Isolation, characterization and quantification of a pentacyclic triterpinoid compound ursolic acid in Scabiosa palaestina L. distributed in the north of Iraq

Ursolic acid (UA, 3 ?-hydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid) are isomeric triterpenic acids. The high quantities of pentacyclic triterpenoids in Scabiosa species seems to be obvious and there is an evidence that most of pentacyclic triterpenoids that have been isolated are saponins. This is one of the most important characteristic of the genus Scabiosa, the main aglycones are ursolic acid and oleanolic acid. In the current study, isolation from the aerial part and roots of Scabiosa palaestina L. was performed using Preparative HPLC. Furthermore, detection and quantitation of ursolic acid was performed by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The identification of isolated triterpenoid involves two methods including FT-IR coupled with LC-MS/MS that have been used for the simultaneous determination of the isolated UA. Quantitative analysis of Ursolic acid content in chloroform fractions revealed that both of the aerial parts and roots contain comparable concentration of 0.052 and 0.054 mg/ml respectively. The FT-IR and LC-MS/MS spectra of the isolated compound shows good agreement with those reported in literatures of Ursolic acid. Quantitative concentration of UA in chloroform fraction revealed that aerial parts and roots contain comparable concentrations and the spectral data for the isolated unknown were in good agreement with those reported in literature of UA.

Post-fire composition of lipids in waters and plants of Great Vasyugan Mire

A lipid compositions were determined in water and plant samples taken in natural and burnt-out areas of the Bakchar bog (northeastern part of Great Vasyugan Mire) located in the basin of the Gavrilovka River within Tomsk region and were analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The following main groups of organic compounds have been identified: acyclic n-alkanes, fatty acids, and n-alkan-2-ones. Among cyclic compounds steroids, sesquiterpenoids, and pentacyclic triterpenoids have been identified. It was shown that lipids in waters contained biomolecules of plants grown in the areas under study. Chemical indicators reflecting the disappearance of plants since a fire and their restricted distribution or replacement of some plant species with others were found out. These indicators can be used in paleoclimatic reconstructions to fix post-pyrogenic layers in the sedimentary rock strata.

Labdane Diterpenoids from Salvia tingitana Etl. Synergize with Clindamycin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Quorum-sensing (QS) is a regulatory mechanism in bacterial communication, important for pathogenesis control. The search for small molecules active as quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSI) that can synergize with antibiotics is considered a good strategy to counteract the problem of antibiotic resistance. Here the antimicrobial labdane diterpenoids sclareol (1) and manool (2) extracted from Salvia tingitana were considered as potential QSI against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Only sclareol showed synergistic activity with clindamycin. The quantification of these compounds by LC–MS analysis in the organs and in the calli of S. tingitana showed that sclareol is most abundant in the flower spikes and is produced by calli, while manool is the major labdane of the roots, and is abundant also in the leaves. Other metabolites of the roots were abietane diterpenoids, common in Salvia species, and pentacyclic triterpenoids, bearing a γ-lactone moiety, previously undescribed in Salvia. Docking simulations suggested that 1 and 2 bind to key residues, involved in direct interactions with DNA. They may prevent accessory gene regulator A (AgrA) binding to DNA or AgrA activation upon phosphorylation, to suppress virulence factor expression. The antimicrobial activity of these two compounds probably achieves preventing upregulation of the accessory gene regulator (agr)-regulated genes.

Role of Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Acids in the Treatment of Bladder Cancer

: Bladder cancer carries a poor prognosis and has proven resistance to chemotherapy. Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Acids (PTAs) are natural bioactive compounds that have a well-known impact on cancer research because of their cytotoxic and chemopreventive activities. This review focuses on bladder cancer which can no longer be successfully treated by DNA damaging drugs. Unlike most of the existing drugs against bladder cancer, PTAs are non-toxic to normal cells. Collecting findings from both in vitro and in vivo studies, it has been concluded that PTAs may serve as promising agents in future bladder cancer therapy. In this review, the roles of various PTAs in bladder cancer have been explored, and their mechanisms of action in the treatment of bladder cancer have been described. Specific PTAs have been shortlisted from each of the chief skeletons of pentacyclic triterpenoids, which could be effective against bladder cancer because of their mode of action. This review thereby throws light on the multi targets and mechanisms of PTAs, which are responsible for their selective anticancer effects and provides guidelines for further research and development of new natural antitumor compounds.

Natural Product-Based Studies for the Management of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Computational to Clinical Studies

Background: With prostate cancer being the fifth-greatest cause of cancer mortality in 2020, there is a dire need to expand the available treatment options. Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) progresses despite androgen depletion therapy. The mechanisms of resistance are yet to be fully discovered. However, it is hypothesized that androgens depletion enables androgen-independent cells to proliferate and recolonize the tumor.Objectives: Natural bioactive compounds from edible plants and herbal remedies might potentially address this need. This review compiles the available cheminformatics-based studies and the translational studies regarding the use of natural products to manage CRPC.Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar searches for preclinical studies were performed, while ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed were searched for clinical updates. Studies that were not in English and not available as full text were excluded. The period of literature covered was from 1985 to the present.Results and Conclusion: Our analysis suggested that natural compounds exert beneficial effects due to their broad-spectrum molecular disease-associated targets. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed several bioactive compounds, including rutaecarpine, berberine, curcumin, other flavonoids, pentacyclic triterpenoids, and steroid-based phytochemicals. Molecular modeling tools, including machine and deep learning, have made the analysis more comprehensive. Preclinical and clinical studies on resveratrol, soy isoflavone, lycopene, quercetin, and gossypol have further validated the translational potential of the natural products in the management of prostate cancer.

Cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of phytoconstituents of the stem bark extract of Psychotria djumaensis

Phytochemical investigation of the stem bark extract of Psychotria djumaensis led to the isolation of ten known pentacyclic triterpenoids among which one lupane-, three oleanane-, and six ursane-types. The structures of the isolated compounds were established by means of spectroscopic methods and by comparison with previously reported data. The isolated compounds were tested against five strains of bacteria, and the cytotoxicity against the human cervix carcinoma KB-3-1 cell was evaluated. The isolates exhibited weak antibacterial activity against the five strains. The cytotoxic activity exhibited by 3β,19α-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (5) (IC50 5.9 µM) was about three times more significant than that of the reference [(+) griseofulvin, IC50 17-21 µM].