Bioprospecting Dodonaea viscosa Jacq.; a traditional medicinal plant for antioxidant,cytotoxic, antidiabetic and antimicrobial potential

Purpose of studyDodonaea viscosa Jacq. is an ethnomedicinal plant that has been extensively used for the treatment of gout, rheumatism and pain. Current study was undertaken to mine its antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and antidiabetic potential. Chromogenic assays were employed to establish plant’s multimode antioxidant profile whereas HPLC fingerprinting was performed to quantify polyphenols. Standard brine shrimp lethality, MTT and SRB assays proved its cytotoxicity potential.ResultsAmong all the extracts (flower, leaf, stem and root), maximum extract recovery (22% w/w), gallic acid equivalent total phenolic content (20.11 ± 0.11 ug GAE/mg DW), ascorbic acid equivalent total antioxidant capacity (22.5 ± 0.07 µg/mg DW) and total reducing power (31.1 ± 1.13 µg/mg DW) were recorded in the distilled water + acetone extract of leaf. The acetone extract of leaf showed maximum quercetin equivalent total flavonoid content (4.78 ± 0.13 µg/mg DW). HPLC-DAD analysis revealed significant amount of rutin, vanillic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, syringic acid, cinnamic acid, gentisic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, apigenin and myricetin in the different plant parts. Maximum scavenging potential was exhibited by methanol + ethyl acetate stem extract (IC₅₀ = 23.8 µg/ml). The highest antibacterial potential was found in flower (85.7%) and root (71.4%) extracts. The ethanol + ethyl acetate (1:1) leaf extract showed noteworthy toxicity against brine shrimps (LC₅₀ = 95.46 µg/ml) while a notable antiproliferative activity against THP-1 (IC₅₀ = 3.4 µg/ml) and Hep G2 (IC₅₀ = 20 µg/ml) cell lines was shown by ethanol + ethyl acetate extracts (1:1) of stem and root, respectively. A moderate inhibition of α-amylase enzyme was observed in all parts of the plant.ConclusionThe results of the present study suggest D. viscosa as a potential source of antioxidant, anticancer and α-amylase inhibitory phytochemicals.     

Antileishmanial diterpenoid alkaloids from Aconitum spicatum (Bruhl) Stapf

The crude extracts of tubers of Aconitum spicatum (Bruhl) Stapf were investigated for in vitro antileishmanial activity against Leishmania major. The dichloromethane extract at pH 2.5 showed antileishmanial activity with IC₅₀ value of 27.10 ± 0.0 μg/mL. Chromatographic purification of the dichloromethane extract led to isolation of three C-19 norditerpenoid alkaloids indaconitine (1), chasmaconitine (2) and ludaconitine (3). Compounds 3 and 2 showed antileishmanial activity with IC₅₀ = 36.10 ± 3.4 and 56.30 ± 2.1 μg/mL, respectively. Compound 1 was less effective (IC₅₀ > 100 μg/mL). The cytotoxicity of compounds 1, 2 and 3 studied against MCF7, HeLa and PC3 cancer cell lines and 3T3 normal fibroblast cell line did not show cytotoxicity at 30 μM.     

Total phenolic and flavonoid contents,antioxidant, antidiabetic and antiplasmodial activities of Garcinia forbesii King: A correlation study

