Bioassay Analysis and Molecular Docking Study Revealed the Potential Medicinal Activities of Active Compounds Polygonumins B, C and D from Polygonum minus (Persicaria minor).

Polygonumins B, C and D, derivative compounds of polygonumins A, were isolated from the stem of Polygonum minus. Based on NMR results, the structure of polygonumins derivatives is comprised of four phenylpropanoid units and a sucrose unit, with a similar structure to polygonumins A. However, the structural differences between polygonumins B (1), C (2) and D (3) can be distinguished based on the existence of methoxy, ethanoyl and hydroxyl groups and protons which bind to C-4, C-4' and C-3″. Interestingly, these bioactive compounds showed various medicinal properties based on our investigation on antioxidant, anticholinesterase and anti-HIV-1 protease activities. The IC50 value of DPPH and ABTS (antioxidant activities) was in the following descending order: polygonumins B > polygonumins C > polygonumins A > polygonumins D. In addition, almost similar pattern of antioxidant activity was observed for anti-acetylcholinesterase activity based on its IC50 value in descending order: polygonumins B > polygonumins C > polygonumins D > polygonumins A. On the other hand, polygonumins C and D showed inhibition of HIV-1 protease activity more than the positive control, pepstatin A. Finally, molecular docking studies on AChE and BChE proteins were carried out in order to gain insight into the mode of interactions between these compounds and the active residues for both enzymes. These remarkable findings indicate that these compounds have potential to be developed as targeted drugs for Alzheimer's disease or as anti-HIV drugs.

Recent advancement of engineering microbial hosts for the biotechnological production of flavonoids.

Flavonoids are polyphenols that are important organic chemicals in plants. The health benefits of flavonoids that result in high commercial values make them attractive targets for large-scale production through bioengineering. Strategies such as engineering a flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in microbial hosts provide an alternative way to produce these beneficial compounds. Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Streptomyces sp. are among the expression systems used to produce recombinant products, as well as for the production of flavonoid compounds through various bioengineering approaches including clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genome engineering and genetically encoded biosensors to detect flavonoid biosynthesis. In this study, we review the recent advances in engineering model microbial hosts as being the factory to produce targeted flavonoid compounds.

Correction to: Regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis by miRNA in Persicaria minor induced by Fusarium oxysporum.

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported a number of errors, which are listed in this Correction article. The corrections are marked in bold.

Regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis by miRNA in Persicaria minor induced by Fusarium oxysporum.

BACKGROUND: Persicaria minor (kesum) is an herbaceous plant with a high level of secondary metabolite compounds, particularly terpenoids. These terpenoid compounds have well-established roles in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Although the terpenoids of P. minor have been studied thoroughly, the involvement of microRNA (miRNA) in terpenoid regulation remains poorly understood and needs to be explored. In this study, P. minor plants were inoculated with the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum for terpenoid induction. RESULT: SPME GC-MS analysis showed the highest terpenoid accumulation on the 6th day post-inoculation (dpi) compared to the other treatment time points (0 dpi, 3 dpi, and 9 dpi). Among the increased terpenoid compounds, α-cedrene, valencene and ß-bisabolene were prominent. P. minor inoculated for 6 days was selected for miRNA library construction using next generation sequencing. Differential gene expression analysis showed that 58 miRNAs belonging to 30 families had significantly altered regulation. Among these 58 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 27 [corrected] miRNAs were upregulated, whereas 31 [corrected] miRNAs were downregulated. Two putative novel pre-miRNAs were identified and validated through reverse transcriptase PCR. Prediction of target transcripts potentially involved in the mevalonate pathway (MVA) was carried out by psRobot software, resulting in four miRNAs: pmi-miR530, pmi-miR6173, pmi-miR6300 and a novel miRNA, pmi-Nov_13. In addition, two miRNAs, miR396a and miR398f/g, were predicted to have their target transcripts in the non-mevalonate pathway (MEP). In addition, a novel miRNA, pmi-Nov_12, was identified to have a target gene involved in green leaf volatile (GLV) biosynthesis. RT-qPCR analysis showed that pmi-miR6173, pmi-miR6300 and pmi-nov_13 were downregulated, while miR396a and miR398f/g were upregulated. Pmi-miR530 showed upregulation at 9 dpi, and dynamic expression was observed for pmi-nov_12. Pmi-6300 and pmi-miR396a cleavage sites were detected through degradome sequence analysis. Furthermore, the relationship between miRNA metabolites and mRNA metabolites was validated using correlation analysis. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that six studied miRNAs post-transcriptionally regulate terpenoid biosynthesis in P. minor. This regulatory behaviour of miRNAs has potential as a genetic tool to regulate terpenoid biosynthesis in P. minor.

