Records of Natural Products

Inflammation is one of the basic pathological processes due to the adaption of immune system against infection or irritation. Since non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cause many side effects, investigation of anti-inflammatory natural products promising to provide novel therapeutic agents. Here, Launaea sarmentosa (Willd.) Kuntze, a medicinal herb applied to treat inflammation diseases, was investigated for its anti-inflammatory components to find new therapies for inflammatory syndromes. This study indicated that ethyl acetate fractional extract reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, representing the highest activity for both NO radical-scavenging and NO secretion inhibition during LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Besides, five anti-inflammatory compounds, including succinic acid, quercetin, 2(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid, luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, were isolated and elucidated the structure according to 1D and 2D- NMR. Among these compounds, succinic acid and 2(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid were first reported in this species. Moreover, this study indicated that the presence of these compounds, typically quercetin and luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, enhanced anti-inflammatory ability via deactivation of NF-кB/MAPK pathway to mitigate the expression of IL-6. Hence, this study contributed the initial evidence of anti-inflammatory constituents from Launaea sarmentose and highlighted an approach to discovering natural items or phytotherapeutic agents.

Two new isoflavones, caraganin E (1) and caraganin F (2), were purified from 75% ethanolic extract of Caragana jubata roots, in company with ten known compounds. The chemical structures of two novel isoflavones were elucidated by NMR, HR-ESIMS and circular dichroism (CD). GLUT4 translocation activity was tested in L6 cells for all isolated compounds. Among them, compound 5 exhibited the best activity, increasing the fluorescence intensity by 3.25 folds. The results of the exploration may help us understand the chemotaxonomic variety of natural products in Caragana jubata and enhance the diversity of flavonoids.

Chemical investigations on the culture of Penicillium oxalicum 2021CDF-3, a marine red alga-sourced endophytic fungus, revealed a new steroid, namely peniciloxatone A (1). With the aid of high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses, the structure of peniciloxatone A (1) was determined to be a polyoxygenated ergostane steroid. Cytotoxic activities of 1 were tested against A549, FADU, and HepG2 cells, and 1 was active against the FADU and HepG2 cells, with IC50 values of 9.5 ± 0.1 and 18.1 ± 0.3 μM, respectively.

The Trixis genus (Asteraceae) is involved in traditional medicine from Latinoamerica. In Mexico, Trixis michuacana Lex. var. michoacana and T. michuacana var. longifolia are used in the P'urhépecha ethnomedicine. The analysis of their volatile compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is described herein. The sesquiterpene compounds were the main constituents. β-Caryophyllene (10.80%), germacrene D (7.93%), β-elemene (7.42%), and γ-elemene (7.37%) highlighted from var. michuacana, while β-elemene (10.02%), α-copaene (9.91%), β-caryophyllene (8.97%), germacrene D (7.40%), and γ-elemene (6.89%) were the major constituents from var. longifolia. A systematic analysis of the chemical components provided an approach to the biosynthetic pathway for volatile metabolite production. Antimicrobial assays provided scientific support for the traditional use of the plants. In-vitro assays using Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), E. coli (82MR), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13883), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), S. aureus (23MR), S. epidermidis (ATCC 12228), S. epidermidis, Candida albicans (17MR), C. glabrata, and C. tropicalis were achieved. These assays revealed MIC values >2 mg/mL when observed bacterial inhibition for both Trixis species, except for var. michuacana against S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, which was 0.5 mg/mL. These results could partially justify the use of the studied plants in ethnomedicine.