Garcinia forbesii King belongs to Clusiaceae is a source of secondary metabolites especially xanthones with various biological activities. G. forbesii King is also known for its empirical use for malaria and diabetes. This study investigated the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, in vitro antioxidant, antidiabetic and antiplasmodial activities of four extracts attained from the stem bark of G. forbesii King. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by spectrophotometric methods and antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP assays. In vitro antidiabetic activity was assessed by α-glucosidase and α-amylase assays and antiplasmodial activity was studied against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7. The highest value of total phenolic (187.37 ± 0.06 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (35.97 ± 0.02 mg QE/g) contents were recorded in n-hexane and methanolic extracts. n-Hexane extract showed the highest DPPH activity with IC₅₀ of 8.12 ± 0.02 μg/mL. Ethyl acetate extract exhibited better scavenging ability for ABTS with IC₅₀ of 3.88 ± 0.04 μg/mL. The FRAP assay showed better activity in methanol extract with an inhibition value of 73.68 ± 3.66 µM Fe²⁺/g. The strong inhibition against α-glucosidase and α-amylase were displayed by dichloromethane extract with IC₅₀ of 35.13 ± 2.01 μg/mL and 4.83 ± 0.20 μg/mL. n-Hexane and methanol extracts showed significant antiplasmodial activity with IC₅₀ of 0.23 ± 0.01 μg/mL and 0.73 ± 0.01 μg/mL, respectively. The correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship of total phenolic and flavonoid contents with antiplasmodial activity. The results revealed that n-hexane and methanol extracts could be used as a potential natural antiplasmodial, while dichloromethane extract is a promising natural antidiabetic.     

Phenolic composition,antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth., Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl) A. Gray,and Crossopteryx febrifuga (Afzel.) Benth

Medicinal plants from Chad grow under special climatic conditions in between the equatorial forest of Central Africa and the desert of North Africa and are understudied. Three medicinal plants from Chad (T. diversifolia, P. Biglobosa and C. Febrifuga) were evaluated for their phenolic composition, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities. The total phenolic composition varied from 203.19 ± 0.58 mg GAE/g DW in the ethyl acetate extract of P. biglobosa, to 56.41 ± 0.89 mg GAE/g DW in the methanol extract of C. febrifuga while the total flavonoid content varied from 51.85 ± 0.91 mg QE/g DW in the methanol extract of P. biglobosa to 08.56 ± 0.25 mg QE/g DW in the methanol extract of C. febrifuga. HPLC-DAD revealed that rutin, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid were the most abundant phenolics in T. diversifolia, P. Biglobosa and C. Febrifuga respectively. The antioxidant activity assayed by five different methods revealed very good activity especially in the DPPH^?, ABTS^?+ and CUPRAC assays where the extracts were more active than the standard compounds used. Good inhibition was exhibited against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with methanol (IC₅₀: 15.63 ± 0.72 µg/mL), ethyl acetate (IC₅₀: 16.20 ± 0.67 µg/mL) extracts of P. biglobosa, and methanol (IC₅₀: 21.53 ± 0.65 µg/mL) and ethyl acetate (IC₅₀: 30.81 ± 0.48 µg/mL) extracts of T. diversifolia showing higher inhibition than galantamine (IC₅₀: 42.20 ± 0.44 µg/mL) against BChE. Equally, good inhibition was shown on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. On the α-glucosidase, the ethyl acetate (IC₅₀ = 12.47 ± 0.61 µg/mL) and methanol extracts (IC₅₀ = 16.51 ± 0.18 µg/mL) of P. biglobosa showed higher activity compared to the standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 17.35 ± 0.71 µg/mL) and on α-amylase, the ethyl acetate (IC₅₀ = 13.50 ± 0.90 µg/mL) and methanol (IC₅₀ = 18.12 ± 0.33 µg/mL) extracts of P. biglobosa showed higher activity compared to acarbose (IC₅₀ = 23.84 ± 0.25 µg/mL). The results indicate that these plants are good sources of antioxidant phenolics and can be used to manage oxidative stress linked illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.     

Physical properties,biological applications and biocompatibility studies on biosynthesized single phase cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles via Sageretia thea (Osbeck.)

