Ziziphus nummularia: A Comprehensive Review of Its Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Properties

Ziziphus nummularia, a small bush of the Rhamnaceae family, has been widely used in traditional folk medicine, is rich in bioactive molecules, and has many reported pharmacological and therapeutic properties. Objective: To gather the current knowledge related to the medicinal characteristics of Z. nummularia. Specifically, its phytochemical contents and pharmacological activities in the treatment of various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, are discussed. Methods: Major scientific literature databases, including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Chemical Abstracts, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Abstracts, Henriette’s Herbal Homepage, Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, were searched to retrieve articles related to the review subject. General web searches using Google and Google scholar were also utilized. The search period covered articles published between 1980 and the end of October 2021.The search used the keywords ‘Ziziphus nummularia’, AND (‘phytochemical content’, ‘pharmacological properties, or activities, or effects, or roles’, ‘anti-inflammatory’, ‘anti-drought’, ‘anti-thermal’, ‘anthelmintic’, ‘antidiabetic’,’ anticancer’, ‘anticholinesterase’, ‘antimicrobial’, ‘sedative’, ‘antipyretic’, ‘analgesic’, or ‘gastrointestinal’). Results: This plant is rich in characteristic alkaloids, especially cyclopeptide alkaloids such as nummularine-M. Other phytochemicals, including flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, tannins, and phenolic compounds, are also present. These phytochemicals are responsible for the reported pharmacological properties of Z. nummularia, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, anticancer, analgesic, and gastrointestinal activities. In addition, Z. nummularia has anti-drought and anti-thermal characteristics. Conclusion: Research into the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Z. nummularia has demonstrated that this plant is a rich source of novel bioactive compounds. So far, Z. nummularia has shown a varied pharmacological profile (antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective), warranting further research to uncover the therapeutic potential of the bioactives of this plant. Taken together, Z. nummularia may represent a new potential target for the discovery of new drug leads.     

Origanum syriacum Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties: A Comprehensive Review

Herbal medicine has been gaining special interest as an alternative choice of treatment for several diseases, being generally accessible, cost-effective and safe, with fewer side-effects compared to chemically synthesized medicines. Over 25% of drugs worldwide are derived from plants, and surveys have shown that, when available, herbal medicine is the preferred choice of treatment. Origanum syriacum (Lamiaceae) is a widely used medicinal plant in the Middle East, both as a home and a folk remedy, and in the food and beverage industry. Origanum syriacum contains numerous phytochemical compounds, including flavonoids, phenols, essential oils, and many others. Because of its bioactive compounds, O. syriacum possesses antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic capacities. In addition, it can be beneficial in the treatment of various diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and peptic ulcers. In this review, the chemical compositions of different types of extracts and essential oils from this herb will first be specified. Then, the pharmacological uses of these extracts and essential oils in various contexts and diseases will be discussed, putting emphasis on their efficacy and safety. Finally, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of O. syriacum phytochemicals in disease treatment will be described as a basis for further investigation into the plant’s pharmacological role.     

Luminescent cellulose fibers activated by Eu3+-doped nanoparticles

UV- active cellulose fibers were obtained by dry-wet method spinning an 8?% by weight α-cellulose solution in N-methylomorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) modified by europium-doped gadolinium oxyfluoride Gd₄O₃F₆:Eu³⁺ containing 5?mol (%) of the dopant. Photoluminescent nanoparticles were introduced in the in powder form into a polymer matrix during the process of cellulose dissolution in NMMO. The dependencies of emission intensity on excitation energy and the concentration of Gd₄O₃F₆:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles in the final cellulosic products were examined by photoluminescence spectroscopy (excitation and emission). The fiber structure was studied by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The size and dispersity of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis. The influence of different concentration particles (in the range from 0.5 to 5?% by weight) on the mechanical properties of the fibers, such as tenacity and elongation at break, were determined.     

