Comparative metabolomics analysis reveals alkaloid repertoires in young and mature Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil. Leaves.

The fresh leaves of Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil. have been traditionally consumed for centuries in Southeast Asia for its healing properties. Although the alkaloids of M. speciosa have been studied since the 1920s, comparative and systematic studies of metabolite composition based on different leaf maturity levels are still lacking. This study assessed the secondary metabolite composition in two different leaf stages (young and mature) of M. speciosa, using an untargeted liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-TOF-MS) metabolite profiling. The results revealed 86 putatively annotated metabolite features (RT:m/z value) comprising 63 alkaloids, 10 flavonoids, 6 terpenoids, 3 phenylpropanoids, and 1 of each carboxylic acid, glucoside, phenol, and phenolic aldehyde. The alkaloid features were further categorised into 14 subclasses, i.e., the most abundant class of secondary metabolites identified. As per previous reports, indole alkaloids are the most abundant alkaloid subclass in M. speciosa. The result of multivariate analysis (MVA) using principal component analysis (PCA) showed a clear separation of 92.8% between the young and mature leaf samples, indicating a high variance in metabolite levels between them. Akuammidine, alstonine, tryptamine, and yohimbine were tentatively identified among the many new alkaloids reported in this study, depicting the diverse biological activities of M. speciosa. Besides delving into the knowledge of metabolite distribution in different leaf stages, these findings have extended the current alkaloid repository of M. speciosa for a better understanding of its pharmaceutical potential.

The Impact of Plant Bioactive Compounds on Aging and Fertility of Diverse Organisms: A Review.

It is expected that in 2050, there will be more than 20% of senior citizens aged over 60 years worldwide. Such alarming statistics require immediate attention to improve the health of the aging population. Since aging is closely related to the loss of antioxidant defense mechanisms, this situation eventually leads to numerous health problems, including fertility reduction. Furthermore, plant extracts have been used in traditional medicine as potent antioxidant sources. Although many experiments had reported the impact of various bioactive compounds on aging or fertility, there is a lack of review papers that combine both subjects. In this review, we have collected and discussed various bioactive compounds from 26 different plant species known to affect both longevity and fertility. These compounds, including phenolics and terpenes, are mostly involved in the antioxidant defense mechanisms of diverse organisms such as rats, mites, fruit flies, roundworms, and even roosters. A human clinical trial should be considered in the future to measure the effects of these bioactive compounds on human health and longevity. Ultimately, these plant-derived compounds could be developed into health supplements or potential medical drugs to ensure a healthy aging population.

A Review on Plant Bioactive Compounds and Their Modes of Action Against Coronavirus Infection.

The rapid outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has demonstrated the need for development of new vaccine candidates and therapeutic drugs to fight against the underlying virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Currently, no antiviral treatment is available to treat COVID-19 as treatment is mostly directed to only relieving the symptoms. Retrospectively, herbal medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years as a medicinal alternative including for the treatment of various viral illnesses. However, a comprehensive description using various medicinal plants in treating coronavirus infection has not to date been described adequately, especially their modes of action. Most other reports and reviews have also only focused on selected ethnobotanical herbs such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, yet more plants can be considered to enrich the source of the anti-viral compounds. In this review, we have screened and identified potential herbal medicinal plants as anti-coronavirus medication across major literature databases without being limited to any regions or ethnobotanic criteria. As such we have successfully gathered experimentally validated in vivo, in vitro, or in silico findings of more than 30 plants in which these plant extracts or their related compounds, such as those of Artemisia annua L., Houttuynia cordata Thunb., and Sambucus formosana Nakai, are described through their respective modes of action against specific mechanisms or pathways during the viral infection. This includes inhibition of viral attachment and penetration, inhibition of viral RNA and protein synthesis, inhibition of viral key proteins such as 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CLpro) and papain-like protease 2 (PLpro), as well as other mechanisms including inhibition of the viral release and enhanced host immunity. We hope this compilation will help researchers and clinicians to identify the source of appropriate anti-viral drugs from plants in combating COVID-19 and, ultimately, save millions of affected human lives.

Modulation of Proteome Profile in AßPP/PS1 Mice Hippocampus, Medial Prefrontal Cortex, and Striatum by Palm Oil Derived Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction.

Tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) is a mixture of vitamin E analogs derived from palm oil. We previously demonstrated that supplementation with TRF improved cognitive function and modulated amyloid pathology in AßPP/PS1 mice brains. The current study was designed to examine proteomic profiles underlying the therapeutic effect of TRF in the brain. Proteomic analyses were performed on samples of hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and striatum using liquid chromatography coupled to Q Exactive HF Orbitrap mass spectrometry. From these analyses, we profiled a total of 5,847 proteins of which 155 proteins were differentially expressed between AßPP/PS1 and wild-type mice. TRF supplementation of these mice altered the expression of 255 proteins in the hippocampus, mPFC, and striatum. TRF also negatively modulated the expression of amyloid beta A4 protein and receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase alpha protein in the hippocampus. The expression of proteins in metabolic pathways, oxidative phosphorylation, and those involved in Alzheimer's disease were altered in the brains of AßPP/PS1 mice that received TRF supplementation.

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.

Gynura procumbens Improved Fertility of Diabetic Rats: Preliminary Study of Sperm Proteomic.

Gynura procumbens (GP) is a medicinal herb that has long been known as anti-inflammatory and antihyperglycaemic. Recently, this herbal extract has been associated with a profertility effect, suggesting its applicability in treating both diabetes and male infertility. In this study, the effects of GP aqueous extract (GPAE) on diabetic rats were investigated through evaluating testes histology and androgen hormone levels as well as the implantation sites of female rats on copulation with the treated male rats. Three dosages of GPAE were used (150, 300, and 450 mg/kg), and there were three control groups [normal, diabetic, and metformin-treated diabetic]. Testes histology, androgen hormone levels, and number of implantation sites of the GPAE-treated groups matched those of the normal group in contrast to the diabetic and metformin-treated diabetic controls. Sperm proteomics analysis identified 666 proteins, but only 88 were consistently found in all the control and 450-mg/kg GPAE-treated groups. Four proteins, including cysteine-rich secretory protein 1, carboxylesterase 5A, zona pellucida binding protein, and phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1, were significantly upregulated with GPAE treatment compared with the diabetic control, matching the protein levels of the normal group. These proteins were mainly involved in sperm maturation, sperm capacitation, and sperm-egg interaction, suggesting that GP treatment was able to restore the fertility of male diabetic rats at molecular protein level. In conclusion, GP treatment effectively treats infertility of male diabetic rats, possibly through the upregulation of proteins related to sperm maturation and sperm-egg interaction.