A comprehensive review on the ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological aspects of the genus Malvastrum.

The genus Malvastrum, from the family Malvaceae, is a small genus of twenty four species, distributed worldwide. Some of the species have a long and rich history of ethnobotanical and traditional medicinal uses. Few reports of systematic scientific studies can be found in the literature which highlight the rich chemical profile and pharmacological properties of the genus. This is the first ever attempt to compile the available literature and provide a critical overview for future studies on the genus. For this purpose, several databases, such as PubMed, Scifinder, Elsevier, Google Scholar, and others were utilized. Literature records the presence of bioactive metabolites in the genus, effective against dysentery, gastrointestinal distress, fever, enteritis, hepatitis, cough, sore throat, arthritis, and diabetes. Seventy four biologically active secondary metabolites have been identified from different species of Malvastrum, including four pure isolates. Furthermore, this report also documents their potential properties. This article may prove as a milestone for new researchers, eager to work on Malvastrum species and perform further in-depth studies on this genus.

Green synthesis and biomedicinal applications of silver and gold nanoparticles functionalized with methanolic extract of Mentha longifolia.

This study deals with facile and rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using Mentha longifolia leaves extracts (MLE). The synthesized AgNPs and AuNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transformed infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The phytochemical analysis showed the presence of bioactive secondary metabolites, which are involved in the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs). The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) observed at 435 and 550 nm, confirmed the green synthesis of AgNPs and AuNPs, respectively. The TEM images showed poly dispersed and round oval shapes of Ag and Au NPs with an average particles size of 10.23 ± 2 nm and 13.45 ± 2 nm, respectively. TEM results are in close agreements with that of AFM analysis. The FT-IR spectroscopy revealed the presence of OH, -NH2 and C = O groups, which involved in the synthesis of NPs. The MLE and their AgNPs and AuNP exhibited good in vitro antibacterial and anti-oxidant activities. Moreover, MLE and NPs also showed in vivo analgesic activities in mice, and excellent sedative properties in open field test paradigm.

Short Communication: Discovery and molecular docking simulation of 7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2H-chromen-2-one as a LOX Inhibitor.

Millettia ovalifolia is traditionally used in variety of diseases including inflammation. In our investigation in to the phytochemical constituents of Millettia ovalifolia an effort was made to find out bioactive constituent from medicinal Plant M. ovalifolia to scientifically validate its use in inflammatory disorders. The compound 7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2H-chromen-2-one was isolated from the bark of M. ovalifolia and was found to exhibited significant lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitory activity with (IC50 value: 116.83±0.02µM). The Standard compounds Baicalein and Tenidap sodium revealed IC50 value being 22.1±0.03µM and 41.6±0.02µM. Molecular docking study further displayed significant molecular interactions between 7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2H-chromen-2-one and LOX showed potential for further optimization as a possible anti-inflammatory lead compound.

Multidrug resistance reversal activity of extract and a rare dimeric naphthoquinone from Diospyros lotus.

A dimeric naphthoquinone namely dihydrodyspyrole R (1) was purified once more from Diospyros lotus. Dihydrodyspyrole R and chloroform fractions were evaluated for their effects on the reversion of multidrug resistance (MDR). The compounds (1) and extract exhibited promising MDR reversing effect in a dose-dependent manner against mouse T-lymphoma cell line. Molecular docking of compound 1 revealed the correlation between in-silico with in-vitro results. The molecular docking results showed that compound 1 is bind closely where co-crystal ligand of P-gp is present. But usually, computational investigation predicts that, if a compound gives lesser score then compound will exhibit good activity. Hence, the docking scores of compound 1 are the near to the Rhodamine. It is conclude that there are certain important structural features of compound 1which are responsible for the inhibiting potency of P-gp from mice. The computational Petra/Osiris/Molinspiration (POM) analysis confirms the possibility of use of compound 1 without side effect or less toxicity risks.

Diospyros, an under-utilized, multi-purpose plant genus: A review.

