The genus Caesalpinia L. (Caesalpiniaceae): phytochemical and pharmacological characteristics

The genus Caesalpinia (Caesalpiniaceae) has more than 500 species, many of which have not yet been investigated for potential pharmacological activity. Several classes of chemical compounds, such as flavonoids, diterpenes, and steroids, have been isolated from various species of the genus Caesalpinia. It has been reported in the literature that these species exhibit a wide range of pharmacological properties, including antiulcer, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antirheumatic activities that have proven to be efficacious in ethnomedicinal practices. In this review we present chemical and pharmacological data from recent phytochemical studies on various plants of the genus Caesalpinia.     

Review of the Traditional Uses,Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities of Rhoicissus Species (Vitaceae)

Species within the genus Rhoicissus (Vitaceae) are commonly used in South African traditional medicine. The current review discusses the occurrence, distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of Rhoicissus species covering the period 1981–2020. The data reported were systematically collected, read, and analysed from scientific electronic databases including Scopus, Scifinder, Pubmed, and Google Scholar. Reported evidence indicates that species in this genus are used for the treatment of gastrointestinal complaints, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and infertility, as well as to tone the uterus during pregnancy and to facilitate delivery. Pharmacological studies have further shown that members of the Rhoicissus genus display antidiabetic, uterotonic, ascaricidal, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. They are linked to the presence of bioactive compounds isolated from the genus. Hence, Rhoicissus species can potentially be an alternative therapeutic strategy to treat diseases and develop safer and more potent drugs to combat diseases. Plant species of this genus have valuable medicinal benefits due to their significant pharmacological potential. However, scientific investigation and information of the therapeutic potential of Rhoicissus remain limited as most of the species in the genus have not been fully exploited. Therefore, there is a need for further investigations to exploit the therapeutic potential of the genus Rhoicissus. Future studies should evaluate the phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological activities, as well as the mode of action, of Rhoicissus crude extracts and secondary compounds isolated from the species.     

我国大戟二萜酯及其生理活性研究新进展

介绍了我国近１０年来从大戟属植物中发现的二萜酯类新化合物及它们的刺激性，抗癌活性和杀菌作用等生理活性的研究，其中包括５种新发现碳骨架的２０个高氧化型二萜多酯类化合物。     

Interspecific Variation in the Repair of UV Damaged DNA in the Genus Xiphophorus as a Factor in the Decline of the Rio Grande Platyfish

The fish genus Xiphophorus consists of 26 species distributed along the eastern slopes of mountain ranges extending from northern Mexico to Belize and Nicaragua. We analyzed light‐dependent repair of UV‐induced DNA damage in at least two species from each of the four monophyletic Xiphophorus groups. We found that the northern platyfish had significantly reduced photoenzymatic repair compared to the other three groups, including the northern swordtails, southern platyfish and southern swordtails. All of the species of the northern platyfish, including the Marbled (meyeri), Northern (gordoni) and Monterrey Platyfish (couchianus) are the northernmost species in the genus and are the only three species in the genus that are currently found on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Satellite data from the past 30 years (1979–2008) correlate greater increases in shorter wavelength UVB with higher latitudes within the Xiphophorus range. We suggest that, combined with other consequences of human population growth, anthropogenic deozonation resulting in a disproportionate increase in UVB in temperate latitudes may be a contributing factor in the decline and extirpation of the northern platyfish.     

中国大戟属植物中二萜成分的化学及生物活性

大约有80种大戟属植物广泛分布于我国,并在民间用来治疗皮肤病、水肿、结核或作为泻药和利尿剂使用.本文综述了近20年来中国产大戟属植物中14个骨架类型共150多个二萜类成分的化学研究,包括最近报道的4个具有新骨架的二萜和2个二聚体.中国产大戟属植物中的一些二萜类成分具有抗肿瘤、抗病毒、促进神经生长因子增长、皮肤刺激、致癌以及镇痛安神的活性.本文还就大戟属中二萜类成分可能的生源代谢途径提出了假设,并对该属未来的研究进行了展望.     

