scholarly journals Chemistry, Biological Activities and In Silico Bioprospection of Sterols and Triterpenes from Mexican Columnar Cactaceae

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Rodrigo Salazar ◽  
Marco A. Loza-Mejía ◽  
Diego Soto-Cabrera

The Cactaceae family is an important source of triterpenes and sterols. The wide uses of those plants include food, gathering, medicinal, and live fences. Several studies have led to the isolation and characterization of many bioactive compounds. This review is focused on the chemistry and biological properties of sterols and triterpenes isolated mainly from some species with columnar and arborescent growth forms of Mexican Cactaceae. Regarding the biological properties of those compounds, apart from a few cases, their molecular mechanisms displayed are not still fully understand. To contribute to the above, computational chemistry tools have given a boost to traditional methods used in natural products research, allowing a more comprehensive exploration of chemistry and biological activities of isolated compounds and extracts. From this information an in silico bioprospection was carried out. The results suggest that sterols and triterpenoids present in Cactaceae have interesting substitution patterns that allow them to interact with some bio targets related to inflammation, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative processes. Thus, they should be considered as attractive leads for the development of drugs for the management of chronic degenerative diseases.

Author(s):  
Akanksha Gupta ◽  
Abhishek K Tripathi ◽  
Pushpraj S Gupta

Background: Bauhinia variegata Linn. is a native plant of Asia and China. B. variegata is found in tropical regions of the world. It belongs to family Leguminosae. It is used for diarrhea, hemorrhoids, constipation, piles, edema, leprosy, wounds, tumors, etc.  Objective: The objective of the present study was to perform extraction of B. variegata flower and isolation of active constituents from the extract. Materials and Methods: The ethanolic extraction of B. variegata flower was performed using the Soxhlet apparatus. The isolation of active constituents from the extract was performed using chromatographic techniques. In column chromatographic studies, n-hexane- [dichloromethane (DCM)] (2:8) was used as an eluting system and further purified through thin layer chromatography (TLC). Compound A and B were isolated through chromatographic techniques, then the molecular formula and characterization of these compounds were carried out with mass and infrared (IR) spectral analysis. Results and Discussion: The percentage yield of B. variegata ethanolic extract (BVE) was found to be 20.8% w/w. The different fractions were F1 having 12.5 grams with n-hexane, F2 (17.1 grams) with CH2Cl2, F3 (21.2 grams) with EtOAc, and F4 (13.4 grams) with EtOH. Compound A and B were isolated from the solvent fractions of n-hexane-DCM (2:8) and EtOAc-DCM (1:9), respectively. The compound A was characterized as 3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one. The compound B was characterized as 3-hydroxy-6-methyl-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one. Conclusion: Thus, B. variegata flowers possess active components that need to identify their biological activities.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1217
Author(s):  
Ewa Jończyk-Matysiak ◽  
Barbara Owczarek ◽  
Ewa Popiela ◽  
Kinga Świtała-Jeleń ◽  
Paweł Migdał ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was the isolation and characterization, including the phage effect on honeybees in laboratory conditions, of phages active against Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood—a highly infective and easily spreading disease occurring in honeybee larva, and subsequently the development of a preparation to prevent and treat this dangerous disease. From the tested material (over 2500 samples) 35 Paenibacillus spp. strains were obtained and used to search for phages. Five phages specific to Paenibacillus were isolated and characterized (ultrastructure, morphology, biological properties, storage stability, and genome sequence). The characteristics were performed to obtain knowledge of their lytic potential and compose the final phage cocktail with high antibacterial potential and intended use of future field application. Preliminary safety studies have also been carried out on healthy bees, which suggest that the phage preparation administered is harmless.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erum Iqbal ◽  
Linda B.L. Lim ◽  
Kamariah Abu Salim ◽  
Shaheen Faizi ◽  
Ayaz Ahmed ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Iqra Sarfraz ◽  
Azhar Rasul ◽  
Ghulam Hussain ◽  
Muhammad Ajmal Shah ◽  
Bushra Nageen ◽  
...  