Cobalt oxide nanoparticles were successfully biosynthesized by complete green process using aqueous leaf extracts of Sageretia thea as chelating agent. Diverse techniques were applied for characterization. Antibacterial (with and without UV illumination), antileishmanial, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition applications were assessed, while freshly isolated macrophages and red blood cells were used for biocompatibility studies. Good antibacterial nature and enhancement of bactericidal nature upon UV modulation is reported. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are indicated as most susceptible bacterial strains. Significant cytotoxic potential is revealed with IC₅₀ calculated as 12.82 µg/ml and 3.16 µg/ml against the axenic leishmanial promastigote and amastigote cultures respectively. Biogenic cobalt oxide nanoparticles indicated DPPH free radical scavenging potential, while moderate antioxidant capacity and reducing power was demonstrated. Bioinspired cobalt oxide also demonstrated alpha amylase and protein kinase inhibition at higher concentrations. Biogenic cobalt oxide was found as more cytotoxic to macrophages (IC₅₀ = 58.55 µg/ml) then to RBC’s (IC₅₀ >200 µg/ml). Our results indicate green synthesis as an alternative, effective and eco-friendly method for the biosynthesis of cobalt oxide nanoparticles with numerous biological applications.     

Chemical characterization,computational analysis and biological views on Daphne gnidioides Jaub. & Spach extracts: Can a new raw material be provided for biopharmaceutical applications?

The scientific world tends to turn to natural products such as medicinal and aromatic plants because of the inadequacy of commercially available synthetic drugs as antibiotics or anticancer, and their adverse effects on healthy tissues. One of these plants is Daphne gnidioides Jaub. & Spach, which belongs to the Thymelaeaceae family, and there is no data in the literature on its biological activity. This study is aimed to elucidate the chemical profiles and in vitro anticancer, antibacterial and DNA protection and enzyme inhibitory properties of methanol extracts of root, stem, and leaf of D. gnidioides Jaub. & Spach. Polyphenolic components of the extracts were characterized by HPLC-MS/MS. The highest phenolic content was detected in the leaf extract (TIPC = 43.5 ± 0.5 mg/g DE), followed by stem (TIPC = 27.3 ± 0.7 mg/g DE) and root (TIPC = 18.3 ± 0.2 mg/g DE) extracts. Vicenin-2 and 3-O-p-coumaroyl-5-O-caffeoylquinic acid were the main identified compounds in leaf and both root and stem extracts, respectively. The extracts did not show any protective effect on DNA against experimental Fenton’s reagent. The minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration values for the root and leaf extracts against tested bacterial strains ranged from 31.25 to 500 μg/mL. After 48 h interaction of the cancer cell lines with the extracts, only the stem extract had significant cytotoxicity on HeLa cells (IC₅₀ = 86.16 μg/mL). No remarkable activity of the extracts, which was tested against MDA-MB-231, was detected (IC₅₀ > 1000 μg/mL). These data showed that D. gnidioides Jaub. & Spach stem extract inhibited the survival of HeLa cells in a time-dependent manner. After the treatment of IC₅₀ concentration of stem extract with HeLa cells, an increase in LC3-II autophagic gene expression was detected. Also, the extracts exhibited significant tyrosinase inhibitory effects which were confirmed by molecular docking. To sum up, the tested extracts could be used as a starting point for the development of new multifunctional drugs.     

DNA cleavage,cytotoxic and antioxidant properties of Cistus laurifolius L. extracts

In this study, extracts of the root, branch and leaf parts of Cistus laurifolius L. were prepared using hexane, methylene chloride and ethanol solvents. DNA cleavage, cytotoxic and antioxidant properties of the prepared extracts were then investigated. The cytotoxic properties of the extracts were investigated in A549, DU-145, PNT-1A, MDA-MB231, CRL-4010 and HCT-116 cell lines. Among all prepared extracts, T4 (seed–methylene chloride) extract showed cytotoxic effects on more cancer cell lines compared to other extracts. Antioxidant tests were performed by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil) radical scavenging and Folin-Ciocalteu methods. In both tests, it was determined that T7 (seed–ethanol) extract has a very strong antioxidant effect (IC₅₀ = 0,000015 μg/ml for the DPPH method). In DNA cleavage studies, the results obtained confirm the protection of DNA from hydroxyl radical damage in the presence of methanolic plant extracts. Consequently, we determined that some of the Cistus laurifolius L. extracts have significant biological properties on the studied cell lines.     