Carbamoylimidazolium and thiocarbamoylimidazolium salts: novel reagents for the synthesis of ureas, thioureas, carbamates, thiocarbamates and amides

Carbamoylimidazolium salts act as efficient N,N-disubstituted carbamoylating reagents. These salts are readily prepared by the sequential treatment of secondary amines with N,N′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) and iodomethane. The carbamoylimidazolium salts are more efficient carbamoyl transfer reagents than the intermediate carbamoylimidazoles, as a result of the ‘imidazolium’ effect. Kinetic studies on the base promoted hydrolysis of both carbamoylimidazoles and carbamoylimidazolium salts reveal over a hundred-fold rate acceleration. The salts react with amines, thiols, phenols/alcohols, and carboxylic acids in high yields, without the need for subsequent chromatographic purification of the products, producing ureas, thiocarbamates, carbamates, and amides, respectively. Analogous thiocarbamoylimidazolium salts were also synthesized from secondary amines and N,N′-thiocarbonyldiimidazole (TCDI), followed by methylation with iodomethane.     

Concentration of sodium ion as the determining factor for the association of dansyl amino acids with the teicoplanin molecule in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

The mechanism of the binding of D,L dansyl amino acids to teicoplanin was investigated. Na+ was used as an indicator of the interactions between the solutes and teicoplanin. The number (n) of sodium ions, Na+, excluded from the solute-teicoplanin interface when analyte transfer occurred was determined. A thermodynamic study and enthalpy-entropy compensation were performed to further explore the interaction mechanism. From these results, it was shown that teicoplanin was balanced between 2 conformational states characterized by distinct enantioselective properties. This approach indicates that liquid chromatography (LC) is a useful tool to extract physicochemical and molecular information from retention data. Thus, LC can be used as a complementary technique with the conventional techniques of molecular interaction analysis.     

Isonitrile Formation by a Non‐Heme Iron(II)‐Dependent Oxidase/Decarboxylase

The electron‐rich isonitrile is an important functionality in bioactive natural products, but its biosynthesis has been restricted to the IsnA family of isonitrile synthases. We herein provide the first structural and biochemical evidence of an alternative mechanism for isonitrile formation. ScoE, a putative non‐heme iron(II)‐dependent enzyme from Streptomyces coeruleorubidus, was shown to catalyze the conversion of (R)‐3‐((carboxymethyl)amino)butanoic acid to (R)‐3‐isocyanobutanoic acid through an oxidative decarboxylation mechanism. This work further provides a revised scheme for the biosynthesis of a unique class of isonitrile lipopeptides, of which several members are critical for the virulence of pathogenic mycobacteria.     

Synthese et isomerisation de methoxycarbonyl-5 dihydropyrannones-2

Condensation of dimethyl 3-methylglutaconate with ketones provides a one pot route for the preparation of 5-methoxycarbonyl-4-methyldihydropyran-2-ones. The experimental conditions to give selectively pyran-2-ones isomers are discussed. The structure of the different products was established on the basis of ¹H and ¹³C nmr spectral data.     

Cinnamoyl inhibitors of tissue transglutaminase

Transglutaminases (TGases) catalyze the intermolecular cross-linking of certain proteins and tissue TGases (TG2) are involved in diverse biological processes. Unregulated, high TGase activities have been implicated in several physiological disorders, but few reversible inhibitors of TG2 have been reported. Herein, we report the synthesis of a series of novel trans-cinammoyl derivatives, discovered to be potent inhibitors of guinea pig liver transglutaminase. The most effective inhibitors evaluated can be sorted into two subclasses: substituted cinnamoyl benzotriazolyl amides and the 3-(substituted cinnamoyl)pyridines, referred to more commonly as azachalcones. Kinetic evaluation of both of these subclasses revealed that they display reversible inhibition and are competitive with acyl donor TGase substrates at IC50 values as low as 18 microM. An analysis of structure-activity relationships within these series of inhibitors permitted the identification of potentially important binding interactions. Further testing of some of the most potent inhibitors demonstrated their selectivity for TG2 and their potential for further development.