong response to climate change. The regional change rate is the lowest under the SSP126-2090s scenario and the highest under the SSP585-2090s scenario.

New di-spirocyclic labdane diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Leonurus japonicus

Phytochemical investigation on the ethanol extract of a well-known medicinal herb Leonurus japonicus, led to the separation of 18 labdane type diterpenoids (1-18). Through comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and quantum chemical calculations, these compounds were structurally characterized as six new interesting 5,5,5-di-spirocyclic ones (1-6), two new (7 and 8) and six known (13-18) interesting 6,5,5-di-spirocyclic ones, a new rare 14,15-dinor derivative (9), and three new ones incorporating a γ-lactone unit (10-12). An in vitro neuroprotective assay in RSC96 cells revealed that compounds 7 and 12 exhibited neuroprotective activity in a concentration-dependent way, comparable to the reference drug N-acetylcysteine.

Anti-inflammatory labdane diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Leonurus japonicus

Twenty-two labdane-type diterpenoids, including ten pairs of 15-epimers and a pair of 13,15-epimers, were obtained from the aerial parts of a well-known medicinal plant Leonurus japonicus Houtt. While these epimers were separated by chiral HPLC, their structures were established mainly via spectroscopic methods especially NMR, X-ray crystallography and ECD techniques. Among them, seventeen compounds, encompassing three pairs of solvolysis artefacts likely due to the use of ethanol as extracting solvent, were reported for the first time in the current work. Our preliminary anti-inflammatory screening demonstrated that seven diterpenoids displayed noteworthy inhibitory effect on the NO production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the release of pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, as well as the expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins, was also suppressed by the unreported 15,16-epoxy-6β-hydroxy-15α-methoxy-7,16-dioxolabd-8,13-diene. Further investigation into the preliminary anti-inflammatory mechanism of this compound indicated that it could block the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Genetic diversity and population divergence of Leonurus japonicus and its distribution dynamic changes from the last interglacial to the present in China

BACKGROUND

Leonurus japonicus, a significant medicinal plant known for its therapeutic effects on gynecological and cardiovascular diseases, has genetic diversity that forms the basis for germplasm preservation and utilization in medicine. Despite its economic value, limited research has focused on its genetic diversity and divergence.

RESULTS

The avg. nucleotide diversity of 59 accessions from China were 0.00029 and hotspot regions in petN-psbM and rpl32-trnL_(UAG) spacers, which can be used for genotype discrimination. These accessions divided into four clades with significant divergence. The four subclades, which split at approximately 7.36 Ma, were likely influenced by the Hengduan Mountains uplift and global temperature drop. The initial divergence gave rise to Clade D, with a crown age estimated at 4.27 Ma, followed by Clade C, with a crown age estimated at 3.39 Ma. The four clades were not showed a clear spatial distribution. Suitable climatic conditions for the species were identified, including warmest quarter precipitation 433.20 mm ~ 1,524.07 mm, driest month precipitation > 12.06 mm, and coldest month min temp > -4.34 °C. The high suitability distribution showed contraction in LIG to LGM, followed by expansion from LGM to present. The Hengduan Mountains acted as a glacial refuge for the species during climate changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reflected a clear phylogenetic relationships and divergence within species L. japonicus and the identified hotspot regions could facilitate the genotype discrimination. The divergence time estimation and suitable area simulation revealed evolution dynamics of this species and may propose conservation suggestions and exploitation approaches in the future.