Polyphenolic profiling of Ipomoea carnea Jacq. by HPLC-DAD and its implications in oxidative stress and cancer

Ipomoea carnea Jacq. is an important folklore medicinal plant, assessed for its underexplored biological potential. Antioxidant, cytotoxic, antiproliferative and polyphenolic profile of whole plant was evaluated using various techniques. Maximum extract recovery (29% w/w), phenolic [13.54 ± 0.27 μg GAE/mg dry weight (DW)] and flavonoid (2.11 ± 0.10 μg QE /mg DW) content were recorded in methanol-distilled water (1:1) flower extract. HPLC-DAD analysis quantified substantial amount of six different polyphenols ranging from 0.081 to 37.95 μg/mg extract. Maximum total antioxidant and reducing potential were documented in methanol-distilled water and acetone-distilled water flower extracts (42.62 ± 0.47 and 24.38 ± 0.39 μg AAE/mg DW) respectively. Ethanol-chloroform root extract manifested highest free radical scavenging (IC₅₀ of 61.22 μg/mL) while 94.64% of the extracts showed cytotoxicity against brine shrimps. Ethanol leaf extract exhibited remarkable activity against THP-1 cell line (IC₅₀ = 8 ± 0.05 μg/mL) and protein kinases (31 mm phenotype bald zone).     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of isoxazole-naphthalene derivatives as anti-tubulin agents

In this study, a novel series of isoxazole-naphthalene derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibitors were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anti-proliferative activities against human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited moderate to potent antiproliferative activity (IC₅₀ < 10.0 μM), as compared to cisplatin (15.24 ± 1.27 μM). Among them, compound 5j containing 4-ethoxy substitution at phenyl ring was found to be the most active compound with IC₅₀ value of 1.23 ± 0.16 μM. Mechanistic studies revealed that compound 5j arrested cell cycle at G2/M phase and induces apoptosis. Furthermore, in vitro tubulin polymerization assay showed that compound 5j displayed better inhibition activity on tubulin polymerization (IC₅₀ = 3.4 μM) than colchicine (IC₅₀ = 7.5 μM). Molecular docking study also revealed that compound 5j binds to the colchicine binding site of tubulin.     

Synthesis,anticancer evaluation,and molecular modeling study of new 2-(phenylamino)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine analogues

The reaction of 3-amino-5-phenylaminopyrazoles 2 with 3-(dimethylamino) acrylonitrile derivatives resulted in a series of substituted pyrazolopyrimidine analogues 4 and 6. The DFT studies of the isolated compounds showed that the frontier molecular orbitals energy gap was close and in the 2.65–2.81 eV range where the derivative 6b has the lowest and both of 4a and 4c have the highest values. Meanwhile, the anticancer activity of the newly synthesized pyrazolopyrimidine analogues have been tested against several different cell lines (MCF-7, PC3, Hep-2 and WI38). The investigated pyrazolopyrimidines showed remarkable cytotoxicity activity against the MCF-7 and Hep-2 cell lines. In comparison to the effects of 5-fluorouracil, IC₅₀ = 10.19 ± 0.42 and 7.19 ± 0.47, compounds 6a-c demonstrated potential anticancer activity with IC₅₀ values for MCF-7 (10.80 ± 0.36–19.84 ± 0.49 μM) and Hep-2 (8.85 ± 0.24–12.76 ± 0.16 μM). Important details regarding the protein's binding sites were disclosed when the produced analogues docked with the crystal structure of the KDM5A protein, which was located in the protein data library.     

Antioxidant,antimicrobial and urease inhibiting activities of methanolic extracts from Cyphostemma digitatum stem and roots

Cyphostemma digitatum stem and roots extracts were investigated for antioxidant, antimicrobial, urease inhibition potential and phytochemical analysis. Phytochemical screening of the roots and stem extract revealed the presence of secondary metabolites including flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, saponins, terpenoids, tannins, carbohydrates/reducing sugars and phenolic compounds. The methanolic extracts of the roots displayed highest antioxidant activity (93.518%) against DPPH while the crude methanolic extract of the stem showed highest antioxidant activity (66.163%) at 100 μg/mL concentration. The methanolic extracts of both stem and roots were moderately active or even found to be less active against the selected bacterial and fungal strains (Tables S2 and S3). The roots extract (methanol) showed significant urease enzyme inhibition activity (IC₅₀ = 41.2 ± 0.66; 0.2 mg/mL) while the stem extract was found moderately active (IC₅₀ = 401.1 ± 0.58; 0.2 mg/mL) against thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.011; 0.2 mg/mL).     

