HPLC/HR-MS-Based Metabolite Profiling and Chemometrics: A Powerful Approach to Identify Bioactive Compounds from Abarema cochliacarpos

Despite its importance as a medicinal plant, there is a lack of studies that assessed the chemical composition of A. cochliacarpos extracts. Herein, we used a metabolite profiling approach and chemometrics as a powerful strategy to correlate the chemical composition with the antioxidant activity of A. cochliacarpos extracts. Extracts obtained with ethyl acetate showed greater antioxidant activity and higher total phenolic content than extracts obtained with hexane. The chemical composition was assessed by HPLC/HR-MS and it encompassed fatty alcohols, terpenoids, phenolic derivatives, lipids, carotenoid-like compounds, alkaloids, flavonoids, polyketides, and glycerophospholipids. Chemometrics successfully differentiated not only the chemical composition of extracts in response to the nature of the extraction solvent and the botanical part used during extraction but also it allowed us to associate the chemical composition with the antioxidant activity of the extracts, which might be particularly helpful for drug discovery and development programs.     

A potential antioxidant resource: Endophytic fungi from medicinal plants

Medicinal plants and their endophytes are important resources for discovery of natural products. Several previous studies have found a positive correlation between total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total phenolic content (TPC) of many medicinal plant extracts. However, no information is available on whether such a relationship also exists in their endophytic fungal metabolites. We investigated the relationship between TAC and TPC for 292 morphologically distinct endophytic fungi isolated from 29 traditional Chinese medicinal plants. The antioxidant capacities of the endophytic fungal cultures were significantly correlated with their total phenolic contents, suggesting that phenolics were also the major antioxidant constituents of the endophytes. Some of the endophytes were found to produce metabolites possessing strong antioxidant activities. Several bioactive constituents from the fungal cultures and host plant extracts were identified. This investigation reveals that the metabolites produced by a wide diversity of endophytic fungi in culture can be a potential source of novel natural antioxidants.     

药用真菌活性次级代谢产物研究

药用真菌作为我国传统中医药体系的重要组成部分,有着悠久的历史。它们能够产生丰富的活性次级代谢产物,具有神经保护、抗肿瘤、降血脂等诸多药效。然而,目前对大部分药用真菌次级代谢产物的化学和生物学研究较少。本课题组主要以抗肿瘤、抗炎、抗菌以及抗病毒等生物活性为指导,选择重要药用真菌进行化学研究,构建我国特色药用真菌代谢产物库。文章主要介绍近4年我们在这方面的研究进展。     

广西靖西端午节药市民族药用植物数据库系统的设计与构建

药用植物数据库的建立与相关数据挖掘,对民族药物学的研究具有重要意义。该研究在顶层设计的基础上,对广西靖西端午节药市及周边地区实地调查时获得的药用植物标本和照片进行形态学特征、药用价值、民族传统利用方式等信息的整理,由此设计和建立开放的民族药用植物数据库系统。主要应用Microsoft Office Access和Java编程对数据进行管理、查询和统计,通过提取药用植物特征的不同权值来计算不同科属和类别之间的相似度。结果表明:该数据库系统能以柱状图或饼状图的形式将数据之间的关系直观地展示出来,从而反映出各种植物特征和各种功能属性之间的联系。同时该数据库系统还可以用于数据的管理、检索和查询相关民族药用植物的背景资料、药用价值等信息,并能进行相应的统计分析,有利于挖掘数据和发现新线索。     

Comparative Analyses on the Bioactive Compounds and in Vitro Antioxidant Capacity of Tea Infusions Prepared from Selected Medicinal Fruits

This study was conducted to analyze the bioactive compounds and in vitro antioxidant capacity of tea infusions prepared from whole and ground medicinal fruits, including gardenia, jujube, magnolia, quince, and wolfberries. The dried medicinal fruit samples were ground, and then passed through a 60‐mesh sieve (pore size, 250 μm). Hot water (80 °C) infusions of whole and ground fruits were examined. In average of both whole and ground tea infusions, the maximum bioactive compounds were found in gardenia (β‐carotene, lycopene, and vitamin C), magnolia (total chlorophyll and anthocyanin), quince (flavonoid), and wolfberries (phenolic), and the maximum antioxidant capacity was found in quince (ABTS and DPPH) and wolfberries (NSA). Whole fruit tea infusions showed a higher brightness than the ground fruit tea infusions. The total chlorophyll, anthocyanin, β‐carotene, lycopene, phenolic, flavonoid, and vitamin C contents were found to be significantly (p≤0.001) higher in the ground fruit tea infusions than in the whole fruit tea infusions; additionally, the ground fruit tea infusions had a higher antioxidant capacity especially ABTS, DPPH and NSA. Therefore, the ground fruit tea infusions appeared to be more powerful with regard to the contents of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacities than the whole fruit tea infusions.     