The genus Diospyros from family Ebenaceae has versatile uses including edible fruits, valuable timber, and ornamental uses. The plant parts of numerous species have been in use as remedies in various folk healing practices, which include therapy for hemorrhage, incontinence, insomnia, hiccough, diarrhea etc. Phytochemical constituents such as terpenoids, ursanes, lupanes, polyphenols, tannins, hydrocarbons, and lipids, benzopyrones, naphthoquinones, oleananes, and taraxeranes have been isolated from different species of this genus. The biological activities of these plants such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, anthelmintic, antihypertensive, cosmeceutical, enzyme-inhibitory etc. have been validated by means of an in vitro, in vivo, and clinical tests. As a rich reserve of pharmacologically important components, this genus can accelerate the pace of drug discovery. Accordingly, the aim of the present review is to survey and summarize the recent literature pertaining to the medicinal and pharmacological uses of Diospyros, and to select experimental evidence on the pharmacological properties of this genus. In addition, the review also aims at identifying areas that need development to make use of this genus, especially its fruit and phytochemicals as means for economic development and for drug discovery.

Sedative-hypnotic-like effect and molecular docking of di-naphthodiospyrol from Diospyros lotus in an animal model.

BACKGROUND: Diospyros lotus Linn commonly known as date-plum, or Caucasian persimmon has multiple uses in folk medicine. Various parts of this plant is used for alleviating lumbago, dysponea, hemorrhage, insomnia, and hiccup. The plant extracts possess a variety of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, sedative, febrifuge, anti-microbial, vermifuge, and anti-hypertensive. AIM/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the present work is to investigate the sedative-hypnotic effect of a rare dimeric napthoquione 1 obtained from the chloroform soluble fraction of D. lotus extracts. METHODS: Compound 1, di-naphthodiospyrol at 5, 10, and 15mg/kg intraperitoneal doses was assessed for its in vivo sedative effect in an open-field using a phenobarbitone-induced sleeping time model. The geometry of di-naphthodiospyrol was also optimized with the aid of density functional theory. In addition, molecular docking of compound 1 was performed with the receptor GABAA. RESULTS: The animal protocol-based assay showed significant sedative-hypnotic-like effects of compound 1 at various test doses (5, 10, and 15mg/kg i.p.). Docking studies indicated that this compound interacts strongly with important residues in receptor GABAA. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this investigation reveal that compound 1 possesses sedative-hypnotic- like properties which can be of interest in therapeutic research.

In vivo and in silico sedative-hypnotic like activity of 7-methyljuglone isolated from Diospyros lotus L.

Diospyros lotus L. possesses different therapeutic activities such as antioxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-microbial and sedative. However, no studies on the sedative-hypnotic activity of 7-methyljuglone are reported. In the present study, we have evaluated in vivo the anxiolytic-hypnotic like effects of 7-methyljuglone in mice with open field and phenobarbitone-induced sleeping time tests. We have also assessed in silico the involvement of GABAA, GABAB and 5HT1 neurotransmission in its mechanism of action. The intraperitoneal administration of 7-methyljuglone (2.5-10mg/kg) reduce significantly the number of crossed lines in mice open field test and concomitantly it shown a significant activity in term of onset of sleeping time and also in its duration. Moreover, 7-methyljuglone demonstrated in silico an interesting interaction with GABAA but not GABAB and 5HT1binding sites. All of these results, taken together, 7-methyljuglone may be an innovative candidate for designing new pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications.

Gastrointestinal Motility and Acute Toxicity of Pistagremic Acid Isolated from the Galls of Pistacia integerrima.

BACKGROUND: Pistacia integerrima has many medicinal uses in therapeutic as well as folk medicine. P. integerrima has been used for the treatment of different ailments such as blood purifier, anti-inflammatory, and as remedy for gastrointestinal disorders such as vomiting and diarrhea, expectorant, cough, asthma and fever. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this research work was to evaluate the effect of pistagremic acid (PA) isolated from the galls of Pistacia integerima in acute toxicity and gastrointestinal (GIT) motility tests. METHODS: Compound 1 namely pistagremic acid (PA) (at 10, 50, 100 mg/kg i.p) were assessed for their in-vivo gastrointestinal motility test using charcoal screening model. RESULTS: Results revealed that pretreatment of PA exhibited substantial safety in acute toxicity test up to the dose of 500 mg/kg p.o. However, when studied in charcoal meal GI transit test, PA caused significant (p < 0.05) attenuation of GIT motility and an increase in intestinal transit time, comparable to atropine (a muscarinic receptor blocking agent). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, PA displayed a strong dose-dependent reduction in GIT motility with considerable safety.