Identification of novel diclofenac acid and naproxen bearing hydrazones as 15-LOX inhibitors: Design,synthesis, in vitro evaluation,cytotoxicity, and in silico studies

Inflammation is the immune system's adaptive response to tissue dysfunction or homeostatic imbalance, inducing fever, pain, physiological and biochemical changes via the cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as diclofenac acid and naproxen, are the most common inhibitors of the COX pathway. These drugs, however, are currently being studied as LOX inhibitors as well. Therefore, in the present study, a novel series of diclofenac acid and naproxen-bearing hydrazones 7(a-r) were designed, synthesized, and characterized by different spectroscopic methods like ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR and HRMS (EI) analysis. All these synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro inhibitory potential against the Soybean 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) enzyme. These compounds exhibited varying degrees of inhibitory potential ranging from IC₅₀ 4.61 ± 3.21 μM to 193.62 ± 4.68 μM in comparison to standard inhibitors quercetin (IC₅₀ 4.84 ± 6.43 μM) and baicalein (IC₅₀ 22.46 ± 1.32 μM). The most potent compounds in the series were compounds 7c (IC₅₀ 4.61 ± 3.21 μM), and 7f (IC₅₀ 6.64 ± 4.31 μM). These compounds were found least cytotoxic and showed 96.42 ± 1.3 % and 94.87 ± 1.6 % viability to cells at 0.25 mM concentration respectively. ADME and in silico studies supported the drug-likeness and binding studies of the molecules with the target enzyme.     

α-Glucosidase Inhibition and Antioxidant Properties of Streptomyces sp.: In Vitro

Streptomyces strain isolated from the soil sediment was studied for its in vitro α-glucosidase and antioxidant properties. Morphological characterization and 16S rRNA partial gene sequencing were carried out to confirm that the strain Loyola AR1 belongs to genus Streptomyces sp. Modified nutrient glucose broth was used as the basal medium for growth and metabolites production. Ethyl acetate extract of Loyola AR1 (EA-Loyola AR1) showed 50 % α-glucosidase inhibition at the concentration of 860.50?±?2.68 μg/ml. Antioxidant properties such as total phenolic content of EA-Loyola AR1 was 176.83?±?1.17 mg of catechol equivalents/g extracts. EA-Loyola AR1 showed significant scavenging activity on 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (50 % inhibition (IC₅₀), 750.50?±?1.61 μg/ml), hydroxyl (IC₅₀, 690.20?±?2.38 μg/ml), nitric oxide (IC₅₀, 850.50?±?1.77 μg/ml), and superoxide (IC₅₀, 880.08?±?1.80 μg/ml) radicals, as well as reducing power. EA-Loyola AR1 showed strong suppressive effect on lipid peroxidation (IC₅₀, 670.50?±?2.52 μg/ml). Antioxidants of β-carotene linoleate model system reveals significantly lower than butylated hydroxyanisole.     

