Two New α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Depsidones from the Lichen Parmotrema cristiferum (Taylor) Hale.

A bioactivity-guided investigation of the lichen Parmotrema cristiferum (Taylor) Hale (Parmeliaceae) led to the isolation of two new depsidones, cristifones A and B (1 and 2). The structures of the isolated compounds were identified by spectroscopic methods and comparison with the literature data. Compound 1 showed the initial combined structures of depsidone and depside cores. The two isolated compounds were then evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibition. Compounds 1 and 2 were confirmed as potent, with IC50 values of 21.5 and 18.4 µM, respectively. Compound 2 was a non-competitive inhibitor against α-glucosidase, as indicated by the intersect in the second quadrant of each respective plot.

Investigation of in vitro Biological Activity from Extracts of Ruellia tuberosa.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> <i>Ruellia tuberosa</i> is a common plant in the Mekong Delta and is widely used in many Vietnamese folk remedies. This study was conducted to investigate the potential use of roots, stems, leaves of <i>Ruellia tuberosa</i> as antioxidant, antimicrobial, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The extracts were tested for their ability to inhibit the enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase associated with diabetes. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-Azino-Bis-(3-Ethylbenzothiazoline-6-Sulfonic Acid) (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reducing power (RP) assays. The antibacterial activity of extracts from <i>Ruellia tuberosa</i> was evaluated by the agar well diffusion method. <b>Results:</b> The root extract of <i>Ruellia tuberosa</i> has more polyphenols (32.49±0.72 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoids (15.48±1.32 mg QE/g extract) than the other parts. Simultaneously, the root extract of <i>Ruellia tuberosa</i> has antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ values range from 117.67±2.82 to 569.20±7.68 µg/mL), inhibiting amylase (IC₅₀ = 266.72±10.58 µg/mL) and glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 147.13±3.58 µg/mL) enzymes more effectively than the other parts. Research results also show that extracts from <i>Ruellia tuberosa</i> are capable of inhibiting <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 1280 to 10240 mg/mL. <b>Conclusion:</b> These results highlighted the potential using of <i>Ruellia tuberosa</i> extracts as natural antioxidant, antimicrobial, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors agents.

Research on Passiflora foetida L. as a Pharmaceutical Treatment for Neurasthenia in Humans.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> This plant is known in many parts of the world and is used as medicine in some countries. In Vietnam, people know how to use <i>Passiflora foetida </i>L.,<i> </i>as an herb. There are many research works in the world, most of them focus on medicinal properties. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of samples of <i>Passiflora foetida </i>L., yellow fruit based on agronomic traits and the gene region of "<i>rbcL</i>". <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Seed samples were arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. The trial was a sample of <i>Passiflora foetida </i>L., species. The distance between sample plant is 3×2 m, so the total number of trees is 1,330 trees ha¹. The genetic relationship between them was determined through the construction of a phylogenetic tree in the "<i>rbcL</i>" gene region sequence. Data analysis and processing methods done by using X software. <b>Results:</b> The PCR results that amplify the "<i>rbcL</i>" gene region around 670 bp, the PCR products were then sequenced. The sequence results were compared with the sequences on the NCBI gene bank, showing that the sequences of the nine varieties/species all coincided with the <i>Passiflora foetida </i>Sims species sequences with a high similarity coefficient from 98.77 to 99.9%. Genetically shows that all nine species samples belong to <i>Passiflora foetida</i> which can be classified into three genetic samples of An Giang (LA1), Ca Mau (LA2) and Can Tho (LA3) which are genetically close to each other, have the same index. <b>Conclusion:</b> The heritability in the broad sense is high in the two traits of stem height and leaf length, so it can be considered that these two traits are controlled by genes. The cultivation of algae seeds to improve the productivity of these medicinal plant varieties is important in providing raw materials for the oriental medicine industry.

The Potential of Ameliorating COVID-19 and Sequelae From Andrographis paniculata via Bioinformatics.

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is alarmingly escalating and raises challenges in finding efficient compounds for treatment. Repurposing phytochemicals in herbs is an ideal and economical approach for screening potential herbal components against COVID-19. Andrographis paniculata, also known as Chuan Xin Lian, has traditionally been used as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial herb for centuries and has recently been classified as a promising herbal remedy for adjuvant therapy in treating respiratory diseases. This study aimed to screen Chuan Xin Lian's bioactive components and elicit the potential pharmacological mechanisms and plausible pathways for treating COVID-19 using network pharmacology combined with molecular docking. The results found terpenoid (andrographolide) and flavonoid (luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, and wogonin) derivatives had remarkable potential against COVID-19 and sequelae owing to their high degrees in the component-target-pathway network and strong binding capacities in docking scores. In addition, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway might be the most vital molecular pathway in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and long-term sequelae whereby therapeutic strategies can intervene.

Two new phenolic compounds from Boerhavia erecta collected in Vietnam.

Boerhavia erecta is a tropical plant that is widely used in Asian folk medicine. Little is known about the alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antimicrobial properties of compounds from this plant. In the present study, the phytochemical study of the aerial parts of B. erecta collected in Vietnam was conducted using multiple chromatographic methods. The chemical structures of isolated compounds were identified by comprehensive spectroscopic methods. Two new compounds, berectone C (1) and (E)-tetracosyl 3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)acrylate (4), together with the known compounds boeravinone C (2), liquiritigenin (3), bis(1H-indol-3-yl)methanone (5), and indole-3-carboxylic acid (6) were isolated and structural elucidated. Compounds 1 and 4 were evaluated for alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant, pathogenic bacteria Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Compound 1 showed strong inhibition of the alpha-glucosidase enzyme (IC50 43 µg/mL). Only compound 1 exhibited antimicrobial property against A. baumannii, forming an inhibition zone of 11 mm.

Polysciosides J and K, two new oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins from the leaves of Polyscias fruticosa (L.) harms. cultivating in An Giang Province, Viet Nam.

For the first time, the phytochemical constituents of the leaves of Polyscias fruticosa (L.) Harms. cultivating in An Giang Province, Viet Nam were investigated and led to purify two new oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins, named polyscioside J (1) and polyscioside K (2) together with two known saponins, ladyginoside A (3) and chikusetsusaponin IVa (4) using variously chromatographic methods. Saponin (4) was reported for the first time from this species. Their structures were verified by IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, NMR 1D and 2D experiments and compared with previous literatures.