广西龙胜红瑶传统药用植物的民族植物学知识

瑶族是一个拥有悠久历史和灿烂文化的民族,红瑶是其中一个分支,因妇女服饰上的花纹图案以大红色为主而得名,其生活习俗饱含民族特色,对植物尤其是药用植物的利用方式,与其他民族不同。该研究采用经典的民族植物学理论和方法,访问调查了广西龙胜红瑶传统药用植物种类,根据植物拉丁名、中文名、当地名、用途、用法及药用部位,对其进行民族植物学编目,并与《中国药典》作了比较。结果表明:共记录到药用植物95种,隶属于57科83属,其中蔷薇科、百合科种类最多,分别含有7种,显示龙胜红瑶传统药用植物资源的多样性;全株入药的植物种类41种,占总数的43.16%;根入药的种类为23种,占总数的24.21%;叶入药的种类为13种,占总数的13.68%。药用植物的药用部位以全株、根及叶为主;治疗风湿类疾病的药物比重最大,为23.47%,推测与其生活的环境有关;与《中国药典》比较,发现71种植物未被其收录,另有17种虽被收录但主治功效不同,有7种被收录且主治功效大致相同,为新型中药的研发提供了借鉴。同时,还探讨了龙胜红瑶传统药用植物的药用价值、资源现状及文化传承的问题。     

Volatile Nitrogenous Compounds from Bacteria: Source of Novel Bioactive Compounds

Bacteria can produce nitrogenous compounds via both primary and secondary metabolic processes. Many bacterial volatile nitrogenous compounds produced during the secondary metabolism have been identified and reported for their antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, algicidal and antitumor activities. The production of these nitrogenous compounds depends on several factors, including the composition of culture media, growth conditions, and even the organic solvent used for their extraction, thus requiring their identification in specific conditions. In this review, we describe the volatile nitrogenous compounds produced by bacteria especially focusing on their antimicrobial activity. We concentrate on azo-compounds mainly pyrazines and pyrrolo-pyridines reported for their activity against several microorganisms. Whenever significant, extraction and identification methods of these compounds are also mentioned and discussed. To the best of our knowledge, this is first review describing volatile nitrogenous compounds from bacteria focusing on their biological activity.     

Current Status of Mining,Modification, and Application of Cellulases in Bioactive Substance Extraction

Cellulases have been used to extract bioactive ingredients from medical plants; however, the poor enzymatic properties of current cellulases significantly limit their application. Two strategies are expected to address this concern: (1) new cellulase gene mining strategies have been promoted, optimized, and integrated, thanks to the improvement of gene sequencing, genomic data, and algorithm optimization, and (2) known cellulases are being modified, thanks to the development of protein engineering, crystal structure data, and computing power. Here, we focus on mining strategies and provide a systemic overview of two approaches based on sequencing and function. Strategies based on protein structure modification, such as introducing disulfide bonds, proline, salt bridges, N-glycosylation modification, and truncation of loop structures, have already been summarized. This review discusses four aspects of cellulase-assisted extraction. Initially, cellulase alone was used to extract bioactive substances, and later, mixed enzyme systems were developed. Physical methods such as ultrasound, microwave, and high hydrostatic pressure have assisted in improving extraction efficiency. Cellulase changes the structure of biomolecules during the extraction process to convert them into effective ingredients with better activity and bioavailability. The combination of cellulase with other enzymes and physical technologies is a promising strategy for future extraction applications.     

Micropropagation of Withania somnifera from germinating seeds and shoot tips

Shoot multiplication was achieved in vitro from shoot tips of aseptically germinated seedlings of Withania somnifera L. using low concentrations of 6-benzyladenine (BA), viz. 2.2, 4.4 and 8.9 M. Maximum number of shoots were obtained when 2.3 M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or 2.5 M indolebutyric acid (IBA) was added to medium containing 4.4 M BA during initiation of shoot multiplication, but not when added later. Direct multiple shoot initiation was also obtained from germinating seeds in the presence of BA alone. Rooting was successful in excised shoots grown on growth regulator-free MS medium. Rooted shoots were successfully established in soil in a greenhouse.     