Recent updates on metabolite composition and medicinal benefits of mangosteen plant.

BACKGROUND: Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) fruit has a unique sweet-sour taste and is rich in beneficial compounds such as xanthones. Mangosteen originally been used in various folk medicines to treat diarrhea, wounds, and fever. More recently, it had been used as a major component in health supplement products for weight loss and for promoting general health. This is perhaps due to its known medicinal benefits, including as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation. Interestingly, publications related to mangosteen have surged in recent years, suggesting its popularity and usefulness in research laboratories. However, there are still no updated reviews (up to 2018) in this booming research area, particularly on its metabolite composition and medicinal benefits. METHOD: In this review, we have covered recent articles within the years of 2016 to 2018 which focus on several aspects including the latest findings on the compound composition of mangosteen fruit as well as its medicinal usages. RESULT: Mangosteen has been vastly used in medicinal areas including in anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and anti-diabetes treatments. Furthermore, we have also described the benefits of mangosteen extract in protecting various human organs such as liver, skin, joint, eye, neuron, bowel, and cardiovascular tissues against disorders and diseases. CONCLUSION: All in all, this review describes the numerous manipulations of mangosteen extracted compounds in medicinal areas and highlights the current trend of its research. This will be important for future directed research and may allow researchers to tackle the next big challenge in mangosteen study: drug development and human applications.

LC-MS data for metabolomics analysis of Garcinia mangostana L. seed germination.

Metabolic regulation is important during seed germination for the establishment of seedling. The germination strategy of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) seed is thought to be unique due to its recalcitrant characteristic (sensitive to coldness and drying). To investigate the metabolic changes during seed germination, we performed metabolomics analysis on germinating mangosteen seed sown after zero, one, three, five, seven and nine days. Sampled mangosteen seeds were subjected to methanol extraction prior analysis using Liquid Chromatography-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS). MS data were further analyzed using ProfileAnalysis (version 2.1). This is one of the earliest reports in metabolite identification and profiling of mangosteen seed at different germination stages. This data article refers to the article entitled "Metabolite profiling of mangosteen seed germination highlights metabolic changes related to carbon utilization and seed protection" (Mazlan et al., 2019) [1].

Recent Development in Omics Studies.

The central dogma of molecular biology (DNA, RNA, protein and metabolite) has engraved our understanding of genetics in all living organisms. While the concept has been embraced for many decades, the development of high-throughput technologies particularly omics (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) has revolutionised the field to incorporate big data analysis including bioinformatics and systems biology as well as synthetic biology area. These omics approaches as well as systems and synthetic biology areas are now increasingly popular as seen by the growing numbers of publication throughout the years. Several journals which have published most of these related fields are also listed in this chapter to overview their impact and target journals.

Mass spectrometry dataset for LC-MS metabolomics analysis of Garcinia mangostana L. seed development.

Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen) seed is recalcitrant, prone to low temperature and drying which limit its long-term storage. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the metabolic changes throughout its development, to shed some light into the recalcitrant nature of this seed. We performed metabolomics analysis on mangosteen seed at different stages of development; six, eight, ten, twelve and fourteen weeks after anthesis. Seed samples were subjected to methanol extraction prior analysis using liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The MS data acquired were analyzed using ProfileAnalysis (version 2.1). This data article refers to the article entitled "Metabolomics analysis of developing Garcinia mangostana seed reveals modulated levels of sugars, organic acids and phenylpropanoid compounds" (Mazlan et al., 2018) [1].

