Chemical constituents from the aerial part of Polygala tenuifolia

Homalomena cochinchinensis Engl. is a rare species which is found in Southern China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and its chemical constituents and bioactivity have not been determined yet. In this study, we identified 32 and 38 compounds in acetone extracts of H. cochinchinensis aerial part and rhizome, respectively via gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The main constituents of acetone extract of the aerial part were 3-((4Z,7Z)-Heptadeca-4,7-dien-1-yl)phenol (18.73%); cis-9,cis-12-Octadecadienoic acid (12.04%); linolenic acid (11.08%); n-Hexadecanoic acid (10.13%); (Z)-3-(Heptadec-10-en-1-yl)phenol (7.09%); ?-Sitosterol (5.58%) and linalool (5.56%). On the other hand, acetone extract of rhizome contained linalool (28.42%); 1,2,3-Propanetriol, 1-acetate (10.13%); 3-((4Z,7Z)-Heptadeca-4,7-dien-1-yl)phenol (5.28%); 3-Buten-2-one, 3-methyl-4-(1,3,3-trimethyl-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptan-1-yl)- (5.28%) and 4-(2,6,6-Trimethyl-cyclohex-1-enyl)-butyric acid (4.54%). Furthermore, this study has also proved the antibacterial activity of acetone extracts from the aerial part and the rhizome of this species for the first time using disk diffusion method. The results showed that the extract of the aerial part could inhibit the growth of 5 out of a total 6 bacterial strains, including Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus; while the susceptible strains to the rhizome extract were 5 strains, such as B. cereus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium and S. aureus. The findings suggest the further application of this species in pharmacology and medicine.

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Extract of the Aerial Part of Polygala tenuifolia Attenuates d-Galactose/NaNO2-induced Learning and Memory Impairment in Mice

Planta Medica ◽

10.1055/a-1212-3212 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 86 (18) ◽

pp. 1389-1399

Author(s):

Dian Zhang ◽

Xiao Wang ◽

Rong Li ◽

Lin Wang ◽

Zihao Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Learning And Memory ◽

Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Memory Impairment ◽

Aerial Part ◽

Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Latency Time ◽

Receptor Kinase ◽

Model Group ◽

Age Related ◽

Polygala Tenuifolia

AbstractAlzheimerʼs disease, one of the most common types of age-related dementia, is characterized by memory deterioration and behavior disorder. The aboveground part of Polygala tenuifolia is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of amnesia. This study was conducted to investigate the ameliorating effect of the aerial part of P. tenuifolia on d-galactose/NaNO2-induced learning and memory impairment in mice. d-galactose (120 mg/kg) and NaNO2 (90 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally for 60 days to induce learning and memory impairment in mice. The aerial part of P. tenuifolia (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) and piracetam (200 mg/kg) were simultaneously administered orally on days 15 – 60. Results of this study showed that aerial part of P. tenuifolia significantly decreased the latency time and increased the number of platform crossings in the Morris water maze compared with the Model group. Moreover, the aerial part of P. tenuifolia significantly increased the latency time and decreased the error frequency in the step-down and step-through tests compared with the Model group. Meanwhile, the aerial part of P. tenuifolia was able to regulate the cholinergic system by increasing the levels of ACh and ChAT and decreasing the level of AChe. The aerial part of P. tenuifolia also significantly attenuated the levels of interleukin-1 beta and malonaldehyde and enhanced the interleukin-10 and glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase activity. Furthermore, treatment with aerial part of P. tenuifolia increased the protein and mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin receptor kinase B in the hippocampus. These results suggest that the aerial part of P. tenuifolia can ameliorate learning and memory impairments by modulating cholinergic activity, inhibiting neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, and regulating the brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin receptor kinase B signaling pathway.

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