Urease inhibition potential of Di-naphthodiospyrol from Diospyros lotus roots.

The dimeric napthoquione 5,8,4'-trihydroxy-1'-methoxy-6, 6'-dimethyl-7,3'-binaphtyl-1,4,5',8'-tetraone (1) was isolated from the chloroform fraction of Diospyros lotus extract. Compound 1 was screened for its inhibitory effects against four enzymes: urease, phosphodiesterase-I, carbonic anhydrase-II and α-chymotrypsin, and showed selective activity against urease enzyme with an IC50 value of 254.1 ± 3.82 µM as compared to the standard thiourea (IC50 = 21 ± 0.11 µM). Furthermore, in silico docking study was carried out to explain the molecular mechanism of compound 1 against the target receptor.

Phytochemical, ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological profile of genus Pistacia.

Pistacia genus belong to family Anacardiaceae and it is versatile in that its member species have food (P. vera), medicinal (P. lentiscus) and ornamental (P. chinensis) values. Various species of this genus have folkloric uses with credible mention in diverse pharmacopeia. As a trove of phenolic compounds, terpenoids, monoterpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, fatty acids, and sterols, this genus has garnered pharmaceutical attention in recent times. With adequate clinical studies, this genus might be exploited for therapy of a multitude of inflammatory diseases, as promised by preliminary studies. In this regard, the ethnomedicinal, phytochemistry, biological potencies, risks, and scopes of Pistacia genus have been reviewed here.

Bioassay-guided isolation of novel and selective urease inhibitors from Diospyros lotus.

Two new dimeric naphthoquinones, 5',8'-dihydroxy-6,6'-dimethyl-7,3'-binaphthyl-1,4,1',4'-tetraone (1; Di-naphthodiospyrol D) and 5',8'-dihydroxy-5,8-dimethoxy-6,6'-dimethyl-7,3'-binaphthyl-1,4,1',4'-tetraone (2; Di-naphthodiospyrol E), along with known naphthoquinones diospyrin (3) and 8-hydroxy diospyrin (4) were isolated from the chloroform fraction of extract of Diospyros lotus roots. Their structures were elucidated by advanced spectroscopic analyses, including HSQC, HMBC, NOESY, and J-resolved NMR experiments. The fractions and compounds 1-4 were evaluated for urease activity and phosphodiesterase-I, carbonic anhydrase-II and α-chymotrypsin enzyme inhibitory activities. Compounds 1 and 2 and their corresponding fractions showed significant and selective inhibitory effects on urease activities. The IC50 values of 1 and 2 were 260.4 ± 6.37 and 381.4 ± 4.80 µmol·L-1, respectively, using thiourea (IC50 = 21 ± 0.11 µmol·L-1) as the standard inhibitor. This was the first report demonstrating that the naphthoquinones class showed urease inhibition.

Reversal of Multidrug Resistance and Computational Studies of Pistagremic Acid Isolated from Pistacia integerrima.

Pistagremic acid (PA) is a bioactive triterpenoid isolated from various parts of Pistacia integerrima plants. The aim of this research was to investigate PA for reversion of multidrug resistant (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein using rhodamine-123 exclusion study on a multidrug resistant human ABCB1 (ATP-binding cassette, sub-family B, member 1) gene-transfected mouse T-lymphoma cell line in vitro. Results were similar to those with verapamil as a positive control. Docking studies of PA and standard Rhodamine123 were carried out against a P-gp crystal structure which showed satisfactory results. Actually, PA cannot bind exactly where co-crystallized ligand of P-gp is already present. However, the docking study predicted that if a compound gives a lesser score then it may have some potency. The docking scores of PA and Rhodamine were similar. Therefore, we can conclude that there are certain important chemical features of PA which are responsible for the inhibiting potency of P-gp.

