1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and tyrosinase inhibitory effects of constituents of sugarcane molasses

In the course of our work into the use of cane by-products, we have studied the isolation and structural determination of bioactive compounds in sugarcane molasses. In this study, three stereo isomers of syringyl glycerol 3'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, three stereo isomers of guaiacyl glycerol 3'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, a syringyl glycerol 2'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, tachioside and a 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4-(H)-pyran-4-one (DDMP) were isolated from the 25% methanol eluate by Amberlite XAD-2 column chromatography of sugarcane molasses. The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. These isolated compounds were examined for their scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical species, and for their inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase. All of the isolated compounds showed DPPH radical scavenging activity, while DDMP and tachioside showed mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity.     

Anti-plasmodial and antioxidant activities of constituents of the seed shells of Symphonia globulifera Linn f

A xanthone derivative, named gaboxanthone (1), has been isolated from the seed shells of Symphonia globulifera, together with known compounds, symphonin (2), globuliferin (3), guttiferone A (4), sistosterol, oleanolic acid and methyl citrate. The structure of the compound was assigned as 5,10-dihydroxy-8,9-dimethoxy-2,2-dimethyl-12-(3-methylbut-2-enyl) pyrano [3,2-b]xanthen-6(2H)-one, by means of spectroscopic analysis. The anti-plasmodial and antioxidant activities of the phenolic compounds were evaluated, respectively, in culture against W2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum and using the free radical scavenging activity of the DPPH radical, respectively. Compounds 1-4 were found to be active against the Plasmodium parasites (IC(50) of 3.53, 1.29, 3.86 and 3.17 microM, respectively). Guttiferone A (4) showed a potent free radical scavenging activity compared to the well-known antioxidant caffeic acid.     

Chemical composition and biological activity of triterpenes and steroids of chaga mushroom

Data on the chemical composition of triterpenic and steroid compounds, isolated from the chaga mushroom grown in natural environment or in a synthetic culture have been summarized. Special attention has been paid to the biological activity of chaga mushroom extracts and these particular compounds against various cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. This analysis has demonstrated some common features in inhibition of growth of various cell lines by chaga mushroom components. In this context, the most active are triterpene compounds containing OH group at C-22 and a side chain unsaturated bond.     

蛹虫草子实体活性成分的分离鉴定

蛹虫草具有悠久的食药用历史,但关于其活性成分的种类仍知甚少。本文采用大孔树脂、硅胶柱、HPLC等色谱技术对蛹虫草Cordyceps militaris子实体粗提物进行分离纯化,从中得到3个化合物。通过波谱数据分析,化合物1–3分别被鉴定为：虫草素（3’-脱氧腺苷）（1）,色氨酸（2）和5,5’-dibuthoxy-2,2’-bifuran（3）,杂环化合物3为首次从蛹虫草子实体中获得。对化合物进行抗菌活性测定发现,虫草素和5,5’-dibuthoxy-2,2’-bifuran对枯草芽孢杆菌和大肠杆菌都有显著的抑菌活性,但是它们对酿酒酵母均未表现出明显抑菌活性。     

A new hepatoprotective flavone glycoside from the flowers of Onopordum alexandrinum growing in Egypt

A bioactivity-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate fraction of the flowers of Onopordum alexandrinum L. (Asteraceae) yielded a new flavonoidal glycoside designated as acacetin-7-O-galacturonide (9), alongside with nine known flavonoids; 6-methoxy-apigenin (hispidulin) (1), acacetin (2), apigenin (3), luteolin (4), kaempferol (5), eriodictyol (6), apigenin-7-O-glucoside (7), luteolin-7-O-glucoside (8), and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (10). The compounds were assayed for their hepatoprotective activity against CCl4-induced hepatic cell damage in rats and free radical scavenging activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Compounds 4, 6, 9, and 10 have not been previously reported from flowers of O. alexandrinum L., and this is the first report of acacetin-7-O-galacturonide (9) in nature which has also shown significant hepatoprotective and free radical scavenging effects. The isolated compounds were identified using different spectroscopic methods (UV, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HMQC, HMBC, and COSY).     