: Oxalis corniculata (Oxalidaceae) is a small decumbent and delicate appearing medicinal herb flourishing in warm temperate and tropical domains such as Pakistan and India. Main bioactive chemical constituents of Oxalis plant include several alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, phlobatannins along with steroids. Due to its polyphenolic, glycosides and flavonoid profile, it is proved to be protective in numerous ailments and exhibit various biological activities such as anti-fungal, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, and cardioprotective. Moreover, bioactive phytochemicals from this plant possess significant wound healing potential. Our current effort intends to emphasize on the immense significance of this plant species, which have not been the subject matter of clinical trials and effective pharmacological studies, even though its favored usage has been stated. This review proposes that Oxalis corniculata possess potential for the cure of various diseases, however, further researches on isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds along with pre-clinical trials are compulsory to figure out its pharmacological applications.


Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sónia A. O. Santos ◽  
Rafael Félix ◽  
Adriana C. S. Pais ◽  
Sílvia M. Rocha ◽  
Armando J. D. Silvestre

The current interest of the scientific community for the exploitation of high-value compounds from macroalgae is related to the increasing knowledge of their biological activities and health benefits. Macroalgae phenolic compounds, particularly phlorotannins, have gained particular attention due to their specific bioactivities, including antioxidant, antiproliferative, or antidiabetic. Notwithstanding, the characterization of macroalgae phenolic compounds is a multi-step task, with high challenges associated with their isolation and characterization, due to the highly complex and polysaccharide-rich matrix of macroalgae. Therefore, this fraction is far from being fully explored. In fact, a critical revision of the extraction and characterization methodologies already used in the analysis of phenolic compounds from macroalgae is lacking in the literature, and it is of uttermost importance to compile validated methodologies and discourage misleading practices. The aim of this review is to discuss the state-of-the-art of phenolic compounds already identified in green, red, and brown macroalgae, reviewing their structural classification, as well as critically discussing extraction methodologies, chromatographic separation techniques, and the analytical strategies for their characterization, including information about structural identification techniques and key spectroscopic profiles. For the first time, mass spectrometry data of phlorotannins, a chemical family quite exclusive of macroalgae, is compiled and discussed.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 704-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keizo Nagasaki ◽  
Yuji Tomaru ◽  
Noriaki Katanozaka ◽  
Yoko Shirai ◽  
Kensho Nishida ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A novel single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus specifically infecting the bloom-forming diatom Rhizosolenia setigera (R. setigera RNA virus [RsRNAV]) was isolated from Ariake Sea, Japan. Viral replication occurred within the cytoplasm, and the virus particle was icosahedral, lacked a tail, and was 32 nm in diameter on average. The major nucleic acid extracted from the RsRNAV particles was an ssRNA molecule 11.2 kb in length, although smaller RNA molecules (0.6, 1.2, and 1.5 kb) were occasionally observed. The major structural proteins of RsRNAV were 41.5, 41.0, and 29.5 kDa. Inter- and intraspecies host specificity tests revealed that RsRNAV is not only species specific but also strain specific and that its intraspecies host specificity is diverse among virus clones. The latent period of RsRNAV was 2 days, and the burst sizes were 3,100 and 1,010 viruses per host cell when viruses were inoculated into the host culture at the exponential and stationary growth phases, respectively, at 15°C under a 12-h-12-h light-dark cycle of ca. 110 μmol of photons m−2 s−1 with cool white fluorescent illumination. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the biological properties of a virus infecting a diatom. Further studies on RsRNAV will be helpful in understanding the ecological relationship between diatoms and viruses in nature.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdur Rauf ◽  
Muhammad Saleem ◽  
Ghias Uddin ◽  
Bina S. Siddiqui ◽  
Haroon Khan ◽  
...  