Antinociceptive, antioxidant and phytochemical studies of Pakistani medicinal plants.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of the selected Pakistani medicinal plants (Chenopodium botrys, Micromeria biflora and Teucrium stocksianum) in-vivo followed by their antioxidant potential against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazyl (DPPH) in-vitro. The results demonstrated profound antinociceptive effect of both the crude methanolic extract of Chenopodium botrys (CBM) and subsequent aqueous fraction (CBW) of C. botrys with 80.76% and 84% pain relief in acetic acid induced writhing test at 100 mg/kg i.p respectively. Similarly the crude methanolic extract of Micromeria biflora (MBM) and its subsequent aqueous fraction (MBW) with 66.46% 78.08% pain reversal in acetic acid induced writhing test respectively at 100mg/kg i.p. However, the crude methanolic extract and isolated water fraction of Teucrium stocksianum (TS) did not show any significant effect at test doses. Both the crude extracts and aqueous fractions of selected medicinal plants exhibited marked scavenging effects on DPPH and therefore strongly support the antinociceptive activity. Phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of various classes of natural products (alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids etc.) and thus the current finding can be attributed to the presence of these compounds. In short, our findings provide a strong scientific background to the folk uses C. botrys and M. biflora in the management of various painful conditions.

Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of flavonoids isolated from Pistacia integerrima galls.

The present study deals with the anti-hyperalgesic and anti-inflammtory effects of flavonoids (1-4) isolated from the chloroform fraction of Pistacia integerrima galls. The structure of isolated compounds was elucidated by using advance spectroscopy analysis and comparing their physical spectral data with reported one. The pretreatment of compounds (1-4) caused significant anti-hyperalgesic effects in acetic acid induced writhing test in a dose dependent manner. The compounds strongly complimented the effects in both phases of formalin test. However, the administration of naloxone did not abolish the induced antinociceptive effects and therefore suggested the absence of opioid receptor involvement. The pretreatment of flavonoids (1-4) elicited marked anti-inflammtory effects in carrageenan induced paw edema test in mice during various assessment times (1-5 h). The effects were dose dependent and maximum results were observed after 3rd h of treatments which remained significant up to 5th hour. It is concluded that the isolated flavonoids (1-4) possessed strong anti-hyperalgesic and anti-inflammtory activity and thus are strong candidates for further detail studies.

Biological Evaluation and Docking Analysis of Daturaolone as Potential Cyclooxygenase Inhibitor.

This study deals with the isolation of the active constituent(s) from a methanolic extract of Pistacia integerrima J. L. Stewart barks and it was also oriented to evaluate the in vivo and in silico anti-inflammatory activity. By NMR and crystallography techniques, we have isolated a triterpenoid identified as daturaolone (compound 1). This compound showed in vivo a significant and dose dependent (1-30 mg/kg) anti-inflammatory activity on carrageenan-induced mouse paw oedema (ED50 = 10.1 mg/kg) and on acetic acid-induced writhing responses in mice (ED50 = 13.8 mg/kg). In the in vivo experiments, the effect of tested compound was also evaluated in presence of the reference drug diclofenac (1-30 mg/kg). Moreover, in silico analysis of receptor ligand complex shows that compound 1 interacts with cyclooxygenases (COXs) binding sites displaying an interesting interaction with COX-1. These findings suggest that compound 1 isolated from P. integerrima possesses in vivo anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive potentials, which are supported in silico by an interaction with COXs receptors.

Reversal of Multidrug Resistance in Mouse Lymphoma Cells by Extracts and Flavonoids from Pistacia integerrima.

Phytochemical investigation of Pistacia integerrima has highlighted isolation of two known compounds naringenin (1) and dihydrokaempferol (2). A crude extract and these isolated compounds were here evaluated for their effects on reversion of multidrug resistance (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein is a target for chemotherapeutic drugs from cancer cells. In the present study rhodamine- 123 exclusion screening test on human mdr1 gene transfected mouse gene transfected L5178 and L5178Y mouse T-cell lymphoma cells showed excellent MDR reversing effects in a dose dependent manner. In-silico molecular docking investigations demonstrated a common binding site for Rhodamine123, and compounds naringenin and dihydrokaempferol. Our results showed that the relative docking energies estimated by docking softwares were in satisfactory correlation with the experimental activities. Preliminary interaction profile of P-gp docked complexes were also analysed in order to understand the nature of binding modes of these compounds. Our computational investigation suggested that the compounds interactions with the hydrophobic pocket of P-gp are mainly related to the inhibitory activity. Moreover this study s a platform for the discovery of novel natural compounds from herbal origin, as inhibitor molecules against the P-glycoprotein for the treatment of cancer.