In vitro free radical scavenging activity of wild edible mushroom, Pleurotus squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer

Cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species has been implicated in several diseases and hence antioxidants have significant importance in human health. Cold water, hot water and methanolic extract of Pleurotus squarrosulus were evaluated for antioxidant activity against hydroxyl radical, DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical, superoxide radical, nitric oxide (NO) scavenging, reducing power, ferrous ion chelating ability and beta-carotenellinoleic acid assay. Total phenol, flavonoid, beta-carotene and lycopene content were also determined. Hot water extract showed significant antioxidant activity in all the test systems. Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of all the extracts has been significant compared to positive control. Hot water extract has been found to have higher phenolic, total flavonoid, beta-carotene and lycopene content than cold water and methanolic extract of the mushroom. Results of this study showed that, hot water extract has maximum antioxidant property and may be utilized as a promising source of therapeutics.     

Free radical scavengers from the medicinal mushroom Inonotus xeranticus and their proposed biogenesis

New free radical scavengers, inoscavin D (1) and methylinoscavin D (2), were isolated from the methanolic extract of the fruiting bodies of Inonotus xeranticus (Hymenochaetaceae), along with the known compounds phelligridin D (3), 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (4), and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (5). Their structures were established by various spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1 and 3 were proposed to be biosynthesized from the oxidative coupling of the precursor hispidin with 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, respectively. These compounds exhibited significant scavenging activity against the ABTS radical cation, and compounds 2 and 4 displayed moderate superoxide radical scavenging activity.     

beta-Hydroxyergothioneine, a new ergothioneine derivative from the mushroom Lyophyllum connatum, and its protective activity against carbon tetrachloride-induced injury in primary culture hepatocytes

A new ergothioneine derivative named beta-hydroxyergothioneine was isolated from the mushroom Lyophyllum connatum. Ergothioneine,N-hydroxy-N',N'-dimethylurea, and connatin (N-hydroxy-N',N'-dimethylcitrulline) were also isolated. All the compounds displayed the ability to scavenge free radicals, based on a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Structural determination, including the absolute stereochemistry of beta-hydroxyergothioneine, was achieved by spectroscopic analysis and X-ray crystallography. The radical scavenging activity of beta-hydroxyergothioneine was almost the same as that of ergothioneine. beta-Hydroxyergothioneine showed the greatest protective activity against carbon tetrachloride-induced injury in primary culture hepatocytes.     

Fasciculols H and I, two lanostane derivatives from Chinese mushroom Naematoloma fasciculare

Two new highly oxygenated fasciculol-type lanostane derivatives, fasciculols H and I (1 and 2, resp.), together with five known compounds, 3-7, were isolated from the fruiting bodies of the Chinese toxic mushroom Naematoloma fasciculare. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including 2D-NMR (HMBC, HSQC, NOESY, (1)H,(1)H-COSY). Compounds 5-7 were identified for the first time in this mushroom. Compounds 1, 3, 4, and 5 were evaluated for inhibitory activity against human glioma cell line U87 and nuclear factor-κB.     

DPPH free radical scavenger components from the fruits of Alpinia rafflesiana Wall. ex. Bak. (Zingiberaceae)

The methanol extract of the dried ripe fruits of Alpinia rafflesiana was investigated for its DPPH free radical scavenger constituents. 2',3',4',6'-Tetrahydroxychalcone (7), which has never been isolated from natural sources was found to be most active as a DPPH free radical scavenger with the IC50 value of 55 microM. Other known compounds isolated from this species include 5,6-dehydrokawain (1), flavokawin B (2). 1,7-diphenyl-5-hydroxy-6-hepten-3-one (3), (-)-pinocembrin (4), cardamonin (5) and (-)-pinostrobin (6). The DPPH free radical scavenger compounds were detected using TLC autographic analysis. The percentage inhibition of DPPH free radical scavenging activity was measured on isolates (5-7) using colorimetric analysis.     

Acylated quercetagetin glycosides with antioxidant activity from Tagetes maxima

The fractionation of a methanolic extract of Tagetes maxima guided for antioxidant activity resulted in the isolation of three acylated quercetagetin glycosides, quercetagetin-7-O-(6-O-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside), quercetagetin-7-O-(6-O-p-coumaroyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside) and quercetagetin-7-O-(6-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside), as well as four known flavonoid glycosides. The structural elucidation was accomplished by spectroscopic methods (ESI-MS/MS and NMR). The antioxidant activity of fractions and isolated compounds was determined by checking the scavenging activity against three different radicals: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH*), hydroxyl (*OH), and superoxide (O2*-). The three isolated compounds exhibited a high radical scavenging activity in comparison with reference compounds.     

