Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detection for the analysis of triacylglycerols in Borago officinalis

An optimized 2-D liquid chromatography (LC×LC) set-up, based on the different selectivities of a silver ion (Ag) and a non-aqueous reversed phase (NARP), employed in the first (D1) and the second dimension (D2), respectively, in combination with evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD), has been developed for the analysis of the triacylglycerol (TAG) fraction in a Borago officinalis oil. The 2-D set-up, thanks to the complementary separation selectivity provided by the two columns, allowed to distribute 78 TAGs throughout the 2-D LC retention plane otherwise unachievable by 1-D LC.     

A new lignan glycoside from the aerial parts and cytotoxic investigation of Uvaria rufa

Chemical investigation of the aerial parts of Uvaria rufa (Dunal) Blume collected from Vietnam yielded one new lignan glycoside, ufaside (1), along with six known compounds, oxoanolobine (2), ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (3), catechin (4), epicatechin (5), daucosterol (6) and glutin-5-en-3-one (7). Their chemical structures were determined by using NMR, HR-MS spectroscopic analyses and in comparison with the reported data. A cytotoxic analysis of U. rufa herb extracts was performed for the first time using nine human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, LNCaP, MKN7, SW480, KB, LU-1, HepG2 and HL-60) derived from different tumour types. Of these seven constituents, compounds 2 and 3 displayed moderate cytotoxicity against the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (LU-1) with IC₅₀ values of 9.22 ± 1.02 μg/mL and 10.21 ± 1.16 μg/mL, respectively.     

A rapid and highly specific method to evaluate the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Borago officinalis seed oil

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are complex molecules, present in plants as free bases and N‐oxides. They are known for their hepatotoxicity, and consequently there is a health risk associated with the use of medicinal herbs that contain PAs. Unfortunately, there is no international regulation of PAs in foods, unlike those for herbs and medicines: in particular, for herbal preparation or herbal extracts, the total PA content must not exceed 1 µg/kg or 1 µg/l, respectively. Borago officinalis seed oil is a source of γ‐linolenic acid, and its use is increased in both pharmaceutical and health food industries. Even if studies based on gas chromatography and TLC methods showed that PAs are not co‐extracted with oil, the development of a rapid and sensitive method able to evaluate the presence of PAs in commercially available products is surely of interest. The presence of PAs in a commercially available Borago officinalis seed oil was tested either in the oil sample diluted with tetrahydrofuran/methanol (MeOH)/H₂O (85/10/5 v:v:v) or after extraction with MeOH/H₂O (50/50 v:v) solution The samples were analysed by electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and in high mass resolution (60 000) conditions. In both cases to evaluate the effectiveness of the method, spiking experiments were performed adding known amount of two PA standards to the borage seed oil. A limit of detection in the order of 200 ppt was determined for these two compounds, strongly analogous to Borago officinalis seed oil PAs. Consequently, if present, PAs level in Borago officinalis seed oil must lower than 200 ppt. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New lignan from the rattan stems of Schisandra chinensis

A new lignan named schilignan F (1), together with twelve known ones (2–13), were isolated from the rattan stems of Schisandra chinensis. Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including one and two-dimensional NMR spectra referring to the literatures as well as high-resolution mass spectrometric analysis. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against human Hela cancer cell lines in vitro. The results showed that compounds 2, 6 and 8 exhibited weak cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values of 30.6, 86.3 and 41.0 μM, and cisplatin showed cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ value of 27.3 μM.     

A new isoflavane-4-ol derivative from Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pall.

A new isoflavane derivative, melilofficinaside together with seven other metabolites including coumarin, uridine, methyl-α-d-fructofuranoside, and flavonoid glucosides were isolated from the aerial parts of Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pall.     

A new furofuran lignan from Piper terminaliflorum Tseng

The chemical investigation of whole plants Piper terminaliflorum Tseng led to the isolation of one new furofuran lignan, 7-methoxyasarinin (1), along with three known amide alkaloids (2–4) as N-3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxycinnamoylpyrrole (2), dihydropipercide (3) and 1-[(2E,4E,9E)-10-(3,4-Methylenedioxyphenyl)-2,4,9-undecatrienoyl]pyrrolidine (4). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D, 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS, and by comparison with the literature. Compounds (2–4) were isolated from Piper terminaliflorum Tseng for the first time. All isolated compounds (1–4) were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against five human cancer cell lines (including A-549, SMMC-7721, HL-60, MCF-7 and SW-480).     

