Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of the essential oil from the leaves of Onychopetalum periquino (Rusby) D.M. Johnson & N.A. Murray.

The essential oil (EO) from the leaves of Onychopetalum periquino, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and also was investigated for its larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae. Thirteen compounds, representing 91.31% of the crude oil, were identified. Major compounds were sesquiterpenes, including ß-elemene (53.16%), spathulenol (11.94%) and ß-selinene (9.25%). The EO showed high larvicidal activity with a lethal concentration (LC50) of 63.75 µg/mL and 100% mortality at 200 µg/mL. These results represent the first report about the chemical composition of O. periquino and the first larvicidal evaluation with Onychopetalum species.[Figure: see text].

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Onychopetalum amazonicum R.E.Fr.

The essential oils from leaves, twigs and trunk bark of Onychopetalum amazonicum R.E. Fr. (Annonaceae), obtained by hydrodistillation, were analysed by GC and GC-MS, and also were evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity. Forty-one compounds, which correspond to 75.0-92.2% of the oil components, were identified. Major compounds were sesquiterpenes, including (E)-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, spathulenol, α-gurjunene, allo-aromadendrene and α-epi-cadinol. The oils were evaluated for antimicrobial activities against four bacteria strains and five pathogenic fungi. The oil of the trunk bark exhibited good activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Escherichia coli ATCC 10538 and Kocuria rhizophila ATCC 9341, with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 62.5 µg/mL. The essential oil composition and the antimicrobial evaluation are reported for the first time for the genus Onychopetalum.

Direct infusion ESI-IT-MSn alkaloid profile and isolation of tetrahydroharman and other alkaloids from Bocageopsis pleiosperma maas (Annonaceae).

INTRODUCTION: The Annonaceae family is known as a promising abundant source of secondary metabolites, especially annonaceous acetogenins, terpenoids and isoquinoline-derived alkaloids. Although widely investigated from the phytochemical viewpoint, this family still presents some largely unexplored genera, e.g. the Bocageopsis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the alkaloid content of Bocageopsis pleiosperma Maas using direct infusion electrospray ionisation ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-IT-MS(n)) analysis. METHODOLOGY: Dichloromethane extracts of aerial parts were subjected to acid-base partitioning to yield the alkaloidal fractions. These fractions were analysed by direct infusion into a (+)ESI-IT-MS(n) system. The alkaloidal fraction from the leaves was also obtained on a large scale and subjected to chromatographic separation. RESULTS: The tentative MS(n) -based identification of alkaloids in leaves, twigs and trunk bark showed that aporphine alkaloids were restricted to the leaves and twigs, tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloids were only found in the twigs and trunk bark while benzylisoquinoline alkaloids were found in the leaves, twigs and trunk bark. Chromatographic separation of the leaf alkaloidal fraction yielded the aporphine alkaloids nornuciferine, asimilobine and isoboldine, the ß-carboline alkaloid tetrahydroharman and some mixtures containing benzylisoquinoline and aporphine alkaloids, all described for the first time in the Bocageopsis genus. Furthermore, tetrahydroharman has not previously been reported in the Magnoliales order. CONCLUSION: Direct infusion ESI-IT-MS(n) analysis of alkaloids allowed fast recognition of alkaloidal classes previously reported in the Annonaceae family, aiding the chromatographic step and allowing a selective isolation of compounds previously not identified in the Bocageopsis genus.

Polycarpol in Unonopsis, Bocageopsis and Onychopetalum Amazonian species: chemosystematical implications and antimicrobial evaluation

Polycarpol, a recurrent lanostane-type triterpene in Annonaceae family, was confirmed by thin layer chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis in the aerial parts (twigs and trunk barks) of Unonopsis duckei R.E. Fr., U. floribunda Diels, U. rufescens (Baill.) R.E. Fr., U. stipitata Diels, Onychopetalum amazonicum R.E. Fr. and Bocageopsis pleiosperma Maas. Its chemotaxonomic significance was discussed for these three genera, as well for the Annonaceae family. In addition, the antimicrobial activity against several strains of microorganisms was evaluated for the first time for this compound, being observed significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 1228) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 10538 and ATCC 10799) with minimal inhibitory concentration values between 25 and 50 μg ml−1.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial evaluation of the essential oils of Bocageopsis pleiosperma Maas.