Evaluation of natural antioxidants of Leuzea carthamoides as a result of a screening study of 88 plant extracts from the European Asteraceae and Cichoriaceae

In recently, there has been a great interest in natural antioxidants as bioactive components of food, nutraceuticals or potential drugs against several diseases. In our study, 88 extracts from various parts of plants from European Asteraceae and Cichoriaceae were assayed for radical scavenging activity by means of DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical) test using the SIA (Sequential injection analysis) method developed for this purpose in our laboratory. DPPH radical scavenging activity of all tested plant extracts was evaluated according to the IC(50) parameter. 29 extracts exhibited IC(50) value lower than 0.1 mg/mL. The leaves of Leuzea carthamoides (IC(50) = 0.046 mg/mL) were chosen as the most promising sample for a subsequent phytochemical study, which resulted in isolation of seven natural compounds, namely, 4',5,7-trihydroxy-6-methoxyflavone (hispidulin) (1), 5, 7, 3', 4'- tetrahydroxyflavanone (eriodictyol) (2), 3',4',5,7-pentahydroxy-6-methoxyflavonol (patuletin) (3), eriodictyol-7-beta-glucopyranoside (4), 6-hydroxykaempferol-7-O-(6'-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside) (5), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (6) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (protocatechuic acid) (7). Antioxidant activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated by DPPH test and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) test and compared with trolox and quercetin. Both tests evaluated the flavonoid (5) as the most active antioxidant. This result was confirmed by comparison with known data concerning the structure/activity relationships of flavonoids.     

Radical scavenging and cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitory activity of bergaptol and geranylcoumarin from grapefruit

Grapefruit juice has been shown to increase the oral bioavailability of several clinically important drugs by inhibiting first pass metabolism. Several compounds in grapefruit juice have shown different biological activities. Unique among them are furocoumarins with potent inhibitory activity against cytochrome P450 enzymes. In the present study, two bioactive compounds were isolated from grapefruit juice and grapefruit peel oil. The purity of the isolated compounds has been analyzed by HPLC. Structures of the compounds were elucidated by extensive NMR and mass spectral studies and identified as bergaptol and geranylcoumarin. The isolated compounds were tested for their radical scavenging activity using 2,2'-azobis (3-ethylbenz-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) methods at different concentrations. Bergaptol showed very good radical scavenging activity at all the tested concentrations. Furthermore, these compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against CYP3A4 enzyme. Bergaptol and geranylcoumarin were found to be potent inhibitors of debenzylation activity of CYP3A4 enzyme with an IC(50) value of 24.92 and 42.93 microM, respectively.     

An endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-suppressive compound and its analogues from the mushroom Hericium erinaceum

Three new compounds, 3-hydroxyhericenone F (1), hericenone I (2), and hericenone J (3), were isolated from the mushroom Hericium erinaceum. The structures of 1-3 were determined by the interpretation of spectral data. Compound 1 showed the protective activity against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-dependent Neuro2a cell death, however, compounds 2 and 3 did not.     

Triterpenes and Meroterpenes with Neuroprotective Effects from Ganoderma leucocontextum

Ganoderma leucocontextum is a well‐known medicinal mushroom cultivated in the Tibet Plateau of China. Chemistry investigation on the fruiting bodies of this mushroom resulted in the isolation of sixteen secondary metabolites including three new lanostane triterpenes, ganoleucoins Q – S ( 1 – 3 ), as well as thirteen known compounds ( 4 – 16 ). The structures of compounds 1 – 3 were determined by NMR, MS, CD spectral analysis, and chemical derivation method. The neuroprotective effects of compounds 1 – 16 were tested on PC12 cells. Compounds 1 and 2 showed protective effects against the H₂O₂ induced damage with the survival rate of 83.19 ± 0.92%, 73.37 ± 1.25% at the concentration of 200 μm , respectively. Meanwhile, compounds 1 and 2 induced neurite outgrowth at 50 – 200 μm . The results from this study suggested that G. leucocontextum and its metabolites may be potential functional food ingredients for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.     