Data on Fourier transform-infrared of Cosmos caudatus Kunth. tissues analyzed with chemometric analysis.

In this dataset, we differentiate four different tissues of Cosmos caudatus Kunth (leaves, flowers, stem and root) obtained from UKM Bangi plot, based on Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. Different tissues of C. caudatus demonstrated the position and intensity of characteristic peaks at 4000-450 cm-1. Principal component analysis (PCA) shows three main groups were formed. The samples from leaves and flowers were found to be clustered together in one group, while the samples from stems and roots were clustered into two separate groups, respectively. This data provides an insight into the fingerprint identification and distribution of metabolites in the different organs of this species.

Proteomics (SWATH-MS) informed by transcriptomics approach of tropical herb Persicaria minor leaves upon methyl jasmonate elicitation.

BACKGROUND: Jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivative, methyl JA (MeJA) are hormonal cues released by plants that signal defense response to curb damages from biotic and abiotic stresses. To study such response, a tropical herbal plant, Persicaria minor, which possesses pungent smell and various bioactivities including antimicrobial and anticancer, was treated with MeJA. Such elicitation has been performed in hairy root cultures and plants such as Arabidopsis and rice, yet how MeJA influenced the proteome of an herbal species like P. minor is unknown. METHOD: In this study, P. minor plants were exogenously elicited with MeJA and leaf samples were subjected to SWATH-MS proteomics analysis. A previously published translated transcriptome database was used as a reference proteome database for a comprehensive protein sequence catalogue and to compare their differential expression. RESULTS: From this proteomics informed by transcriptomics approach, we have successfully profiled 751 proteins of which 40 proteins were significantly different between control and MeJA-treated samples. Furthermore, a correlation analysis between both proteome and the transcriptome data sets suggests that significantly upregulated proteins were positively correlated with their cognate transcripts (Pearson's r = 0.677) while a weak correlation was observed for downregulated proteins (r = 0.147). DISCUSSION: MeJA treatment induced the upregulation of proteins involved in various biochemical pathways including stress response mechanism, lipid metabolism, secondary metabolite production, DNA degradation and cell wall degradation. Conversely, proteins involved in energy expensive reactions such as photosynthesis, protein synthesis and structure were significantly downregulated upon MeJA elicitation. Overall protein-transcript correlation was also weak (r = 0.341) suggesting the existence of post-transcriptional regulation during such stress. In conclusion, proteomics analysis using SWATH-MS analysis supplemented by the transcriptome database allows comprehensive protein profiling of this non-model herbal species upon MeJA treatment.

Metabolite profiles of callus and cell suspension cultures of mangosteen.

Callus was induced from mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) young purple-red leaves on Murashige and Skoog basal medium with various combinations of plant growth regulators. Murashige and Skoog medium with 4.44 µM 6-benzylaminopurine and 4.52 µM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid was the best for friable callus induction. This friable callus was used for the initiation of cell suspension culture. The effects of different combinations of 6-benzylaminopurine and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, carbon sources and inoculum sizes were tested. It was found that combination of 2.22 µM 6-benzylaminopurine + 2.26 µM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, glucose (30 g/l) and 1.5 g/50 ml inoculum size was the best for cell growth. Callus and cell suspension cultures were then treated either with 100 µM methyl jasmonate as an elicitor for 5 days, or 0.5 g/l casein hydrolysate as an organic supplement for 7 days. Metabolites were then extracted and profiled using liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry. Multivariate discriminant analyses revealed significant metabolite differences (P ≤ 0.05) for callus and suspension cells treated either with methyl jasmonate or casein hydrolysate. Based on MS/MS data, methyl jasmonate stimulated the production of an alkaloid (thalsimine) and fatty acid (phosphatidyl ethanolamine) in suspension cells while in callus, an alkaloid (thiacremonone) and glucosinolate (7-methylthioheptanaldoxime) was produced. Meanwhile casein hydrolysate stimulated the production of alkaloids such as 3ß,6ß-dihydroxynortropane and cis-hinokiresinol and triterpenoids such as schidigerasaponin and talinumoside in suspension cells. This study provides evidence on the potential of secondary metabolite production from in vitro culture of mangosteen.