中国药用植物资源开发利用研究的回顾与展望

本文对药用植物资源开发的方法学进行了讨论,并简要综述了近年来我国在药用植物资源开发利用研究方面的成就,还就药用植物资源开发利用中的一些重要问题:生物多样性的保护;资源数据库的建立及管理;新技术和新方法的引进以及中药外向过程中资源的宏观调控管理等进行了讨论。     

Colchicinoids from Colchicum crocifolium Boiss.: a case study in dereplication strategies for (-)-colchicine and related analogues using LC-MS and LC-PDA techniques

As a part of a project designed to investigate Colchicum species in Jordan, the chemical constituents of Colchicum crocifolium Boiss. (Colchicaceae) were investigated using LC‐MS and LC–UV/Vis PDA. A decision tree for working with colchicinods has been developed by incorporating data from LC‐UV/PDA and LC‐MS. This dereplication strategy draws upon the UV/PDA spectra to classify compounds into one of four structural groups and combines this with retention time and mass spectra/molecular weight to identify the compounds. This strategy was applied on a small amount of extract (2 mg) of Colchicum crocifolium to dereplicate 10 known compounds from four different structural groups, namely (?)‐demecolcine, 2‐demethyl‐(?)‐colchicine or3‐demethyl‐(?)‐colchicine, N‐deacetyl‐(?)‐colchicine, (?)‐colchiciline, (?)‐colchicine, β‐lumidemecolcine, 2‐demethyl‐β‐lumicolchicine or 3‐demethyl‐β‐lumicolchicine, N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐deacetyl‐β‐lumicornigerine, (?)‐isoandrocymbine and (?)‐autumnaline. Furthermore, a new compound was identi?ed as N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐deacetyl‐(?)‐cornigerine. Three compounds, which had molecular ions at m/z 325, 340 and 374, could not be dereplicated into any obvious structural classes that have been isolated in our laboratories previously or reported in the literature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

堇菜属植物的药用历史和品种考证

堇菜属植物药用历史悠久,品种繁多。本研究根据古本草文献中所载堇菜属植物的原文和附图,运用现代植物分类学方法,从药用历史和品种两方面对堇菜属药用植物进行本草考证,明确其历史源流,以期正本清源,为堇菜属药用植物的开发与应用奠定基础。     

Bioactive Compounds from Cyanobacteria and Microalgae: An Overview

ABSTRACT

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are photosynthetic prokaryotes used as food by humans. They have also been recognized as an excellent source of vitamins and proteins and as such are found in health food stores throughout the world. They are also reported to be a source of fine chemicals, renewable fuel and bioactive compounds. This potential is being realized as data from research in the areas of the physiology and chemistry of these organisms are gathered and the knowledge of cyanobacterial genetics and genetic engineering increased. Their role as antiviral, anti-tumour, antibacterial, anti-HIV and a food additive have been well established. The production of cyanobacteria in artificial and natural environments has been fully exploited. In this review the use of cyanobacteria and microalgae, production processes and biosynthesis of pigments, colorants and certain bioactive compounds are discussed in detail. The genetic manipulation of cyanobacteria and microalgae to improve their quality are also described at length.     

虫类中药蛴螬的酚性成分

从虫类中药蛴螬的乙酸乙酯提取物中分离得到6个化合物,其结构经波谱鉴定为3,5-二甲氧基-4-羟基苯甲酸(1),水杨酸(2),对羟基苯甲酸(3),香草酸(4),对羟基苯丙酸(5)和对羟基苯丙酸甲酯(6)。化合物1～6均为首次从该种动物药中分离得到。     

The Pacific Islands: a biotechnology resource bank of medicinal plants and traditional intellectual property

Traditional medicines, the mainstay of medical treatment for virtually all minor ailments in many developing countries, have been tapped for the production of new therapeutics in the sustenance of human health and well-being. Vulnerable to the vicissitudes of globalization issues such as intellectual property rights, trade and gender are of relevance in the Pacific region that is a source of some unique traditional healing systems.     

海绵生物活性物质及海绵细胞离体培养

介绍了来自海绵的生物活性物质种类、分布及其潜在的应用价值。讨论了其作为抗癌、抗病毒、抗细菌等药用的生物活性物质及其相关的海绵种属 ;强调海绵生物活性物质的商业化和临床应用所面临的“供给短缺问题”。作为解决这一问题的途径之一 ,海绵细胞离体培养是最有前景的技术。讨论了海绵细胞离体培养技术的研究现状 ,存在的问题及未来的发展趋势。对我国海域的海绵生物活性物质的研究开发现状进行总结 ,强调海绵研究对开发具有我国自主知识产权的新药、新化合物的必要性及重要性 ,并提出进行研发的可能优先领域