Phytochemistry,Medicinal Properties,Bioactive Compounds,and Therapeutic Potential of the Genus Eremophila (Scrophulariaceae)

The genus Eremophila (family Scrophulariaceae) consists of approximately 200 species that are widely distributed in the semi-arid and arid regions of Australia. Multiple Eremophila spp. are used as traditional medicines by the First Australians in the areas in which they grow. They are used for their antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and cardiac properties. Many species of this genus are beneficial against several diseases and ailments. The antibacterial properties of the genus have been relatively well studied, with several important compounds identified and their mechanisms studied. In particular, Eremophila spp. are rich in terpenoids, and the antimicrobial bioactivities of many of these compounds have already been confirmed. The therapeutic properties of Eremophila spp. preparations and purified compounds have received substantially less attention, and much study is required to validate the traditional uses and to highlight species that warrant further investigation as drug leads. The aim of this study is to review and summarise the research into the medicinal properties, therapeutic mechanisms, and phytochemistry of Eremophila spp., with the aim of focussing future studies into the therapeutic potential of this important genus.     

Chemical and pharmacological aspects of the genus Cecropia

The Cecropia genus consists of about 60 species distributed throughout Latin America, mostly in Brazil. These species are widely used in traditional medicine to treat cough, asthma, bronchitis, high blood pressure, inflammation, heart disease, and as a diuretic. In recent years, there has been an increase in research on Cecropia species, with several phytochemical and pharmacological reports. Concerning its chemical composition, C-glycosylflavonoids and proanthocyanidins have been described as the main constituents of C. glaziovii, C. hololeuca and C. pachystachya, while terpenoids and steroids have been reported in several species, including C. adenopus and C. pachystachya. Among the pharmacological properties described for the genus, the most frequently reported are hypoglycemic activity for C. obtusifolia and C. peltata, and hypotensive and central nervous system activity for C. glaziovii. The present review compiles the information available on this genus because of its ethnopharmacological relevance and the potential therapeutic uses of these species.     

Plants of the Genus Zingiber: A Review of Their Ethnomedicine,Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

Plant of the genus Zingiber (Zingiberaceae) have primarily distributed in subtropical and tropical Asia, South America and Africa. The species of this genus have been widely used as food and in folk with a long history for treating various diseases. Reports related to the phytochemistry and phytochemistry of Zingiber species are numerous, but articles on the summary of the genus Zingiber remain scarce. This review aims at presenting comprehensive information about the genus Zingiber and providing a reference for the future application by systematically reviewing the literature from 1981 to 2020. Currently, a total of 447 phytochemical constituents have been isolated and identified from this genus, in which volatile oils, diarylheptanoids, gingerols, flavonoids and terpenoids are the major components. Gingerols, which are the main functional components, are the spicy and aromatic ingredients in the Zingiber species. Extracts and single compounds from Zingiber plants have been discovered to possess numerous biological functions, such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, larvicidal, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities. This review provides new insights into the ethnomedicine, phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Zingiber and brings to the forefront key findings on the functional components of this genus in food and pharmaceutical industries.     

Chemical Compounds and Biologic Activities: A Review of Cedrela Genus

The genus Cedrela P. Browne, which belongs to the Meliaceae family, has eighteen species. Trees of this genus are of economic interest due to wood quality, as well as being the focus of studies because of relevant biologic activities as in other Meliaceae species. These activities are mainly related to limonoids, a characteristic class of compounds in this family. Therefore, the aim of this review is to perform a survey of the citations in the literature on the Cedrela genus species. Articles were found on quantitative and qualitative phytochemical studies of the Cedrela species, revealing the chemical compounds identified, such as aliphatics acid and alcohol, flavonoids, tocopherol, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, cycloartanes, steroids, and limonoids. Although some activities were tested, the majority of studies focused on the insecticidal, antifeedant, or insect growth inhibitor activities of this genus. Nonetheless, the most promising activities were related to their antimalarial and antitripanocidal effects, although further investigations are still needed.     

