Flavonoids are nearly ubiquitous in plants and are recognized as the pigments responsible for the colors of leaves, especially in autumn. They are rich in seeds, citrus fruits, olive oil, tea, and red wine. They are low molecular weight compounds composed of a three-ring structure with various substitutions. This basic structure is shared by tocopherols (vitamin E). Flavonoids can be subdivided according to the presence of an oxy group at position 4, a double bond between carbon atoms 2 and 3, or a hydroxyl group in position 3 of the C (middle) ring. These characteristics appear to also be required for best activity, especially antioxidant and antiproliferative, in the systems studied. The particular hydroxylation pattern of the B ring of the flavonoles increases their activities, especially in inhibition of mast cell secretion. Certain plants and spices containing flavonoids have been used for thousands of years in traditional Eastern medicine. In spite of the voluminous literature available, however, Western medicine has not yet used flavonoids therapeutically, even though their safety record is exceptional. Suggestions are made where such possibilities may be worth pursuing.

The Effects of Plant Flavonoids on Mammalian Cells:Implications for Inflammation, Heart Disease, and Cancer

Biological activities and distribution of plant saponins.

http://dbkgroup.org/Papers/davey_kell_micrev96.pdf

Flow cytometry and cell sorting of heterogeneous microbial populations: the importance of single-cell analyses.

Saponins, classification and occurrence in the plant kingdom

Morinda citrifolia L (Noni) has been used in folk remedies by Polynesians for over 2000 years, and is reported to have a broad range of therapeutic effects, including antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, antihelmin, analgesic, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, and immune enhancing effects. In order to reveal the nutritional and medicinal value of the Noni plant, and to summarize scientific evidence that supports the Polynesians' claim, a literature review and recent advances in Noni research is given below.

/pdf/morinda-citrifolia-noni-a-literature-review-and-recent-rmgvv1zei8.pdf

Morinda citrifolia (Noni): a literature review and recent advances in Noni research.

The aberrant hedgehog (Hh)/GLI signaling pathway causes the formation and progression of a variety of tumors To search for Hh/GLI inhibitors, we screened for naturally occurring inhibitors of the transcriptional activator GLI1 by using a cell-based assay We identified zerumbone (1), zerumbone epoxide (2), staurosporinone (9), 6-hydroxystaurosporinone (10), arcyriaflavin C (11) and 5,6-dihydroxyarcyriaflavin A (12) as inhibitors of GLI-mediated transcription In addition, we isolated physalins F (17) and B (18) from Physalis minima, which are also potent inhibitors These compounds also inhibited GLI2-mediated transactivation Semiquantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis further revealed that 1, 9, 17, and 18 decreased Hh-related component expressions We also show that inhibitors of GLI-mediated transactivation reduce the level of the antiapoptosis Bcl2 expression Finally, these identified compounds were cytotoxic to PANC1 pancreatic cancer cells, which express Hh/GLI components These results strongly suggest that the cytotoxicity of the compounds to PANC1 cells correlates with their inhibition of GLI-mediated transcription

Naturally occurring small-molecule inhibitors of hedgehog/GLI-mediated transcription.

Induction of normal phenotypes in ras-transformed cells by damnacanthal from Morinda citrifolia

In the course of screening for Ras function inhibitors, rocaglaol (1) and the related compounds, the known pyrimidinone (2) and the novel aglaiastatin (3), were isolated from a CHCI3 extract of the leaves of Aglaia odorata. The structure of 3 was elucidated as a novel cyclopentabenzofuran on the basis of its NMR spectroscopic data and by X-ray crystallographic analysis. These compounds (1-3) were potent inhibitors of the growth of K-ras-NRK cells, with IC50 values of 1-10 ng/mL, and induced normal morphology in K-ras-NRK cells at 10-30 ng/mL. They also specifically inhibited protein synthesis. Aglaiastatin (3) was slightly more potent than 1 and 2 in inhibiting cell growth. Aglaiastatin (3) reduced the amount of Ras, possibly by inhibiting its de novo synthesis.

Takashi Koyano

Papers

Naturally occurring small-molecule inhibitors of hedgehog/GLI-mediated transcription.

Induction of normal phenotypes in ras-transformed cells by damnacanthal from Morinda citrifolia

Cyclopentabenzofuran lignan protein synthesis inhibitors from Aglaia odorata.

Leishmanicidal alkaloids from Kopsia griffithii

Dihydroflavonol BB-1, an extract of natural plant Blumea balsamifera, abrogates TRAIL resistance in leukemia cells.