Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry, and Biological Activities of the Genus Cordyline.

Cordyline species have a long history in traditional medicine as a basis of treatment for various ailments such as a bloody cough, dysentery, and a high fever. There are about 26 accepted species names in this genus distributed worldwide, including C. fruticosa, C. autralis, C. stricta, C. cannifolia, and C. dracaenosides. This work presents a comprehensive review of the traditional uses of plants of the genus Cordylie and their chemical constituents and biological activities. A bibliographic search was conducted to identify available information on ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, chemical composition, and biological activities. A total of 98 isolated compounds potentially responsible for most of the traditional medicinal applications have been reported from eight species of Cordyline and are characterised as flavonoid, spirostane, furostane, and cholestane glycosides. Some of these pure compounds, as well as extracts from some species of Cordyline, have exhibited noteworthy anti-oxidant, antiproliferative, antimicrobial, and hypolipidemic activities. Although many of these species have not yet been investigated phytochemically or pharmacologically, they remain a potential source of new bioactive compounds.

Antileishmanial and Antiplasmodial Activities of Secondary Metabolites from the Root of Antrocaryon klaineanum Pierre (Anacardiaceae).

Antrocaryon klaineanum is traditionally used for the treatment of back pain, malaria, female sterility, chlamydiae infections, liver diseases, wounds, and hemorrhoid. This work aimed at investigating the bioactive compounds with antileishmanial and antiplasmodial activities from A. klaineanum. An unreported glucocerebroside antroklaicerebroside (1) together with five known compounds (2-6) were isolated from the root barks of Antrocaryon klaineanum using chromatographic techniques. The NMR, MS, and IR spectroscopic data in association with previous literature were used for the characterization of all the isolated compounds. Compounds 1-4 are reported for the first time from A. klaineanum. The methanol crude extract (AK-MeOH), the n-hexane fraction (AK-Hex), the dichloromethane fraction (AK-DCM), the ethyl acetate fraction (AK-EtOAc), and compounds 1-6 were all evaluated for their antiparasitic effects against Plasmodium falciparum strains susceptible to chloroquine (3D7), resistant to chloroquine (Dd2), and promastigotes of Leishmania donovani (MHOM/SD/62/1S). The AK-Hex, AK-EtOAc, AK-MeOH, and compound 2 were strongly active against Dd2 strain with IC50 ranging from 2.78 ± 0.06 to 9.30 ± 0.29 µg/mL. Particularly, AK-MeOH was the most active-more than the reference drugs used-with an IC50 of 2.78 ± 0.06 µg/mL. The AK-EtOAc as well as all the tested compounds showed strong antileishmanial activities with IC50 ranging from 4.80 ± 0.13 to 9.14 ± 0.96 µg/mL.

Analysis of Quil A-phospholipid mixtures using drift spectroscopy.

The aim of this study was to investigate molecular interactions between Quil A and phosphatidylcholine in the solid state using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Analysis of the interactions was characterized on the different regions of phosphatidylcholine: hydrophobic chain, interfacial and headgroup regions. The spectra of the hydrocarbon region of phosphatidylcholine alone compared to that for the binary mixture of Quil A and phosphatidylcholine were similar. These findings suggest that Quil A did not cause conformational disorder of the fatty acyl chains of the phospholipid. In contrast, a shift in the wavenumber of the choline group and a broad band in this moiety indicate a modification of the phospholipid in the headgroup region due to interaction between Quil A and phosphatidylcholine. These results suggest possibly ionic interactions between the negatively charged glucuronic acid moiety of the Quil A molecule with the positively charged choline group. The findings could also be the result of conformational changes in the choline group because of the intercalation of sugar moieties in Quil A between the choline and phosphate groups due to hydrogen bonding. Shift of wavenumbers to lower values on the carbonyl group was observed suggesting hydrogen bonding between Quil A and phosphatidylcholine. The difference in degrees of wavenumber shift (choline>phosphate>carbonyl group) and observed broad bands indicated that Quil A preferentially interacted with phosphatidylcholine on the hydrophilic headgroup. Cholesterol influenced such interactions at relatively high concentration (60%, w/w).

Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams of aqueous mixtures of Quil A, cholesterol and phospholipid prepared by the lipid-film hydration method.

Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams of the polar lipids Quil A, cholesterol (Chol) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) in aqueous mixtures prepared by the lipid film hydration method (where dried lipid film of phospholipids and cholesterol are hydrated by an aqueous solution of Quil A) were investigated in terms of the types of particulate structures formed therein. Negative staining transmission electron microscopy and polarized light microscopy were used to characterize the colloidal and coarse dispersed particles present in the systems. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were established for lipid mixtures hydrated in water and in Tris buffer (pH 7.4). The effect of equilibration time was also studied with respect to systems hydrated in water where the samples were stored for 2 months at 4 degrees C. Depending on the mass ratio of Quil A, Chol and PC in the systems, various colloidal particles including ISCOM matrices, liposomes, ring-like micelles and worm-like micelles were observed. Other colloidal particles were also observed as minor structures in the presence of these predominant colloids including helices, layered structures and lamellae (hexagonal pattern of ring-like micelles). In terms of the conditions which appeared to promote the formation of ISCOM matrices, the area of the phase diagrams associated with systems containing these structures increased in the order: hydrated in water/short equilibration period