RESUMO
Cucurbitaceae is an important plant family because many of its species are consumed as food, and used in herbal medicines, cosmetics, etc. It comprises annual vines and is rich in various bioactive principles which include the cucurbitacins. These steroidal natural products, derived from the triterpene cucurbitane, are mainly the bitter principles of the family Cucurbitaceae. Their biological activities include anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and anti-cancer activities. A total of 10 species belonging to 6 genera of the Cucurbitaceae family along with Cissampelos pareira (Menispermaceae) were included in this study. A comprehensive profiling of certain natural products was developed using HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis and a distribution profile of several major natural products in this family was obtained. A total of 51 natural products were detected in both positive and negative ionization modes, based on accurate masses and fragmentation patterns. Along with this, quantitation of four bioactive cucurbitacins, found in various important plants of the Cucurbitaceae family, was carried out using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) approach on an ion trap mass spectrometer. Cucurbitacin Q was found to be the most abundant in C. pareira, while Citrullus colocynthis contained all four cucurbitacins in abundant quantities. The developed quantitation method is simple, rapid, and reproducible.
Assuntos
Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Pressão/métodos , Cucurbitaceae/metabolismo , Cucurbitacinas/química , Extratos Vegetais/química , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem/métodos , Cucurbitaceae/química , Cucurbitaceae/classificação , Cucurbitacinas/metabolismo , Estrutura Molecular , Extratos Vegetais/metabolismoRESUMO
A novel sesterterpene, leucosceptrine, was isolated from the medicinal plant Leucosceptrum canum from Nepal. The structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. The biosynthesis of leucosceptrine (1) is proposed here. Leucosceptrine (1) exhibited prolylendopeptidase inhibitory activity.
Assuntos
Lamiaceae/química , Serina Endopeptidases/metabolismo , Inibidores de Serina Proteinase/isolamento & purificação , Cristalografia por Raios X , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética , Modelos Moleculares , Conformação Molecular , Nepal , Plantas Medicinais/química , Prolil Oligopeptidases , Inibidores de Serina Proteinase/química , Inibidores de Serina Proteinase/farmacologia , Terpenos/química , Terpenos/isolamento & purificação , Terpenos/farmacologiaRESUMO
In vitro biological activities including bactericidal, fungicidal and insecticidal activities as well as phytotoxicity and brine shrimp toxicity of the petroleum ether, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of Iris germanica L. were determined. The bactericidal activity of the extracts was assayed by the agar well diffusion test. In the fungicidal test, the agar tube dilution method was used. The insecticidal activity was determined by the exposure method. The toxicity of the extracts was evaluated by the phytotoxicity test as well as the brine shrimp toxicity test. The chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of I. germanica rhizomes exhibited bactericidal activity, while the petroleum ether extract did not exhibit any bactericidal, fungicidal and insecticidal activities. It was also inactive in the brine shrimp toxicity test, whereas it showed significant phytotoxicity against the plant Lemna aequinoctialis Welv. Two known isoflavones were isolated from the chloroform extract of the plant.