https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticlePDF/2016/NP/C6NP00021E

Recent advances in research on lignans and neolignans

Unpredicted human safety events in clinical trials for new drugs are costly in terms of human health and money. The drug discovery industry attempts to minimize those events with diligent preclinical safety testing. Current standard practices are good at preventing toxic compounds from being tested in the clinic; however, false negative preclinical toxicity results are still a reality. Continual improvement must be pursued in the preclinical realm. Higher-quality therapies can be brought forward with more information about potential toxicities and associated mechanisms. The zebrafish model is a bridge between in vitro assays and mammalian in vivo studies. This model is powerful in its breadth of application and tractability for research. In the past two decades, our understanding of disease biology and drug toxicity has grown significantly owing to thousands of studies on this tiny vertebrate. This Review summarizes challenges and strengths of the model, discusses the 3Rs value that it can deliver, highlights translatable and untranslatable biology, and brings together reports from recent studies with zebrafish focusing on new drug discovery toxicology.

Use of Zebrafish in Drug Discovery Toxicology

Pogostemon cablin Benth. (patchouli) is an important herb which possesses many therapeutic properties and is widely used in the fragrance industries. In traditional medicinal practices, it is used to treat colds, headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, insect and snake bites. In aromatherapy, patchouli oil is used to relieve depression, stress, calm nerves, control appetite and to improve sexual interest. Till now more than 140 compounds, including terpenoids, phytosterols, flavonoids, organic acids, lignins, alkaloids, glycosides, alcohols, aldehydes have been isolated and identified from patchouli. The main phytochemical compounds are patchouli alcohol, α-patchoulene, β-patchoulene, α-bulnesene, seychellene, norpatchoulenol, pogostone, eugenol and pogostol. Modern studies have revealed several biological activities such as antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, antithrombotic, aphrodisiac, antidepressant, antimutagenic, antiemetic, fibrinolytic and cytotoxic activities. However, some of the traditional uses need to be verified and may require standardizing and authenticating the bioactivity of purified compounds through scientific methods. The aim of the present review is to provide comprehensive knowledge on the phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of essential oil and different plant extracts of patchouli based on the available scientific literature. This information will provide a potential guide in exploring the use of main active compounds of patchouli in various medical fields.

A Comprehensive Review on the Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Pogostemon cablin Benth.: An Aromatic Medicinal Plant of Industrial Importance

A review on phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the processed lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux.

Bletilla striata: Medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities.

The herb and fruits of Leonurus japonicus Houtt, named "Yimucao" and "Chongweizi", respectively, in Chinese, have been widely used in China as gynecological medicines The components of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation were investigated by GC-MS The antibacterial activity of the essential oils was determined by micro-dilution assay The results showed large variations in the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the oils The oil of "Yimucao" showed antibacterial activity against various Gram-positive bacteria and consisted mainly of sesquiterpenes and diterpenes, with phytone, phytol, caryophyllene oxide and β-caryophyllene being the most significant constituents, whereas the oil of "Chongweizi", mainly made up of bornyl acetate and aliphatic hydrocarbons, was inactive in the antibacterial assay Further study of the main compounds in "Yimucao oil" showed that β-caryophyllene had wide-spectrum activity against Gram-positive bacteria

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/18/1/963/pdf

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils from Different Parts of Leonurus japonicus Houtt.

Pharmacodynamic action and mechanism of volatile oil from Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong Hort. on treating headache

Two new alkaloids, aconicarmine (1) and aconicaramide (5), were isolated from the EtOH extract of the lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaelii, together with five known compounds: fuziline (2), neoline (3), N-ethylhokbusine B (4), 5-hydroxymethylpyrrole-2-carbaldehyde (6), and oleracein E (7). Their structures were elucidated by physical and NMR analysis. Pyrrole alkaloids were isolated from A. carmichaelii for the first time. In the in vitro assays, compounds 2 and 3 showed activity against pentobarbital sodiuminduced cardiomyocytes damage by obviously recovering beating rhythm and increasing the cell viability, while compounds 5 and 7 showed moderate antibacterial activity.

/pdf/alkaloids-isolated-from-the-lateral-root-of-aconitum-19c49r0yxs.pdf

Alkaloids Isolated from the Lateral Root of Aconitum carmichaelii

Two new sesquiterpenoids, (−)-(1S*,2S*,3R*)-3-ethoxycupar-5-ene-1,2-diol (1) and (−)-(1S*,4S*,9S*)-1,9-epoxybisabola-2,10-diene-4-ol (2), along with six known compounds 3−8, were isolated from the EtOH extract of the herb of Leonurus japonicus. Their structures were elucidated by physical and spectroscopic analysis. In the in vitro assays, compounds 7 and 8 showed obvious antibacterial activity against several bacteria strains, while compound 3 significantly inhibited abnormal increase of platelet aggregation induced by ADP.

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/18/5/5051/pdf

Li Guo

Papers

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils from Different Parts of Leonurus japonicus Houtt.

Pharmacodynamic action and mechanism of volatile oil from Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong Hort. on treating headache

Alkaloids Isolated from the Lateral Root of Aconitum carmichaelii

Sesquiterpenoids from the Herb of Leonurus japonicus

Angiogenic effect of motherwort (Leonurus japonicus) alkaloids and toxicity of motherwort essential oil on zebrafish embryos.