Urease inhibitory profile of extracts and chemical constituents of Pistacia atlantica ssp. cabulica Stocks.

The current study was designed to evaluate the urease inhibitory profile of extract and fractions of Pistacia atlantica ssp. cabulica Stocks followed by bioactivity-guided isolated compounds. The crude extract was found significantly active with urease inhibitor (95.40% at 0.2 mg/mL) with IC50 values of 32.0 ± 0.28 µg/mL. Upon fractionation, ethyl acetate fraction displayed 100% urease inhibition with IC50 values of 19.9 ± 0.51 µg/mL at 0.2 mg/mL. However, n-hexane and chloroform fractions exhibited insignificant urease inhibition. Similarly, the isolated compound, transilitin (1) and dihydro luteolin (2) demonstrated marked urease attenuation with 95 and 98% respectively, at 0.15 mg/mL. Both the isolated compounds showed marked potency with IC50 values of 8.54 ± 0.54 and 9.58 ± 2.22 µg/mL, respectively. In short, both the extract and fractions and isolated compounds showed marked urease inhibition and thus a useful natural source of urease inhibition.

Bioassay-guided isolation of antibacterial constituents from Diospyros lotus roots.

The aim of this study was to explore the extract/fractions and compounds of Diospyros lotus against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strain. The results showed marked susceptibility of extract and its fractions against test pathogens. Among them, chloroform fraction was most dominant and effective against all tested bacteria. The chloroform fraction was subjected to column chromatography which led to the isolation of lupeol (1), 7-methyljuglone (2), ß-sitosterol (3), stigmasterol (4), betulinic acid (5), diospyrin (6) and 8-hydroxyisodiospyrin (7). Among the isolated compounds, betulinic acid (5) showed significant activity against most of the tested pathogen. In conclusion, our study validated the traditional uses of the plant in the treatment of infectious diseases which was also strongly supported by the isolated compound, betulinic acid (5).

Anti-tumour-promoting and thermal-induced protein denaturation inhibitory activities of ß-sitosterol and lupeol isolated from Diospyros lotus L.

In this study, the anti-tumour-promoting and thermal-induced protein denaturation inhibitory activities of ß-sitosterol (1) and lupeol (2), isolated from Diospyros lotus L., were explored. Compound 1 showed a marked concentration-dependent inhibition against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (20 ng/32 pmol)-induced Epstein-Barr virus early antigen activation in Raji cells with IC50 of 270 µg/ml, without significant toxicity (70% viability). Compound 2 showed significant anti-tumour-promoting effect with IC50 of 412 µg/ml, without significant toxicity (60% viability). In heat-induced protein denaturation assay, compound 1 exhibited a concentration-dependent attenuation with a maximum effect of 73.5% at 500 µg/ml with EC50 of 117 µg/ml, while compound 2 exhibited a maximum effect of 59.2% at 500 µg/ml with EC50 of 355 µg/ml. Moreover, in silico docking studies against the phosphoinositide 3-kinase enzyme also show the inhibitory potency of these compounds. In short, both the compounds exhibited a marked anti-tumour-promoting and potent inhibitory effect on thermal-induced protein denaturation.

Phosphodiesterase-1 Inhibitory Activity of Two Flavonoids Isolated from Pistacia integerrima J. L. Stewart Galls.

Pistacia integerrima is one of twenty species among the genus Pistacia. 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 of P. integerrima galls and it was also oriented to evaluate in vitro and in silico their 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 of P. integerrima galls and some of its active constituents [naringenin (1) and 3,5,7,4'-tetrahydroxy-flavanone (2)] are able in vitro to inhibit PDE1 activity (59.20 ± 4.95%, 75.90 ± 5.90%, and 65.25 ± 5.25%, resp.) and demonstrate in silico an interesting interaction with this enzymatic site. Taken together, our results add new knowledge of chemical constituents responsible for the biological activity of P. integerrima and contextually legitimate the use of this plant in folk medicine.