Activating Blood Circulation, Anti-Inflammatory and Diuretic Effects of Leonurus japonicus Extract on a Rat Model of Trauma Blood Stasis and Its Phytochemical Profiling

Leonurus japonicus Houtt. has been traditionally used to treat many ailments. This study evaluated the activating blood circulation, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic effects of L. japonicus extract (LJ) and identified its phytochemicals. In this work, the phytochemicals in LJ were identified using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups (n=8): Control group was treated with saline, while the Model group (saline) and LJ group (426 mg/kg) had induced traumatic injury. All rats were treated with once by daily oral gavage for one week. The biochemical indices and protein expression were measured. Herein, 79 constituents were identified in LJ, which were effective in elevating body weight, food consumption, water intake, and urinary excretion volume, as well as in ameliorating traumatic muscle tissues in model rats. In addition, LJ prominently decreased the contents of plasma viscosity, platelet aggregation rate, thrombin time, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, thromboxane B2 (TXB2), TXB2/6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), PAI-1/tissue-type PA (t-PA), and PAI-1/u-PA, while significantly increasing antithrombin III, 6-keto-PGF1α, and t-PA contents. Furthermore, LJ notably inhibited tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, angiotensin II, antidiuretic hormone, aldosterone, aquaporin 1 (AQP1), AQP2, and AQP3 levels, and markedly elevating IL-10 and natriuretic peptide levels. Finally, LJ markedly reduced the protein expression of AQP1, AQP2, and AQP3 compared to the model group. Collectively, LJ possessed prominent activating blood circulation, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic effects, thus supporting the clinical application of L. japonicus.

[Effects of pH value on stachydrine biosynthesis of hydroponic Leonurus japonicus and its physiological mechanism]

The present study explored the physiological mechanism of the effects of different pH treatments on the growth, physiological characteristics, and stachydrine biosynthesis of Leonurus japonicus to provide references for the cultivation and quality control of L. japonicus. Under hydroponic conditions, different pH treatments(pH 5,6,7,8) were set up. The growth, physiology, and the content of stachydrine and total alkaloids of L. japonicus, as well as the content of key intermediate products in stachydrine biosynthesis pathway(i.e., pyruvic acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, glutamic acid, and ornithine) were monitored to explore the physiological mechanism of the effects of pH on the growth and active components of L. japonicus. The results showed that L. japonicus. could grow normally in the pH 5-8 solution. The pH treatment of neutral acidity was more conducive to the accumulation of photosynthetic pigments and the increase in soluble protein in leaves of L. japonicus. to promote its growth and yield. However, since stachydrine is a nitrogen-containing pyrrolidine alkaloid, its synthesis involves the two key rate-limiting steps of nitrogen addition: reductive ammoniation reaction and Schiff base formation reaction. High pH treatments promote the synthesis and accumulation of substrates and products of the above two reactions, indicating that the alkaline environment can promote the nitrogen addition reaction, thereby promoting the biosynthesis and accumulation of stachydrine.

Leojaponin inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation through restoration of autophagy via upregulating RAPTOR phosphorylation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Duan Teng Yimu decoction is a Chinese herbal medicine compound with proven therapeutic effects on inflammasome-related diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. This decoction consists of three Chinese herbal medicines, including Leonurus japonicus (L. japonicus), which promotes the blood circulation and exhibits detumescence activity, traditionally curing gynecologic and inflammasome diseases.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To explore the anti-inflammasome activity and the underlying mechanisms of action of the compounds from L. japonicus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A series of compounds were isolated from L. japonicus. Their anti-inflammasome activities were evaluated in macrophages that were co-stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and NLRP3 inflammasome inducers. NLRP3 inflammasome formation and apoptosis speck like containing a CARD (ASC) oligomerization were evaluated by immunofluorescent microscopy and Western blot analysis. The regulation of autophagy after treatment of this compound was also evaluated. Lastly, in vivo activity of Leojaponin was analyzed in a mouse acute gouty arthritis model.