Synthesis,characterization, and hypoglycemic efficacy of nitro and amino acridines and 4-phenylquinoline on starch hydrolyzing compounds: an in silico and in vitro study

α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase are important therapeutic targets for type II diabetes. The present focus of our study is to elucidate the hypoglycemic activity of novel compounds through in vitro and in silico studies. Here, we synthesized the nitro acridines (3a–3c), amino acridines (4a–4c), and nitro phenylquinoline (3d) and amino phenylquinoline (4d) using a multi-step reaction protocol in good yields. All the above derivatives were screened for molecular docking, α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase inhibitory activities utilizing acarbose as standard drug. In silico studies were performed to explore the binding ability of compounds with the active site of α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase enzymes. The in vitro antihyperglycemic report of 3c exhibits the maximum inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 200.61?±?9.71 μmol/mL and 197.76?±?8.22 μmol/mL against α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase, respectively. Similarly, the compound 3a exhibits IC₅₀ values of 243.78?±?13.25 μmol/mL and 296.57?±?10.66 μmol/mL, and 4c exhibits IC₅₀ values of 304.28?±?3.51 μmol/mL and 278.86?±?3.24 μmol/mL with a significant p?<?0.05 in both enzyme inhibitions. In addition, the presence of diverse functional moieties in synthesized compounds may provide a strong inhibitory action against the abovementioned enzymes compared with standard acarbose inhibition (IC₅₀, 58.74?±?3.68 μmol/mL and 49.39?±?4.94 μmol/mL). Also, the docking studies provided an excellent support for our in vitro studies. The outcome of these studies recommends that the tested compounds might be treated as potential inhibitors for the starch hydrolyzing enzymes in type II diabetes.

     

Synthesis,in vitro urease inhibitory activity and molecular docking of 3,5‐disubstituted thiadiazine‐2‐thiones

A series of 3,5‐disubstituted‐tetrahydro‐thiadiazine‐2‐thione ( 1 ‐ 16 ) have been synthesized, characterized by elemental analysis, infrared (IR), UV‐visible, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and MS spectroscopic techniques, and screened against jack bean urease. Among 16 compounds, compounds ( 1 ), ( 2 ), ( 3 ), ( 4 ), ( 6 ), ( 7 ), and ( 9 ) demonstrated excellent urease inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values (9.8 ± 0.5, 11.0 ± 0.6, 16.0 ± 1.5, 17.2 ± 0.5, 15.4 ± 0.5, 19.7 ± 0.4, and 15.8 ± 0.2μM), respectively, even better than the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21 ± 0.01μM). However, compound ( 8 ) shows an almost same level of inhibition (IC₅₀ = 22.9 ± 0.3μM), as like standard. In this work, we reported for the first time urease inhibitory activity of thiadiazine thiones and its molecular docking studies.     

Synthesis of Substituted Quinolinyl Ether‐based Inhibitors of PI3K as Potential Anticancer Agents

A new strategy for the preparation of 8‐quinolyl ethers 3 ( a – g ), 5 ( a – g ), and 7 ( a – d ) was studied by copper (II)‐catalyzed methodology in the presence of Cs₂CO₃ and acetone–water mixture (1:1). Screening of quinolinyl‐8‐ethers was investigated against anticancer expressive studies to validate new chemical entity in medicinal chemistry. Approaches were evaluated against breast cancer (MCF‐7), skin cancer (G‐361), and colon cancer (HCT 116) cell lines. Inhibitory potentials against phosphoinositide‐3‐kinase (PI3K) enzyme responsible for cancer development have been evaluated by competitive ELISA studies. In PI3K assay, 3a – c were inactive (IC₅₀ > 5 μM), while 3e – g , 5a , 5c – e , 5g , 7a , and 7d showed a moderate activity (IC₅₀ ≥ 0.05 μM). Compounds ( 5b , 5f , 7b , and 7c ) showed significant activity (IC₅₀ < 1.0 μM); thus, their anticancer activities were carried out. Anticancer activity was found to be selective towards breast cancer (MCF‐7); 5b , 5f , 7b , and 7c showed predominant relative percentage activities of 74.12%, 79.04%, 72.56%, and 78.47%, with IC₅₀ values of 5b (2.27 ± 0.88 μM), 5f (1.38 ± 0.60 μM), 7b (2.64 ± 0.86 μM), and 7c (1.87 ± 0.68 μM) compared with the standard doxorubicin 73.14% inhibition (IC₅₀ = 1.98 ± 0.75 μM). Docking study also conducted to find out the binding interactions with p110α (PDB ID: 3T8M) enzyme. Compounds 5b , 5f , 7b , and 7c showed best docking score into the active site of PI3K 12.59, 10.51, 56.52, and 8.61 nM. Structure–activity relationship studies demonstrated that the synthesized compounds are the potential PI3K inhibitors to treat various cancer‐related diseases.     