Two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography with adsorbent gradient as a method of chromatographic fingerprinting of furanocoumarins for distinguishing selected varieties and forms of Heracleum spp

There are a lot of taxonomic classifications of the genus Heracleum, and many authors indicate they need revision. Morphological identification is difficult to perform, as there are only few characteristic differences between each Heracleum species, varieties and forms. Furanocoumarins are characteristic compounds for the Apiaceae family, and they can be found in the whole genus in large quantities. Despite this fact, it is difficult to use the furanocoumarin profiles of plants, for their discrimination, as furanocoumarins are difficult to separate, due to their similar chemical structures and physicochemical properties. In this paper, a new, simple method is proposed for the discrimination of selected species, varieties and forms of the genus Heracleum. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with an adsorbent gradient (unmodified silica gel+octadecylsilica wettable with water) enables complete separation of the structural analogues. The proposed method gives the possibility to distinguish selected species, varieties and forms of the Heracleum genus, as they produce distinctive furanocoumarin fingerprints. The method is characterised by high specificity, precision, reproducibility and stability values. It is for the first time that graft TLC is used for constructing fingerprints of herbs. The complete separation of ten structural analogues, by combining gradient TLC with the unidimensional multiple development technique, has not been reported yet.     

RP-HPLC analysis of phenolic acids of selected Central European Carex L. (Cyperaceae) species and its implication for taxonomy

Eighteen species belonging to the Carex genus were checked for the presence and the amount of eight phenolic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, caffeic, syringic, protocatechuic, p-coumaric, sinapic, and ferulic) by means of HPLC. Both the free and bonded phenolic acids were analyzed. The majority of the analyzed acids occurred in the studied species in relatively high amounts. The highest concentrations found were caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid, for which the detected levels were negatively correlated. A very interesting feature was the occurrence of sinapic acid, a compound very rarely detected in plant tissues. Its distribution across the analyzed set of species can be hypothetically connected with the humidity of plants' habitats. Several attempted tests of aggregative cluster analysis showed no similarity to the real taxonomical structure of the genus Carex. Thus, the phenolic acids' composition cannot be considered as the major taxonomical feature for the genus Carex.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis for the characterization of triterpenoids from Ganoderma

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of triterpenoids from Ganoderma is developed and validated in an attempt to explore a way to differentiate a number of species of the genus Ganoderma. Results show that 64 samples examined in this study could be divided into 18 groups based on characteristics of the HPLC pattern of triterpenoids. This result also conforms with those of the morphological examination and the interfertility test by di-monokaryotic mating. The HPLC analysis of triterpenoids further reveals that differentiation among samples from three different regions each of the two species G. lucidum and G. tsugae is workable. Even then, an incorrect designation is found for two of the groups of samples that were originally classified as G. resinaceum but showed different morphological characteristics and mating incompatibility. In conclusion, an HPLC analysis of triterpenoids is a simple and easy way to differentiate among different species of the genus Ganoderma.     

The Biodiversity of the Genus Dictyota: Phytochemical and Pharmacological Natural Products Prospectives

Although a broad variety of classes of bioactive compounds have already been isolated from seaweeds of the genus Dictyota, most different species are still chemically and biologically unexplored. Dictyota species are well-known brown seaweeds belonging to the Dictyotaceae (Phaeophyta). The phytochemical composition within the genus Dictyota has recently received considerable interest, and a vast array of components, including diterpenes, sesquiterepenes, sterols, amino acids, as well as saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, have been characterized. The contribution of these valued metabolites to the biological potential, which includes anti-proliferative, anti-microbial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyperpigmentation activities, of the genus Dictyota has also been explored. Therefore, this is the most comprehensive review, focusing on the published literature relevant to the chemically and pharmacologically diverse biopharmaceuticals isolated from different species of the genus Dictyota during the period from 1976 to now.     

Ethnobotanical,Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activity of Onosma (Boraginaceae): An Updated Review

The genus Onosma belongs to the Boraginaceae family and contains over 230 species. The present review sheds light on the ethnopharmacology, phytoconstituents, bioactivity, and toxicology of the Onosma species from previous investigations. Furthermore, the paper also highlights the unresolved issues for the future investigations. The review included previous studies of the genus Onosma available from Google Scholar and Baidu Scholar, Science Direct, SciFinder, Wiley Online Library, and Web of Science. Until now, more than 200 chemical compounds have been detected from the genus Onosma, including naphthoquinone (33), flavonoids (30), hydrocarbon (23), phenolic (22), ester (17), alkaloids (20), aromatics (12), carboxylic acid (11), fatty acids (9), terpenoids (10), while the most important ones are rosmarinic, ferulic, protocatechuic, chlorogenic, caffeic, p-coumaric acids, and apigenin. The Onosma species are reported as traditional medicine for wound healing, heart disease, and kidney disorders, while the pharmacological investigations revealed that the extracts and the phytochemicals of Onosma species have different therapeutic properties including antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial actions. The summarized knowledge in this review provides valuable ideas for the current and future drug discovery and a motivation for further investigation on the genus Onosma.     