Extensive mass spectrometry proteomics data of Persicaria minor herb upon methyl jasmonate treatment.

Proteomics is often hindered by the lack of protein sequence database particularly for non-model species such as Persicaria minor herbs. An integrative approach called proteomics informed by transcriptomics is possible [1], in which translated transcriptome sequence database is used as the protein sequence database. In this current study, the proteome profile were profiled using SWATH-MS technology complemented with documented transcriptome profiling [2], the first such report in this tropical herb. The plant was also elicited using a phytohormone, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and protein changes were elucidated using label-free quantification of SWATH-MS to understand the role of such signal molecule in this herbal species. The mass spectrometry proteomics data was deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PXD005749. This data article refers to the article entitled "Proteomics (SWATH-MS)-informed by transcriptomics approach of Persicaria minor leaves upon methyl jasmonate elicitation" [3].

Proteomic analysis of pitcher fluid from Nepenthes × ventrata.

The carnivorous plants of genus Nepenthes produce unique pitchers containing secretory glands, which secrete proteins into the digestive fluid. We investigated protein profile in the pitcher fluid during the first three days of opening to understand carnivory trait of Nepenthes × ventrata. The proteome analysis of pitcher fluid from N. × ventrata was performed by label-free quantitative liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (nLC-MS/MSALL). Raw MS data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD007251. This dataset allows the identification and quantification of proteins from pitcher fluids to elucidate proteins involved in carnivory physiology of Nepenthes species.

ESI-LC-MS based-metabolomics data of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana Linn.) fruit pericarp, aril and seed at different ripening stages.

Fruit ripening is a complex phenomenon involving a series of biochemical, physiological and organoleptic changes. Ripening process in mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana Linn.) is unique of which the fruit will only ripen properly if harvested during its middle stage (emergence of purple/pink colour) but not earlier (green stage). The knowledge on the molecular mechanism and regulation behind this phenomenon is still limited. Hence, electrospray ionization liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (ESI-LC-MS) based metabolomics analysis was applied to determine the metabolome of mangosteen ripening. Specifically, mangosteen pericarp, aril and seed were collected at four different ripening stages (stage 0: green, stage 2: yellowish with pink patches, stage 4: brownish red and stage 6: dark purple) and subjected to metabolite profiling analysis. The data provided in this article have been deposited to the EMBL-EBI MetaboLights database (DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks1004. PubMed PMID: 23109552) with the identifier MTBLS595. The complete dataset can be accessed here https://www.ebi.ac.uk/metabolights/MTBLS595.

Polygonumins A, a newly isolated compound from the stem of Polygonum minus Huds with potential medicinal activities.

Polygonumins A, a new compound, was isolated from the stem of Polygonum minus. Based on NMR results, the compound's structure is identical to that of vanicoside A, comprising four phenylpropanoid ester units and a sucrose unit. The structure differences were located at C-3″″'. The cytotoxic activity of polygonumins A was evaluated on several cancer cell lines by a cell viability assay using tetrazolium dye 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). The compound showed the highest antiproliferative (p < 0.05) activities against K562 (Human Leukaemia Cell Line), MCF7 (Human breast adenocarcinoma cell line), and HCT116 (Colorectal cancer cells) cells. Cytotoxic studies against V79-4 cells were carried out and showed that polygonumins A was toxic at 50 µg/ml, suggesting that this compound may be used as an anticancer drug without affecting normal cells. Polygonumins A also showed promising activity as an HIV-1 protease inhibitor with 56% relative inhibition. Molecular docking results indicated that the compound possesses high binding affinity towards the HIV protease over the low binding free energy range of -10.5 to -11.3 kcal/mol. P. minus is used in Malaysian traditional medicine for the treatment of tumour cells. This is the first report on the use of P. minus as an HIV-1 protease inhibitor.

RNA-seq analysis of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) fruit ripening.