RESULTS

Here we show that Leojaponin, a diterpenoid compound from L. japonicus, suppressed lactate dehydrogenase and IL-1β release in Nigericin-stimulated macrophages in a pyroptosis model. Leojaponin inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation in both J774A.1 cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages in a dose dependent manner. Moreover, Leojaponin suppressed NLRP3-mediated ASC specks formation and ASC oligomerization. These activities of Leojaponin depend on restoration of autophagy via promoting RAPTOR phosphorylation. Furthermore, Leojaponin ameliorated monosodium urate (MSU)-induced acute gouty arthritis in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that Leojaponin inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation through enhancing autophagy via RAPTOR phosphorylation, thereby highlighting Leojaponin as a potent drug for inflammasome-related diseases.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) isolated from Leonurus japonicus in Korea

We have determined the mitochondrial genome of A. gossypii isolated from Leonurus japonicus in Korea. The circular mitogenome of A. gossypii is 16,044 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNAs, and a single control region of 797 bp. AT ratio is 83.8%. 88 SNPs and 4 INDELs (175 bp) were identified against mitogenome of A. gossypii isolated from cotton species. Especially, largest INDEL (170 bp) was in the control region. Phylogenetic trees show that four A. gossypii mitogenomes were clustered in one clade.

Inhibitory Effects of Standardized Leonurus japonicus Extract and Its Bioactive Leonurine on TNF-α-Induced Muscle Atrophy in L6 Myotubes

Muscle atrophy, characterized by a reduced number and size of myofibers, occurs due to immobilization, aging, and several chronic diseases. Leonurus japonicus, belonging to the Labiatae family, is widely used as a traditional medicine in Korea, China, and Japan. Previous studies have reported that L. japonicus has various physiological activities, such as anti-bacteria, anti-cancer, and liver protection. Leonurine, which is a major bioactive in L. japonicas, is known to possess biological effects including anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis, anti-angiogenesis, and anti-diabetes. However, the preventive effects of L. japonicas and leonurine on muscle have not been reported. The current study aimed to determine the inhibitory effects of standardized L. japonicus extract (LJE) and leonurine on muscle atrophy by clarifying their underlying molecular mechanisms in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-stimulated L6 myotubes. LJE and leonurine stimulated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway that was reduced by TNF-α treatment. LJE and leonurine not only increased the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway for protein anabolism but also decreased the mRNA expression of E3 ubiquitin ligases by blocking the translocation of Forkhead box O, which is closely linked with proteolysis. Additionally, LJE and leonurine alleviated inflammatory responses by downregulating TNF-α and interleukin-6 mRNA expression and reducing the protein expression of nuclear factor-kappa B, a major transcriptional factor of proinflammatory cytokines. Collectively, LJE and leonurine have potential as therapeutic candidates for inhibiting the development of skeletal muscle atrophy by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway and reducing inflammatory responses.

Uncovering the pharmacological mechanism of motherwort (Leonurus japonicus Houtt.) for treating menstrual disorders: A systems pharmacology approach

Leonurus japonicus (motherwort) is a traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used to treat menstrual disorders (MDs). However, the pharmacological mechanisms that underlie its clinical application remain unclear. In this study, a network pharmacology-based approach was used that integrated drug-likeness evaluation, oral bioavailability prediction, target exploration, network construction, bioinformatic annotation and molecular docking to investigate the mechanisms that underlie motherwort treatment for MDs. In total, 29 bioactive compounds were collected from 51 compounds in motherwort, which shared 17 common MDs-related targets. Network analysis indicated that motherwort played a therapeutic role in MDs treatment through multiple components that acted on multiple targets. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the putative targets of motherwort were primarily involved in various pathways associated with the endocrine system, cancers, vascular system, and anti-inflammation process. Notably, five targets (i.e., AKT1, PTGS2, ESR1, AR and PPARG) were screened as hub genes based on a degree algorithm. Moreover, most of the bioactive components in motherwort had good binding ability with these genes, implying that motherwort could regulate their biological function. Collectively, this study elucidated the molecular mechanisms that underlay the efficiency of motherwort against MDs and demonstrated the potential of network pharmacology as an approach to uncover the action mechanism of herbal medicines.

