The genus Vitex, which belongs to the Verbenaceae family, includes approximately 250 species. Some species of the genus Vitex have traditionally been used for the treatment of headaches, ophthalmodynia, coughs, asthma, premenopausal syndrome, etc. Chemical investigations indicate that the characteristic constituents of the genus Vitex are terpenes, and 210 of these compounds, including monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, diterpenoids and triterpenoids, have been obtained from 12 species. Pharmacological studies had shown that these terpenes possess anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antibacterial, antioxidant activities, and so on. In this paper, the identity of these terpenes and their pharmacological effects are reviewed, which can provide references for further research regarding the chemistry and utilization of the Vitex species.

A Review on the Terpenes from Genus Vitex.

Acanthus ilicifolius var. xiamenensis (Acanthaceae) is an old world mangrove species and has long been used as a folk remedy for treating various ailments in traditional medicine. The nature source of A. ilicifolius var. xiamenensis is now in short supply because of the urban development and habitat destruction. To better utilize this resource, biodiversity and bioactivity of endophytic fungi isolated from A. ilicifolius var. xiamenensis were investigated. A total of 168 fungal isolates were cultured from leaves and stems of the mangrove plant collected in January (winter) and July (summer) 2014 at Kinmen County, Taiwan. Spent culture extract of 28 isolates were found to have bioactivities against one of the following pathogenic microorganisms: the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and the fungi Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. These positive extracts were mostly active against the Gram-positive bacteria and C. albicans. Corynespora cassiicola NTOU4889 and Xylaria sp. NTOU4900 inhibited growth of all 3 test bacteria whereas Phellinus noxius NTOU4917 inhibited both test fungi. A further anti-inflammatory study of culture extracts of these 28 isolates revealed that extracts with a high iNOS inhibition caused a low viability of cells, and those with a low iNOS inhibition had a high cell viability. Three extracts showed low cytotoxicity (i.e. > 100% cell viability) and high iNOS inhibition (< 15% of NO production) of cells and they were Phoma sp. 2 NTOU4338, Nodulisporium sp. NTOU4868 and Guignardia sp. NTOU4871. These results indicate that the endophytic fungi associated with A. ilicifolius var. xiamenensis can be a potential source of novel natural active substance.

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Antimicrobial and iNOS inhibitory activities of the endophytic fungi isolated from the mangrove plant Acanthus ilicifolius var. xiamenensis.

Abstract The genus Saussurea (Asteraceae) contains about 400 species distributed around Asia and Europe and used in the traditional medicines of many cultures. The main compounds isolated from Saussurea species are terpenoids, in particular, sesquiterpenoids are dominant. This review lists 404 chemical constituents as well as their biological activity (111 references).

Chemical constituents from the genus Saussurea and their biological activities

Fungal plasma membrane H+-ATPase inhibitory activity of o-hydroxybenzylated flavanones and chalcones from Uvaria chamae P. Beauv.

The present study was designed to evaluate and determine the phytochemical composition, antioxidant, anticancer and anticoagulant activities of the aqueous extracts of Acanthus ilicifolius roots and Lumnitzera racemosa leaves from Pichavaram mangrove forest, Tamil Nadu, India based on folklore knowledge. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of the following classes of bioactive compounds: phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, sterols, tannins, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, saponins and quinones. The total phenolic content was reported much higher as compared to the total flavonoid content mainly in the leaf extract of L.racemosa. This mostly contributes to the antioxidant power of the extracts, which is affirmed by the IC50 values of the crude extracts in the DPPH assay, which was lower than the ABTS assay. The FRAP assay also exhibited a consistent increase in reducing ability with increase in the concentration which is indicative of the extract’s antioxidant potential. The extracts were also reported to exhibit in vitro cytotoxicity and apoptosis inducing ability in Hep G2 cancer cells. And the anticoagulant study conducted provided a first hand report for the plants exhibiting the property. However, further studies must be conducted for secondary metabolite profiling to decipher and clarify the compound(s) responsible for the reported activities of the plant crude extracts.

The antioxidant, anticancer and anticoagulant activities of Acanthus ilicifolius L. roots and Lumnitzera racemosa Willd. leaves, from southeast coast of India. -

3-Oxotaraxer-14-en-30-al (1), a new taraxastane-type triterpene, together with 14 known compounds, taraxerone (2), 3-epiursolic acid (3), 2α,3β-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (4), lupeol (5), betulinic acid (6), casticin (7), artemetin (8), luteolin (9), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (10), docosanoic acid (11), tetracosanoic acid (12), cerotic acid (13), β-sitosterol (14), and β-daucosterol (15), was isolated from the leaves and twigs of Vitex trifolia var. simplicifolia . Compounds 2–6 were found for the first time in this plant. Their structures were established by spectroscopic analysis, including 2D-NMR techniques. Cytotoxic activities of compounds 3, and 5–10 were tested on the three cancer cell lines, PANC-1, K562, and BxPC-3. Results revealed that 7 exhibited cytotoxicity against PANC-1, K562, and BxPC-3, with IC50 values of 4.67, 0.72, and 4.01 μg/ml, respectively, whereas 8 was inactive against these cancer cell lines. The structureactivity relationship of compound 7 and 8 indicated that the 3′-OH group in polymethoxyflavonoids is essential for antitumor activity.

A New Taraxastane-Type Triterpene from Vitex trifolia var. simplicifolia

Chemical constituents from the roots of Acanthus ilicifolius var. xiamenensis

isolation, structure determination and cytotoxicity of the new taraxastane-type triterpene (I) and14 known compounds

A New Taraxastane‐Type Triterpene from Vitex trifolia var. simplicifolia

Chemical constituents from Saussurea licentiana Hand.-Mazz

In this review, we summarized the distribution of the chemically investigated Oceanapia sponges, including the isolation and biological activities of their secondary metabolites, covering the literature from the first report in 1989 to July 2019. There have been 110 compounds reported during this period, including 59 alkaloids, 33 lipids, 14 sterols and 4 miscellaneous compounds. Besides their unique structures, they exhibited promising bioactivities ranging from insecticidal to antibacterial. Their complex structural characteristics and diverse biological properties have attracted a great deal of attention from chemists and pharmaceuticals seeking to perform their applications in the treatment of disease.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/20/2/144/pdf?version=1645174351

Lin-Jing Zhong

Papers

A New Taraxastane-Type Triterpene from Vitex trifolia var. simplicifolia

Chemical constituents from the roots of Acanthus ilicifolius var. xiamenensis

A New Taraxastane‐Type Triterpene from Vitex trifolia var. simplicifolia

Chemical constituents from Saussurea licentiana Hand.-Mazz

Secondary Metabolites from Marine Sponges of the Genus Oceanapia: Chemistry and Biological Activities