Pistacia integerrimais one of twenty species among the genusPistacia. Long horn-shaped galls that develop on this plant are harvested and used in Ayurveda and Indian traditional medicine to make “karkatshringi”, a herbal medicine used for the treatment of asthma and different disorders of respiratory tract. However, until now, the molecular mechanisms of action of “karkatshringi” and its chemical characterization are partially known. This study deals with the isolation and characterization of the active constituents from the methanolic extract ofP. integerrimagalls and it was also oriented to evaluatein vitroandin silicotheir potential enzymatic inhibitory activity against phosphodiesterase-1 (PDE1), a well-known enzyme involved in airway smooth muscle activity and airway inflammation. Our results showed that the methanolic extract ofP. integerrimagalls and some of its active constituents [naringenin (1) and 3,5,7,4′-tetrahydroxy-flavanone (2)] are ablein vitroto inhibit PDE1 activity (59.20 ± 4.95%, 75.90 ± 5.90%, and 65.25 ± 5.25%, resp.) and demonstratein silicoan interesting interaction with this enzymatic site. Taken together, our results add new knowledge of chemical constituents responsible for the biological activity ofP. integerrimaand contextually legitimate the use of this plant in folk medicine.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kat Pick ◽  
Tracy Lyn Raivio

In this study, we describe the isolation and characterization of novel bacteriophage Kapi1 (vB_EcoP_Kapi1) isolated from a strain of commensal Escherichia coli inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract of healthy mice. We show that Kapi1 is a temperate phage integrated into tRNA argW of strain MP1 and describe its genome annotation and structure. Kapi1 shows limited homology to other characterized prophages but is most similar to the phages of Shigella flexneri, and clusters taxonomically with P22-like phages. Investigation of the lifestyle of Kapi1 shows that this phage displays unstable lysogeny and influences the growth of its host. The receptor for Kapi1 is the lipopolysaccharide O-antigen, and we further show that Kapi1 alters the structure of its hosts O-antigen in multiple ways. We hope to use MP1 and Kapi1 as a model system to explore molecular mechanisms of mammalian colonization by E. coli and ask what the role(s) of prophages in this context might be.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kwaji ◽  
H. M. Adamu ◽  
I. Y. Chindo ◽  
R. Atiko

The present study is aimed at the isolation and characterization of betulin from Entada africana.  A dichloromethane soluble portion of the stem bark methanol/acetone (1:1 v/v) extract was subjected to gradient elution using ethyl acetate in hexane (5 – 30 %) on an open column. A pure compound was obtained with Rf = 0.61 in hexane/ethyl acetate (8:2 v/v) after repeated washing and recrystallization from methanol and coded Enac1. The pure compound was analyzed using IR, 1H & 13C NMR and GC-MS. Clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus were used to assess the antibacterial activity of the pure compound while its preliminary Cytotoxicity was evaluated using brine shrimp nauplii. Based on the spectroscopic data obtained and in comparison with literature, the isolated compound was identified as betulin. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of betulin ranged between 62.50 - 250.00 µg/mL for all the four bacterial isolates in the study while its fifty percent lethal concentration (LC50) was 10.00 µg/mL. Significant Cytotoxicity with moderate antibacterial activity was observed. The study therefore justifies the existence of bioactive compounds in the stem bark of Entada africana and its use in traditional medicine.


Author(s):  
Nieves Baenas ◽  
Jenny Ruales ◽  
Diego A. Moreno ◽  
Daniel Alejandro Barrio ◽  
Carla M. Stinco ◽  
...  

Andean blueberries are wild berries grown and consumed in Ecuador which contain high values of bioactive compounds, mainly anthocyanins, with powerful antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the profile and contents of (poly)phenols and carotenoids in Andean blueberry by HPLC-DAD-MSn and determine a wide range of its biological activities. The antioxidant capacity of this fruit was evaluated in vitro by three different methods and in vivo using the zebrafish animal model, also the toxicity effect was determined by the zebrafish embryogenesis test. Besides, the antimicrobial activity and the capacity of Andean blueberry to produce hemagglutination in blood cells were evaluated. Finally, the bioaccessibility of (poly)phenols and related antioxidant capacity were determined in the different phases of an in vitro digestion. The global results indicated no toxicity of Andean blueberry, weakly bacteriostatic activity, and high contents of anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity, which were partially bioaccesible in vitro (~ 50 % at the final intestinal step), contributing to the knowledge of its health benefits for consumers and its potential use in the food and pharmaceutical industry as functional ingredient.


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