Immunomodulatory and antitumour bioactive labdane diterpenoids from Leonurus japonicus

OBJECTIVES

Two labdane diterpenoids, leojapone B and heteronone B, were isolated from Leonurus japonicus Houtt., and their biological activity were evaluated in this study.

METHODS

Human and mouse cancer cells, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and mouse macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) were used to evaluate the activity of leojapone B and heteronone B, while the in vivo effects of leojapone B were further examined in Lewis Lung Cancer tumour-bearing mice.

KEY FINDINGS

In vitro studies showed that leojapone B selectively inhibited the proliferation of lung cancer cells, and both leojapone B and heteronone B inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in activated PBMCs. In tumour-bearing mice model, lung tumours were reduced in size in mice treated with intraperitoneal injections of leojapone B at 20 and 30 mg/kg for 14 days. The population ratio of CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ T cells in mouse spleens was found to be increased, while regulatory T cells were decreased after leojapone B treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The inhibitory effects of leojapone B in mouse lung tumours were demonstrated for the first time in this study. The immunomodulatory activity of heteronone B were also demonstrated. Our findings indicated that both leojapone B and heteronone B may act as active components in L. japonicus.

Luteolin-7-methylether from Leonurus japonicus inhibits estrogen biosynthesis in human ovarian granulosa cells by suppression of aromatase (CYP19)

Leonurus japonicus (motherwort) has been widely used to treat gynecological disorders, in which estrogen is often dysregulated, for a long time in China and other Asian countries. However, the chemical constituents and mechanisms underlying the activity of this medicinal plant are not fully understood. Seventeen of forty-six tested natural products from L. japonicus showed stimulatory or inhibitory effects on estrogen biosynthesis with different potency in human ovarian granulosa-like KGN cells. Luteolin-7-methylether (XLY29) potently inhibited 17β-estradiol production (IC₅₀: 5.213 μM) by decreasing the expression of aromatase, the only enzyme in vertebrates that catalyzes the biosynthesis of estrogens, but had no effect on the catalytic activity of aromatase. XLY29 decreased the expression of aromatase promoter I.3/II, and suppressed the phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein. XLY29 potently inhibited phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and AKT but had no effect on phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. XLY29 also decreased the serum 17β-estradiol level and disturbed estrous cycle in mice. These results suggest that modulation of estrogen biosynthesis is a novel effect of L. japonicus, and XLY29 warrants further investigation as a new therapeutic means for the treatment of estrogen-related diseases.

New diterpenoids isolated from Leonurus japonicus and their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity

Three new labdane diterpenoids, leojaponicone A (1), isoleojaponicone A (2) and methylisoleojaponicone A (3), were isolated from the herb of Leonurus japonicus. The chemical structures of these secondary metabolites were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR, including HMQC, and HMBC spectroscopic techniques. All the new compounds were tested in vitro for their acetylcholinesterase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Compounds 1-3 exhibited low inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase with respect to acarbose and exhibited high inhibitory effects on acetylcholinesterase with respect to huperzine A.

Leonurus japonicus Houtt Attenuates Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Free Fatty Acid-Induced HepG2 Cells and Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

We investigated the effects of a Leonurus japonicus ethanol extract (LJE) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). An in vitro model of hepatic steatosis was treated with 1 mM free fatty acid (FFA) in HepG2 cells. An in vivo NAFLD model was established using C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and administered LJE (100 or 200 mg/kg) orally for 14 weeks. LJE treatment suppressed lipid accumulation and intracellular triglyceride levels significantly in a concentration-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. Moreover, LJE significantly reduced the expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1-c, and its downstream genes, which are associated with lipogenesis, in HepG2 cells. In HFD-fed mice, LJE treatment decreased body weight significantly and decreased serum alanine transaminase levels to normal values, concurrent with a decrease in hepatic lipid accumulation. Furthermore, LJE supplementation ameliorated insulin sensitivity by decreasing serum glucose and insulin levels. LJE improved hepatic steatosis by increasing the expression of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α in HFD-fed mice and FFA-treated HepG2 cells. The results suggested that LJE might be a potential therapeutic agent to treat NAFLD.

