Traditional Uses,Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Plants from the Genus Thymus

The genus Thymus (Lamiaceae) comprises about 214 species throughout the world, mainly found in North Africa, Europe, and temperate Asia zone. They are traditionally used as food additives and folk medicines. This review comprehensively summarizes information about traditional uses, chemical constituents, and biological activities of this genus and provides recommendations for future investigations. All information was gathered from scientific databases including Google Scholar, Sci‐Finder, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and CNKI. Volatile oils are the most concerned constituents of this genus. Flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, tannins, organic acids, terpenoids, and phytosterols were also summarized. This genus plants possessed a variety of activities including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, cytotoxic, analgesic, and antidiabetic. In brief, this review will be helpful to provide valuable data for explorations and create more interests towards Thymus genus in the future.     

Eudesmanes from Pluchea sagittalis. Their antifeedant activity on Spodoptera frugiperda

Eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoids 3-(2,3-epoxy-2-methylbutyryloxy)-4-formoxy-11-hydroxy-6,7-dehydroeudesman-8-one (1) and 3-(2,3-epoxy-2-methylbutyryloxy)-4,7,11-trihydroxyeudesman-8-one (2), together with 10 known structurally related eudesmanes were isolated from the CHCl₃ extract of aerial parts of Pluchea sagittalis (Lamarck) Cabrera. Their structures were deduced by extensive application of 1 and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques and high and low resolution CIMS. X-ray crystallographic analysis of the known compound 3-(2,3-epoxy-2-methylbutyryloxy)-4-formoxycuauthemone (9) is reported here for the first time, and confirms the structural features for the series of the reported eudesmanes. All eudesmanes were tested for their antifeedant activity by incorporating them to an artificial diet of larvae of the polyphagous insect Spodoptera frugiperda at a concentration of 100 ppm. Our results, from feeding choice tests, indicated that most of the compounds deter larval feeding at the cited concentration.     

中国大陆菊科一归化药用植物——翼茎阔苞菊

报道了在广州发现的菊科阔苞菊属一归化种——翼茎阔苞菊。该种以茎上具翼而与《中国植物志》中收录的3种阔苞菊属植物具有明显区别。该种具有良好的药用价值。     

Terpenes from the Soft Corals of the Genus Sarcophyton: Chemistry and Biological Activities

This review covers structural diversity and biological activities of terpenes from soft corals of the genus of Sarcophyton, reported from 1995 to July, 2011. During this period, besides undefined species, 16 species of the genus Sarcophyton, from different geographical areas, had been chemically examined. Two hundred and five terpenes had been isolated from this genus, including eleven sesquiterpenes, 165 diterpenes, 29 biscembranoids, some of which had novel skeletons. They exhibited various biological features, such as antifeedant, anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, and antifouling activities.     

The Genus Neolitsea of Lauraceae: A Phytochemical and Biological Progress

As one of the biggest genera in Lauraceae, Neolitsea owns a great application potential in industrial and traditional medical fields. Modern phytochemical and biological investigations revealed its structural diversity and diverse activities. This review summarizes the most recent progress on this regards, hopefully to provide a reference for full use and development of the Neolitsea resource.     

Phytochemical and Biological Studies of Chloranthus Medicinal Plants

The plants of genus Chloranthus have been investigated in many chemical and pharmacological laboratories due to their complex secondary metabolites and diverse bioactivities. The aim of this review is to provide an up‐to‐date overview on the chemistry and bioactivity of the compounds isolated, mainly sesquiterpenoids and diterpenoids, from the genus Chloranthus over the past few decades.     

Secondary Metabolites of Plants from the Genus Chloranthus: Chemistry and Biological Activities

Chloranthus, a genus of the family Chloranthaceae, which is mainly distributed in eastern and southern Asia, has been used in Chinese folk medicine due to its antitumor, antifungal, and anti‐inflammatory activities. This review compiles the research on isolation, structure elucidation, structural diversity, and bioactivities of Chloranthus secondary metabolites reported between 2007 and 2013. The metabolites listed encompass 82 sesquiterpenoids, 50 dimeric sesquiterpenoids, 15 diterpenoids, one coumarin, and five other compounds. Among them, dimeric sesquiterpenoids, the characteristic components of plants from the genus Chloranthus, have attracted considerable attention due to their complex structures and significant biological features, e.g., antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, anti‐inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities, and potent and selective inhibition of the delayed rectifier (IK) K⁺ current and tyrosinase.