New cytotoxic lignan glycosides from Phyllanthus glaucus

During the process of exploring bioactive lead compounds from Phyllanthus species, two new glycosides including an arylnaphthalene lignan, diphyllin 4-O-α-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-l-arabinopyranoside (1), and a phenolic compound, 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl alcohol 7-O-α-l-arabinofuranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), were isolated from the methanol extract of the whole plants of Phyllanthus glaucus Wall. ex Müll. Arg. In addition, 31 known compounds, including 19 lignan derivatives (3–21), four phenylpropanoids (22–25), seven simple phenolics (26–32) and one monoterpenoid (33) were obtained. Their structures were determined on the basis of the HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, and pre-column derivative/chiral HPLC analysis in case of 1 for the absolute configurations. All these compounds were obtained from P. glaucus for the first time. Moreover, the known lignan glycoside, phyllanthusmin C (5) showed in vitro cytotoxicities against HL-60, MCF-7 and SW480 cells with IC₅₀ values of 9.2 ± 0.2, 19.2 ± 1.7 and 20.5 ± 0.9, respectively.     

Two new triterpenoids from Nauclea officinalis

Two new triterpenoids and three 27-nor-triterpenoids were isolated from the stems (with bark) of Nauclea officinalis. Their structures were identified to be 2β,3β,19α,23-tetrahydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (1), 2β,3β,19α,23-tetrahydroxy-urs-12-en-28-O-[β-d-glucopyranosyl (1-2)-β-d-glucopyranosyl] ester (2), pyrocincholic acid 3β-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (3), pyrocincholic acid 3β-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosy1-28-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (4), pyrocincholic acid 3β-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosy1-28-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (5) by spectroscopic methods including 1D, 2D NMR and HR-MS analyses. The cytotoxic activity of 1–5 against lung cancer A-549 cells was also investigated.     

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Borago officinalis L. leaf extract growing in Algeria

The aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of borage (Borago officinalis) leaves from Annaba region (Algeria) were preliminary analyzed for their phenolic profile (total phenolics, total flavonoids, total flavonols, total tannins and total anthocyanins). These extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant properties by different methods such as DPPH radical scavenging, test NBT and total antioxidant activity. The two extracts have exhibited a high antiradical capacity. Indeed, the ethanolic extract showed the lower IC50 values and the highest amount of phenolics (94.09 ± 1.72 mg gallic acid/g dry extract). Using LC-MS/MS analysis, it was possible to identify phenolic acids, flavonoids, sterol and for the first time oleuropein was identified in the aqueous extract of the plant. The obtained results have demonstrated that phenolic compounds are the major contributor to the antioxidant activity of plants.     

Two new phenylpropanoid glycosides from Sanguisorba officinalis

Two new phenylpropanoid glycosides,9-O-[6-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-4-hydroxycinnamic acid(1) and 8-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl -(R)-(+)-3,4,8-trihydroxy methyl phenylpropionate(2) were isolated from the 80%EtOH extract of the roots of Sanguisorba officinalis.Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic analysis and chemical method,including 1D NMR,2D NMR,and HR-ESI-MS.Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited the moderate antimicrobial activities against all Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested.     

A new cadinane sesquiterpenoid glucoside with cytotoxicity from Abelmoschus sagittifolius

A new cadinane sesquiterpenoid glucoside, 2β,7,3-trihydroxycalamenene 3-O-β-d-glucoside (1) together with six known compounds, N-(p-trans-coumaroyl)-N-methyl tyramine (2), Cleomiscosin A (3), 9,12,13-trihydroxy-10,15-heptadecadienoic acid (4), Cytochalasin B (5), Marmesinin (6) and N-(p-trans-coumaroyl) tyramine (7) were obtained from the stem bark of Abelmoschus sagittifolius. The new structure of compound 1 was elucidated by analysing its ¹H and ¹³C-NMR, ¹H-¹H COSY, HSQC, HMBC, NOESY and HR-ESI-MS spectra. Compounds 1–7 showed moderate cytotoxicity against Hela and HepG-2 human cancer cell lines.     

Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of naphthofuranquinones from the twigs of tropical mangrove Avicennia officinalis

Abstract

Mangrove plants are endowed with various biologically active compounds which have potent antibacterial and antioxidant properties. In present study, a bioactivity-guided fractionation for antibacterial and antioxidant active metabolites from the twigs of Avicennia officinalis collected from Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Selangor, Malaysia gave 13 major fractions. The antibacterial activity of A. officinalis fractions using well-diffusion showed strong selectivity on the Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus and Bacillus subtilis) with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values of 0.156-5.00?mg/mL. However, no antibacterial activities were observed on the Gram-negative bacteria (Vibrio cholera, Enterobacter cloacae and Escherichia coli). The active antibacterial fractions were further isolated using several chromatographic techniques to give two naphthofuranquinones, namely, avicenol C (1) and stenocarpoquinone B (2). Meanwhile, the antioxidant activity of A. officinalis fractions were evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging assay exhibited low antioxidant activities. Molecular structure of the naphthofuranquinones was elucidated using 1?D and 2?D NMR spectroscopy.     

A new 5-alkylresorcinol glucoside derivative from Cybianthus magnus

One new 5-alkylresorcinol glucoside (1) was isolated from leaves of Cybianthus magnus, along with 12 known compounds, isolated from four plants belonging to Myrsinaceae family (2, 3 isolated from C. magnus; 4–7, 10 and 11 isolated from Myrsine latifolia; 4, 8 and 9 isolated from Myrsine sessiflora; 6, 7, 10, 12 and 13 isolated from Myrsine congesta). Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of their spectral data with those reported in the literature. So far, only nine 5-alkylresorcinol glucosides were isolated from leaves of Grevillea robusta. Since resorcinols are known to exhibit strong cytotoxic activity, compounds 1 and 2 were tested against cell lines 3T3, H460, DU145 and MCF-7 for cytotoxicity in vitro and compounds 3–13 were tested for their antileishmanial activity. Compound 2 displayed a strong cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 22 and 100 μM for all tested cell lines. Compounds 3–13 were not active against Leishmania amazonensis amastigotes.     

Structure elucidation and NMR spectral assignments of three new lignan glycosides from Akebia trifoliata

Three new lignan glycosides (1-3) were isolated from the stems of Akebia trifoliata. Their structures were elucidated as (7R,8R,7'R,8'R)3,3',5,5'tetramethoxy-4,4'dihydroxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxylignan-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), (7S,8S,8'R)-4,4',9-trihydroxy-3,3',5,5'-tetramethoxy-7,9'-epoxylignan-7'-one 9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), (7R,8R,8'S)-4,4',9-trihydroxy3,3',5,5'-tetramethoxy-7,9'-epoxylignan-7'-one 9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3) by spectral analyses, primarily NMR, MS and CD. The NMR assignments for the compounds were carried out using 1H, 13C, DEPT, COSY, HSQC, HMBC and ROESY NMR experiments.     

A new triterpenoid saponin and a diterpene glucoside from the seeds of Orychophragmus violaceus

One new triterpenoid saponin orychoside A (1) and one new diterpene glucoside orychoside B (12), together with eleven known compounds, were isolated from the seeds of Orychophragmus violaceus. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. The known compounds were identified by comparison with data reported in the literature. All compounds were tested for their cytotoxic activities against the HepG2 and A549 cell lines in vitro. The new compound 1 exhibited potent cytotoxicity against the two cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 7.13 and 8.77 μM, respectively. Compounds 2, 5, 8 and 9 were found to possess obvious cytotoxicity.     

