Diterpenoids from Isodon species and their biological activities

Based on World Health Organization reports, resistance of bacteria to well-known antibiotics is a major global health challenge now and in the future. Different strategies have been proposed to tackle this problem including inhibition of multidrug resistance pumps and biofilm formation in bacteria and development of new antibiotics with novel mechanism of action. Flavonoids are a large class of natural compounds, have been extensively studied for their antibacterial activity, and more than 150 articles have been published on this topic since 2005. Over the past decade, some promising results were obtained with the antibacterial activity of flavonoids. In some cases, flavonoids (especially chalcones) showed up to sixfold stronger antibacterial activities than standard drugs in the market. Some synthetic derivatives of flavonoids also exhibited remarkable antibacterial activities with 20- to 80-fold more potent activity than the standard drug against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus). This review summarizes the ever changing information on antibacterial activity of flavonoids since 2005, with a special focus on the structure-activity relationship and mechanisms of actions of this broad class of natural compounds.

Antibacterial activity of flavonoids and their structure-activity relationship: An update review.

中国植物志/Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae

The phagocyte-microbe interactions in the immune system is a defense mechanism but when excessively or inappropriately deployed can harm host tissues and participate in the development of different non-immune and immune chronic inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune problems, allergies, some rheumatoid disorders, cancers and others. Immunodrugs include organic synthetics, biological agents such as cytokines and antibodies acting on single targets or pathways have been used to treat immune-related diseases but with limited success. Most of immunostimulants and immunosuppressants in clinical use are the cytotoxic drugs which possess serious side effects. There is a growing interest to use herbal medicines as multi-component agents to modulate the complex immune system in the prevention of infections rather than treating the immune-related diseases. Many therapeutic effects of plant extracts have been suggested to be due to their wide array of immunomodulatory effects and influence on the immune system of the human body. Phytochemicals such as flavonoids, polysaccharides, lactones, alkaloids, diterpenoids and glycosides, present in several plants, have been reported to be responsible for the plants immunomodulating properties. Thus the search for natural products of plant origin as new leads for development of potent and safe immunosuppressant and immunostimulant agents is gaining much major research interest. The present review will give an overview of widely investigated plant-derived compounds (curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechol-3-gallate, quercetin, colchicine, capsaicin, andrographolide, and genistein) which have exhibited potent effects on cellular and humoral immune functions in pre-clinical investigations and will highlight their clinical potential.

/pdf/plant-derived-immunomodulators-an-insight-on-their-5bt61oi1au.pdf

Plant-derived Immunomodulators: An Insight on Their Preclinical Evaluation and Clinical Trials

Medicinal plants of the genus Gelsemium (Gelsemiaceae, Gentianales)—A review of their phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and traditional use

http://sourcedb.xtbg.cas.cn/zw/lw/201104/P020110419520351201067.pdf

Preliminary assessment of antioxidant activity of young edible leaves of seven Ficus species in the ethnic diet in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

http://sourcedb.xtbg.cas.cn/zw/lw/201205/P020120514355763379794.pdf

Gelsemium alkaloids, immunosuppressive agents from Gelsemium elegans.

Sacha Inchi oil was studied for its physicochemical characteristics, chemical composition, radical scavenging activity and storage stability. The fatty acid composition was studied by gas chromatography–flame ionization (GC–FID) and the analysis showed that the oil is highly enriched in α–linolenic (43.5%) and linoleic (39.6%) acids. The tocopherol content in the oil analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet– visible detector (HPLC/UV–VIS) was also high (161.87 mg.100 g -1 ). Both DPPH and ABTS assays detected relatively high radical scavenging activity. After twelve months of storage, the oil showed relatively good storage stability. The results will help guide further investigation of the health benefits of Sacha Inchi oil for the population and the development of better edible oil products and nutraceuticals.

/pdf/chemical-composition-and-oxidative-evolution-of-sacha-inchi-4dcatthc0o.pdf

Chemical composition and oxidative evolution of Sacha Inchi (Plukentia volubilis L.) oil from Xishuangbanna (China)

Three new caged prenylxanthones (xanthone=9H-xanthen-9-one), named neobractatin (1), 3-O-methylneobractatin (2), and 3-O-methylbractatin (3), along with eight known compounds, were isolated from the twig of Garcinia bracteata. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments, including HMBC, HSQC, 1H,1H-COSY, and ROESY, as well as HR-MS analysis.

Three New Caged Prenylxanthones from Garcinia bracteata

Three new ent-clerodane diterpenoids, isoscoparin A, B, and C (1-3), were isolated from Isodon scoparius. Their structures were determined by NMR-spectra analysis. The biogenetic implication of the diterpenes from Isodon genus is discussed.

Zhi Na

Papers

Preliminary assessment of antioxidant activity of young edible leaves of seven Ficus species in the ethnic diet in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

Gelsemium alkaloids, immunosuppressive agents from Gelsemium elegans.

Chemical composition and oxidative evolution of Sacha Inchi (Plukentia volubilis L.) oil from Xishuangbanna (China)

Three New Caged Prenylxanthones from Garcinia bracteata

ent-Clerodanoids from Isodon scoparius