Localisation of Two Bioactive Labdane Diterpenoids in the Peltate Glandular Trichomes of Leonurus japonicus by Laser Microdissection Coupled with UPLC-MS/MS

INTRODUCTION

Glandular trichomes of plants are biochemical factories that could produce, store and secrete copious pharmaceutically important natural products. The Labiatae plant Leonurus japonicus is an important traditional Chinese medicine used to treat gynecological diseases, and has abundant peltate glandular trichomes (PGTs), in which the secondary metabolites accumulated are still unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To study the secondary metabolites specifically accumulated in the PGTs of L. japonicus and their biological activities, and provide a new way to pinpoint bioactive natural products from plants.

METHODOLOGY

Morphology of the trichomes on L. japonicus were observed under a scanning electron microscope. The PGTs of L. japonicus were precisely collected using laser microdissection (LMD) and analysed for their secondary metabolites with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Targeted compounds were isolated with classical phytochemical methods, and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Biological activities were evaluated by in vitro assays.

RESULTS

Two labdane diterpenoids, leoheterin (1) and galeopsin (2), were localised in the PGTs of L. japonicus. Antithrombotic activity of 1 in anti-platelet aggregation assay induced by arachidonic acid was observed. Both compounds showed potential anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. In addition, anti-proliferative effect of both compounds on several cancer cell lines was also detected.

CONCLUSION

Two bioactive labdane diterpenoids were localised in the PGTs of L. japonicus. The findings suggested that it might be an efficient approach to explore bioactive natural products from the glandular trichomes of medicinal plants with LMD-UPLC/MS/MS. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Leojaponic acids A and B, two new homologous terpenoids, isolated from Leonurus japonicus

The present study aimed at isolation and purification of the bioactive terpenoids from the herb of Leonurus japonicus by chromatographic separations such as silica gel, sephadex LH-20 and C18 reversed phase silica gel, as well as preparative HPLC. As a result, leojaponic acids A (1, C17H24O4) and B (2, C18H26O4), two homologous terpenoids, together with (-)-loliolide (3), 1-(3-ethylphenyl) ethane-1, 2-diol (4) and dibutyl phthalate (5), were isolated from the EtOH extract of L. japonicus. All the chemical structures of the isolates were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR analyses. Compounds 1 and 2 were new terpenoids, and Compounds 3 and 4 were isolated and identified for the first time from this plant. In addition, the α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the new compounds were evaluated.

Leonurus japonicus Houtt.: ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Leonurus japonicus Houtt. (Labiatae), commonly called Chinese motherwort ([Symbol: see text]), is an herbaceous flowering plant native to Asia. For thousands of years in China, the aerial part of Leonurus japonicus has been used to treat menoxenia, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, lochia, edema of the body, oliguresis, sores, ulcerations and other diseases in women. Now, Leonurus japonicus is listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological actions and toxicology of Leonurus japonicus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Information on Leonurus japonicus was gathered via the Internet (using Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI, VIP, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Baidu Scholar) and libraries.

RESULTS

Approximately 140 chemical compounds have been isolated from Leonurus japonicus, and the major components have been determined to be alkaloids, diterpenes and flavones. Among these active compounds, the effects of leonurine and stachydrine have been widely investigated. The primary active components in Leonurus japonicus possess wide pharmacological actions, such as effects on the uterus as well as cardioprotective, anti-oxidative, neuroprotective and anti-cancer activities.

CONCLUSIONS

Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Leonurus japonicus has marked bioactivities, especially on the uterus and as a cardioprotective agent. These activities are related to its traditional use and provide prospects for the development of novel drugs, therapeutics and health care products for women. However, the toxicity of Leonurus japonicus will require further study, and the nomenclature for Leonurus japonicus will require additional clarification.