The Genus Miconia Ruiz & Pav. (Melastomataceae): Ethnomedicinal Uses,Pharmacology, and Phytochemistry

Species of the genus Miconia are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diseases, such as pain, throat infections, fever, and cold, and they used as depuratives, diuretics, and sedatives. This work reviewed studies carried out with Miconia species, highlighting its ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological and phytochemical potential. This information was collected in the main platforms of scientific research (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). Our findings show that some of the traditional uses of Miconia are corroborated by biological and/or pharmacological assays, which demonstrated, among other properties, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimutagenic, antiparasitic, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities. A total of 148 chemical compounds were identified in Miconia species, with phenolic compounds being the main constituents found in the species of this genus. Such phytochemical investigations have demonstrated the potential of species belonging to this genus as a source of bioactive substances, thus reinforcing their medicinal and pharmacological importance.     

人参属中药腐解化感作用研究进展

人参、西洋参和三七为人参属近缘物种,形态和化学成分相似,均具有连作障碍的特性。人参属中药连作后,土壤环境逐渐变得不适宜其生长,植株长势变弱易患病,导致生长发育受到抑制,出现严重的根腐病、须根脱落,甚至植株死亡现象。而造成人参属连作障碍的主要原因之一是化感物质的自毒作用,人参残体降解物作为人参化感物质主要来源之一,会导致种子发芽率下降,种苗死亡率升高、根腐病等病害加重,最终造成连作障碍。在人参属中药连作过程中,通过化感物质与土壤交流,也会直接或间接影响土壤理化性质的变化。对人参属中药腐解化感作用的研究进展以及腐解对土壤成分的影响进行综述,以期为人参属中药腐解化感作用及土壤利用的相关研究提供借鉴。     

新疆蓝刺头中一个新的过氧环状化合物

从新疆蓝刺头中分离出一个新的含六元过氧环的二联噻吩类化合物(3R,4R,5S)-3-[(2,2′-bithiophen)-5-yl]-1,2-dioxane-4,5-diol, 命名为Echinobithiophene A(1). 通过2D NMR谱、旋光和13C NMR谱等计算方法确定该化合物的绝对构型为3R, 4R, 5S. 活性测试结果表明,  该化合物对S.  aureus ATCC2592, E. coli ATCC25922和C. albicans ATCC2002等3种菌株具有较强的抗菌活性, 其最小抑菌浓度(MIC)值分别为75, 37.5和75 μg/mL.     

Terpenoids of Aristolochia and their biological activities

Aristolochia is an important genus widely used in traditional medicine. During the past two decades, this genus has attracted much interest and has been the subject of numerous chemical and pharmacological studies. It is a rich source of aristolochic acids, which are unique to this genus, and of terpenoids. The nature of these terpenoids are reviewed in this article together with some bioactivity data in an effort to highlight the rapid development in the field of phytochemistry of the Aristolochia species.     

Structure,Bioactivity and Analytical Methods for the Determination of Yucca Saponins

Yucca is one of the main sources of steroidal saponins, hence different extracts are commercialized for use as surfactant additives by beverage, animal feed, cosmetics or agricultural products. For a deeper understanding of the potential of the saponins that can be found in this genus, an exhaustive review of the structural characteristics, bioactivities and analytical methods that can be used with these compounds has been carried out, since there are no recent reviews on the matter. Thus, a total of 108 saponins from eight species of the genus Yucca have been described. Out of these, the bioactivity of 68 saponins derived from the isolation of Yucca or other genera has been evaluated. Regarding the evaluation and quality control of the saponins from this genus LC-MS technique is the most often used. Nevertheless, the development of methods for their routine analysis in commercial preparations are needed. Moreover, most of the studies found in the literature have been carried out on Y. schidigera extract, since is the most often used for commercial purposes. Only eight of the 50 species that belong to this genus have been studied, which clearly indicates that the identification of saponins present in Yucca genus is still an unresolved question.