A New Isoflavanol from the Fruits of Kotschya strigosa (Fabaceae)

The phytochemical investigation of the MeOH extract from fruits of Kotschya strigosa using repeated normal and reversed‐phase column chromatography and Sephadex LH‐20 chromatography led to the isolation and characterization of a new isoflavanol, named kotstrigoisoflavanol ( 1 ), together with three known compounds, diosmetin ( 2 ), β‐sitosterol ( 3 ), and the 3‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranoside of β‐sitosterol ( 4 ). The antioxidant activity of crude extract, 1, and 2 was determined using the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙) method. The crude extract (IC₅₀ 61.7 ± 0.2 μg/ml) and 2 (IC₅₀ 70.2 ± 0.1 μg/ml) showed moderate antioxidant activities, while 1 was weakly active (IC₅₀ 153.1 ± 0.1 μg/ml), as compared with the standard reference l ‐ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ 21.9 ± 0.0 μg/ml).     

Chemical composition of the Brazilian native Cinnamomum stenophyllum (Meisn.) Vattimo-Gil essential oil by GC-qMS and GC × GC-TOFMS,and its cytotoxic activity

Cinnamomum stenophyllum (Meisn.) Vattimo-Gil (Lauraceae) is a native and vulnerable Brazilian species restricted to the Atlantic Forest. The leaf essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation was characterized for the first time by two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS). This analysis resulted in the tentatively identification of 80 compounds, showing the superior performance of this method in comparison to the seven compounds identified by GC–MS. The identified compounds included 8 ketones, 7 monoterpene hydrocarbons, 30 oxygenated monoterpenes, 4 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and 23 oxygenated sesquiterpenes, showing that the C. stenophyllum oil contained mostly oxygenated mono and sesquiterpenes. The oil cytotoxicity was tested against two human cancer cell lines, colon adenocarcinoma (HCT-116) and breast cancer carcinoma (MCF-7), and the non-tumor retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) using the colorimetric MTT assay. Both cancer cell lines were sensible to leaf essential oil, with IC₅₀ < 20 μg/mL (HCT, IC₅₀ = 9.95 μg/mL and MCF-7, IC₅₀ = 16.65 μg/mL), while there was no cytotoxicity against the non-tumor cells at tested concentrations (IC₅₀ > 50 μg/mL), suggesting selectivity to cancer cells. The results showed that the C. stenophyllum leaf essential oil has a cytotoxic potential, presenting several compounds already known as biologically active against tumor cells.     

Anticancer activity of Ophiobolin A,isolated from the endophytic fungus Bipolaris setariae

The present work describes the anticancer activity of Ophiobolin A isolated from the endophytic fungus Bipolaris setariae. Ophiobolin A was isolated using preparative HPLC and its structure was confirmed by HRMS, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, COSY, DEPT, HSQC and HMBC. It inhibited solid and haematological cancer cell proliferation with IC₅₀ of 0.4–4.3 μM. In comparison, IC₅₀ against normal cells was 20.9 μM. It was found to inhibit the phosphorylation of S6 (IC₅₀ = 1.9 ± 0.2 μM), ERK (IC₅₀ = 0.28 ± 0.02 μM) and RB (IC₅₀ = 1.42 ± 0.1 μM), the effector proteins of PI3K/mTOR, Ras/Raf/ERK and CDK/RB pathways, respectively. It induced apoptosis and inhibited cell cycle progression in MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with concomitant inhibition of signalling proteins. Thus, this study reveals that anticancer activity of Ophiobolin A is associated with simultaneous inhibition of multiple oncogenic signalling pathways namely PI3K/mTOR, Ras/Raf/ERK and CDK/RB.