Melissa officinalis L. Aqueous Extract Exerts Antioxidant and Antiangiogenic Effects and Improves Physiological Skin Parameters

Melissa officinalis (MO) is a medicinal plant well-known for its multiple pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer and beneficial effects on skin recovery. In this context, the present study was aimed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo safety profile of an MO aqueous extract by assessing cell viability on normal (HaCaT—human keratinocytes) and tumor (A375—human melanoma) cells and its impact on physiological skin parameters by a non-invasive method. In addition, the antioxidant activity and the antiangiogenic potential of the extract were verified. A selective cytotoxic effect was noted in A375 cells, while no toxicity was noticed in healthy cells. The MO aqueous extract safety profile after topical application was investigated on SKH-1 mice, and an enhanced skin hydration and decreased erythema and transepidermal water loss levels were observed. The in ovo CAM assay, performed to investigate the potential modulating effect on the angiogenesis process and the blood vessels impact, indicated that at concentrations of 100 and 500 µg/mL, MO aqueous extract induced a reduction of thin capillaries. No signs of vascular toxicity were recorded at concentrations as high as 1000 μg/mL. The aqueous extract of MO leaves can be considered a promising candidate for skin disorders with impaired physiological skin parameters.     

A new heterocyclic compound from Cyathula officinalis Kuan

<正>A new heterocyclic compound,named 5,5'-diisobutoxy-2,2'-bifuran(1),and four known compounds(2-5) were isolated from the roots of Cyathula officinalis Kuan.Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods.Among these compounds,5,5'- dibutoxy-2,2'-bifuran(2) was isolated for the first time from this plant.     

Determination of Triterpenoids and Phenolic Acids from Sanguisorba officinalis L. by HPLC-ELSD and Its Application

A novel analytical method involving high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) was developed for simultaneous determination of 11 phenolic acids and 12 triterpenes in Sanguisorba officinalis L. Chromatographic separation was conducted with gradient elution mode by using a Diamonsil^TM C₁₈ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with the mobile phase of 0.1% acetic acid water (A) and methanol (B). The drift tube temperature of ELSD was set at 70 °C and the nitrogen cumulative flow rate was 1.6 L/min. The method was fully validated to be linear over a wide concentration range (R² ≥ 0.9991). The precisions (RSD) were less than 3.0% and the recoveries were between 97.7% and 101.4% for all compounds. The results indicated that this method is accurate and effective for the determination of 23 functional components in Sanguisorba officinalis L. and could also be successfully applied to study the influence of processing method on those functional components in Sanguisorba officinalis L.     

Chemical and Antimicrobial Characterization of Mentha piperita L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oils and In Vitro Potential Cytotoxic Effect in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells

Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed forms of cancer, and the therapeutic solutions are frequently aggressive requiring improvements. Essential oils (EOs) are secondary metabolites of aromatic plants with important pharmacological properties that proved to be beneficial in multiple pathologies including cancer. Mentha piperita L. (M_EO) and Rosmarinus officinalis L. (R_EO) essential oils are well-known for their biological effects (antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic in different cancer cells), but their potential as complementary treatment in colorectal cancer is underexplored. The aim of the present study was to investigate the M_EO and R_EO in terms of chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic effects in a colorectal cancer cell line—HCT 116. The gas-chromatographic analysis revealed menthone and menthol, and eucalyptol, α-pinene and L-camphor as major compounds in M_EO and R_EO respectively. M_EO exhibited potent antimicrobial activity, moderate antioxidant activity and a low cytotoxic effect in HCT 116 cells. R_EO presented a significant cytotoxicity in colorectal cancer cells and a low antimicrobial effect. The cytotoxic effect on non-cancerous cell line HaCaT was not significant for both essential oils. These results may provide an experimental basis for further research concerning the potential use of M_EO and R_EO for anticancer treatment.     

A new secoiridoid glycoside from the fruits of Cornus officinalis (Cornaceae)

A new secoiridoid glycoside, 7β-O-dimethyl butanedioate morroniside (1) was isolated from the fruits of Cornus officinalis (Cornaceae) along with the known compound, caffeoyltartaric acid dimethyl ester (2) which was isolated from the family Cornaceae for the first time. Their structures were elucidated by physical and spectroscopic data analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, ESI-MS and CD experiments.