Essential oils from the leaves, twigs and barks of Bocageopsis pleiosperma Maas were obtained by using hydrodistillation and analysed by using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Several compounds (51) were detected and identified, being ß-bisabolene the main component in all aerial parts of the plant, with higher concentration in the leaves (55.77%), followed by barks (38.53%) and twigs (34.37%). In order to increase the biological knowledge about the essential oil of Bocageopsis species, antimicrobial activities were evaluated against the microorganisms Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Candida tropicalis, Candida dubliniensis, Candida glabrata and Candida albicans. The essential oil obtained from the barks exhibited a moderate effect against S. epidermidis ATCC 1228 (MIC = 250 µg/mL), while the other oils did not exhibit antimicrobial activity. These results represent the first report about the chemical composition of B. pleiosperma and the first antimicrobial evaluation with a Bocageopsis species.

Exploring the proteomic landscape of a gastric cancer biopsy with the shotgun imaging analyzer.

Accessing localized proteomic profiles has emerged as a fundamental strategy to understand the biology of diseases, as recently demonstrated, for example, in the context of determining cancer resection margins with improved precision. Here, we analyze a gastric cancer biopsy sectioned into 10 parts, each one subjected to MudPIT analysis. We introduce a software tool, named Shotgun Imaging Analyzer and inspired in MALDI imaging, to enable the overlaying of a protein's expression heat map on a tissue picture. The software is tightly integrated with the NeXtProt database, so it enables the browsing of identified proteins according to chromosomes, quickly listing human proteins never identified by mass spectrometry (i.e., the so-called missing proteins), and the automatic search for proteins that are more expressed over a specific region of interest on the biopsy, all of which constitute goals that are clearly well-aligned with those of the C-HPP. Our software has been able to highlight an intense expression of proteins previously known to be correlated with cancers (e.g., glutathione S-transferase Mu 3), and in particular, we draw attention to Gastrokine-2, a "missing protein" identified in this work of which we were able to clearly delineate the tumoral region from the "healthy" with our approach. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000584.

Mauritic acid: a new dammarane triterpene from the roots of Mauritia flexuosa L.f. (Arecaceae).

A new dammarane triterpene named mauritic acid (1) was isolated from the roots of Mauritia flexuosa L.f. The complete structural assignment of this new compound was elucidated from spectroscopic methods. Moreover, this compound was evaluated for its cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines (OVCAR-8, PCM3, NCIH358M and different leukaemia cell strains). The mauritic acid presented significant cytotoxicity against OVCAR-8, PCM3 and NCIH358M cell lines with IC50 3.02, 2.39 and 6.19 µM, respectively. The triterpenes 1 and 2 were also tested for their antimicrobial activity against 15 strains of microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria, with the best minimal inhibitory concentration values ranging from 50.8 to 203.5 µM.

Triterpenes and flavonoids from the roots of Mauritia flexuosa

Mauritia flexuosa L. f., Arecaceae, is an endemic species of South America. This species was studied with the intent to isolate the constituents of its roots. After the fractionation of the n-hexane and methanolic extracts from the roots of M. flexuosa, six triterpenes were obtained: friedelin, taraxerone, lupenyl acetate, lupenone, betulin and betulinic acid, along with three flavonoids: rutin, quercitrin and quercetin. All the compounds were identified by analysis of NMR and MS data and comparison with the literature. All those compounds are been reported for the first time in Mauritia, and the chemosystematic significance of the flavonoids isolated in this genus is discussed.