Hispidin produced from Phellinus linteus protects against peroxynitrite- mediated DNA damage and hydroxyl radical generation

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the progression of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. One such mediator of oxidative stress is peroxynitrite, which is highly toxic to cultured neurons and astrocytes, and has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of various types of neuronal diseases. Therefore, searching for natural compounds with peroxynitrite-scavenging activity might be an effective therapy for peroxynitrite-mediated cytotoxicity. Hispidin, a phenolic compound from Phellinus linteus (a medicinal mushroom), has been shown to possess strong antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties. However, the astrocyte protective efficacy of hispidin has been not examined. This study was undertaken to investigate whether the astrocyte protective effect of hispidin is associated with inhibition of peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage, a critical event leading to peroxynitrite-mediated cytotoxicity. Our results showed that peroxynitrite can cause DNA damage in φX-174 plasmid DNA and rat primary astrocytes. The presence of hispidin (10-20μg/ml) was found to significantly inhibit peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage and cytotoxicity. EPR spectroscopy demonstrated that the formation of DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct (DMPO-OH) from peroxynitrite, and that hispidin potently diminished the adduct signal in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that hispidin can protect against peroxynitrite-mediated cytotoxicity, DNA damage and hydroxyl radical formation.     

Cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, antioxidant activity and interaction of dibenzoxanthenes derivatives with DNA

In this study, we report the DNA interaction and cytotoxicity of four dibenzoxanthene compounds 1-4. The binding behaviors of these compounds to calf thymus DNA were studied by absorption titration, viscosity measurements. The DNA binding constants of compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 are 5.05×10(4), 2.13×10(3), 5.10×10(4), and 3.03×10(3) M(-1), respectively. The lipophilicity of the compounds was determined by the shake flask method. The cytotoxicity of these compounds has been assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. These compounds exhibit high activity against BEL-7402, Hela, MG-63, and SKBR-3 cells. The cell cycle arrest was analyzed by flow cytometry. These compounds inhibit S phase of BEL-7402 and SKBR-3 cells. The experiments on antioxidant activity show that these compounds exhibit good antioxidant activity against hydroxyl radical ((?)OH).     

Synthesis of trehalose-based compounds and their inhibitory activities against Mycobacterium smegmatis

The synthesis of a library of trehalose-based compounds has been accomplished, and their activities against Mycobacterium smegmatis have been determined. A preliminary structure–activity relationship (SAR) is reported. Despite not having a potent lead, one of the trehalose derivatives displays strong activity when applied with isoniazid (INH), which is known to have low sterilizing activity. The bacteriocidal nature of our compounds against Mycobacterium may be significant for the development of new therapies against tuberculosis.     

Antimicrobial and radical scavenging flavonoids from the stem wood of Erythrina latissima

From the stem wood of Erythrina latissima, two isoflavones and a flavanone were isolated and characterized as 7,3'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-5'-(gamma,gamma-dimethylallyl)isoflavone (erylatissin A), 7,3'-dihydroxy-6',6'-dimethyl-4',5'-dehydropyrano [2',3': 4',5']isoflavone (erylatissin B), (-)-7,3'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-5'-(gamma,gamma-dimethylallyl)flavanone (erylatissin C), respectively, in addition to 10 known flavonoids. Structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of their spectroscopic data. These compounds showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida mycoderma. The isolated compounds also exhibited weak radical scavenging properties towards DPPH radical.     

Phenolic metabolites from Pyruscalleryana and evaluation of its free radical scavenging activity

Investigation of the aqueous alcoholic extract of Pyruscalleryana Decne. leaves led to the isolation of two new phenolic acids glycosides, namely protocatechuoylcalleryanin-3-O-β-glucopyranoside (1) and 3′-hydroxybenzyl-4-hydroxybenzoate-4′-O-β-glucopyranoside (2), together with nine known compounds among them lanceoloside A and methylgallate, which have been isolated for the first time from the genus Pyrus. Structures of the isolated compounds were established by spectroscopic analysis, including UV, IR, HRESI-MS, and 1D/2D NMR. The total extract and some isolated compounds were determined against DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazinyl radical, for their free radical scavenging activity, the total alcoholic extract showed strong antioxidant activity while the two new compounds showed weak antioxidant activity.