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) is known for its delectable taste and contains high amount of xanthones which have been reported to possess anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and other bioactive properties. However, stage-specific regulation of mangosteen fruit ripening has never been studied in detail. We have performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of three ripening stages (Stage 0, 2 and 6) of mangosteen. We have obtained a raw data from six libraries through Illumina HiSeq 4000. A total of ~ 40 Gb of raw data were generated. Clean reads of 650,887,650 (bp) were obtained from 656,913,570 (bp) raw reads. The raw transcriptome data were deposited to SRA database, with the BioProject accession number of PRJNA339916. These data will be beneficial for transcriptome profiling in order to study the regulation of mangosteen fruit ripening. The lack of a complete sequence database from this species impedes protein identification. These data sets provide a reference data for the exploration of novel genes or proteins to understand mangosteen fruit ripening behaviour.

Phylogenetic inferences of Nepenthes species in Peninsular Malaysia revealed by chloroplast (trnL intron) and nuclear (ITS) DNA sequences.

BACKGROUND: The chloroplastic trnL intron and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region were sequenced for 11 Nepenthes species recorded in Peninsular Malaysia to examine their phylogenetic relationship and to evaluate the usage of trnL intron and ITS sequences for phylogenetic reconstruction of this genus. RESULTS: Phylogeny reconstruction was carried out using neighbor-joining, maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses. All the trees revealed two major clusters, a lowland group consisting of N. ampullaria, N. mirabilis, N. gracilis and N. rafflesiana, and another containing both intermediately distributed species (N. albomarginata and N. benstonei) and four highland species (N. sanguinea, N. macfarlanei, N. ramispina and N. alba). CONCLUSIONS: The trnL intron and ITS sequences proved to provide phylogenetic informative characters for deriving a phylogeny of Nepenthes species in Peninsular Malaysia. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular phylogenetic study of Nepenthes species occurring along an altitudinal gradient in Peninsular Malaysia.

Dataset of SSR markers for ISSR-Suppression-PCR to detect genetic variation in Garcinia mangostana L. in Peninsular Malaysia.

In this dataset, we present 15 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers with the motifs (AC)n, (GA)n, and (AC)n(AG)n using a ISSR-Suppression-PCR technique in order to discriminate Garcinia mangostana from diverse geographical origins in Peninsular Malaysia. A few loci showed differences between 3 and 6 bp in allele size, indicating that there are some polymorphisms between individuals correlating to the number of SSR repeats that may be useful for differentiate of genotypes. Collectively, these data show that the ISSR-Suppression-PCR is a valuable method to illustrate genetic variation of selected G. mangostana in Malaysia.

Dataset of Fourier transform-infrared coupled with chemometric analysis used to distinguish accessions of Garcinia mangostana L. in Peninsular Malaysia.

In this dataset, we distinguish 15 accessions of Garcinia mangostana from Peninsular Malaysia using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometric analysis. We found that the position and intensity of characteristic peaks at 3600-3100 cm(-) (1) in IR spectra allowed discrimination of G. mangostana from different locations. Further principal component analysis (PCA) of all the accessions suggests the two main clusters were formed: samples from Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan (South) were clustered together in one group while samples from Perak, Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Kelantan, and Terengganu (North and East Coast) were in another clustered group.

Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr. Induced Bronchiolitis Obliterans: From Botanical Studies to Toxicology.

Sauropus androgynus L. Merr. is one of the most popular herbs in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China where it was known as a slimming agent until two outbreaks of pulmonary dysfunction were reported in Taiwan and Japan in 1995 and 2005, respectively. Several studies described that the excessive consumption of Sauropus androgynus could cause drowsiness, constipation, and bronchiolitis obliterans and may lead to respiratory failure. Interestingly, this herb has been used in Malaysia and Indonesia in cooking and is commonly called the "multigreen" or "multivitamin" plant due to its high nutritive value and inexpensive source of dietary protein. The plant is widely used in traditional medicine for wound healing, inducing lactation, relief of urinary disorders, as an antidiabetic cure and also fever reduction. Besides these medicinal uses, the plant can also be used as colouring agent in food. This review will explore and compile the fragmented knowledge available on the botany, ethnobotany, chemical constitutes, pharmacological properties, and toxicological aspects of this plant. This comprehensive review will give readers the fundamental, comprehensive, and current knowledge regarding Sauropus androgynus L. Merr.