Isolation, Characterization and In Silico Studies of Secondary Metabolites from the Whole Plant of Polygala inexpectata Pesmen & Erik.

Polygala species are frequently used worldwide in the treatment of various diseases, such as inflammatory and autoimmune disorders as well as metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, due to the large number of secondary metabolites they contain. The present study was performed on Polygala inexpectata, which is a narrow endemic species for the flora of Turkey, and resulted in the isolation of nine known compounds, 6,3'-disinapoyl-sucrose (1), 6-O-sinapoyl,3'-O-trimethoxy-cinnamoyl-sucrose (tenuifoliside C) (2), 3'-O-(O-methyl-feruloyl)-sucrose (3), 3'-O-(sinapoyl)-sucrose (4), 3'-O-trimethoxy-cinnamoyl-sucrose (glomeratose) (5), 3'-O-feruloyl-sucrose (sibiricose A5) (6), sinapyl alcohol 4-O-glucoside (syringin or eleutheroside B) (7), liriodendrin (8), and 7,4'-di-O-methylquercetin-3-O-ß-rutinoside (ombuin 3-O-rutinoside or ombuoside) (9). The structures of the compounds were determined by the spectroscopic methods including 1D-NMR (1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT-135), 2D-NMR (COSY, NOESY, HSQC, HMBC), and HRMS. The isolated compounds were shown in an in silico setting to be accommodated well within the inhibitor-binding pockets of myeloperoxidase and inducible nitric oxide synthase and anchored mainly through hydrogen-bonding interactions and π-effects. It is therefore plausible to suggest that the previously established anti-inflammatory properties of some Polygala-derived phytochemicals may be due, in part, to the modulation of pro-inflammatory enzyme activities.

Oligosaccharide and glucose esters from the roots of Polygala arillata.

The root of plant Polygala arillata has been used in the Oriental medicine as a tonic and for the treatment of certain diseases. Our current research on phytochemical profile of the roots of P. arillata led to the isolation of a new oligosaccharide ester (1, polygaloside), a new glucose ester (7, arillatoside), along with five known sucrose esters (2-6). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive chemical and spectroscopic methods as well as comparison with those reported in the literature. The occurence of various oligosaccharide esters in P. arillata including unique compounds plays taxonomical impact and suggests potential in medicinal uses of the title plant.

Discrimination of Natural Mature Acacia Honey Based on Multi-Physicochemical Parameters Combined with Chemometric Analysis.

Honey maturity is an important factor in evaluating the quality of honey. We established a method for the identification of natural mature acacia honey with eighteen physicochemical parameters combined with chemometric analysis. The analysis of variance showed significant differences between mature and immature acacia honey in physicochemical parameters. The principal component analysis explained 82.64% of the variance among samples, and indicated that total phenolic content, total protein content, and total sugar (glucose, fructose, sucrose) were the major variables. The cluster analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis demonstrated that samples were grouped in relation to the maturity coinciding with the results of the principal component analysis. Meanwhile, the 35 test samples were classified with 100% accuracy with the method of multi-physicochemical parameters combined with chemometric analysis. All the results presented above proved the possibility of identifying mature acacia honey and immature acacia honey according to the chemometric analysis based on the multi-physicochemical parameters.

Rapidly Simultaneous Determination of Six Effective Components in Cistanche tubulosa by Near Infrared Spectroscopy.

Quantitative determination of multiple effective components in a given plant usually requires a very large amount of authentic natural products. In this study, we proposed a rapid and non-destructive method for the simultaneous determination of echinacoside, verbascoside, mannitol, sucrose, glucose and fructose in Cistanche tubulosa by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were conducted on 116 batches of C. tubulosa samples. The DRS data were processed using standard normal variety (SNV) and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) methods. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was utilized to build calibration models for components-of-interest in C. tubulosa. All models were then assessed by calculating the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), correlation coefficient of calibration (r). The r values of all six calibration models were determined to be greater than 0.94, suggesting each model is reliable. Therefore, the quantitative NIR models reported in this study can be qualified to accurately quantify the contents of six medicinal components in C. tubulosa.

1H NMR spectroscopy-guided isolation of new sucrose esters from Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii and their antibacterial activity.

Ten new sucrose esters, physakengoses A-J (1-10), were isolated from the aerial parts of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii under the guidance of 1H NMR spectroscopy. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses (HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, and ESIMS) and chemical methods. These new compounds were tested for antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Among them, compounds 2 and 5-8 showed potent inhibitory effects against test strains with MIC values ranging from 3.5 to 14.9µg/mL. These findings may indicate that the P. alkekengi var. franchetii has potential application as an ingredient in pharmaceuticals.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatographic method to quantify sucrose, glucose, and fructose in tubers of Solanum tuberosum Group Phureja.

A High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated to quantify sucrose (non-reducing sugar), glucose, and fructose (reducing sugars) in raw tubers of Solanum tuberosum Group Phureja. Chromatographic analysis was performed using an AMINEX HPX 87H column, at 18 °C, linked to a refraction index detector, at 35 °C. The eluent was 10mM sulfuric acid. The conditions established for the method provided an optimum separation of sugars, citric acid, and malic acid, with resolution values higher or equal to one. Among the four sugar extraction methods tested, the double 50% (v/v) aqueous methanol extraction gave the highest level of analytes. Recovery of this extraction method ranged between 94.14 and 99.77%. The HPLC method was validated for repeatability, reproducibility, linearity, and limits of detection, and quantification. Relative standard deviation was found to be lower than five, when testing repeatability and reproducibility, which is suitable considering a range of acceptability from 5.3 to 7.3. Additionally, the regression analyses supported the method linearity in a range of quantification from 3 to 100 mg/L with regression coefficients values greater than 0.998 for the three analytes. Limits of detection were 3.0 mg/L for the three sugars and limits of quantification were 2.0 mg/L for sucrose and 3.0 mg/L for glucose and fructose. Four Colombian commercial cultivars (Criolla Guaneña, Criolla Paisa, Criolla Galeras, and Criolla Colombia) and five landrace accessions from the Colombian Core Collection of Group Phureja were grown in the district of Usme (Bogotá) fields to analyze their sugar contents. Sucrose, glucose, and fructose contents were found ranging from 0.93 to 3.11 g/100 g tuber dried weight (DW), from 0.25 to 4.53 g/100 g tuber DW, and from 0.10 to 1.49 g/100 g tuber DW, respectively. Therefore, a high range in the variability of sugar contents was found among genotypes. However, the variability was low among technical replicates of the same genotype, revealing an accurate quantification of sugars in Group Phureja. This method can be used to assess the amount of reducing and non-reducing sugars accumulation in potato germplasm.

Sucrose esters from Physalis peruviana calyces with anti-inflammatory activity.

Physalis peruviana is a native plant from the South American Andes and is widely used in traditional Colombian medicine of as an anti-inflammatory medicinal plant, specifically the leaves, calyces, and small stems in poultice form. Previous studies performed by our group on P. peruviana calyces showed potent anti-inflammatory activity in an enriched fraction obtained from an ether total extract. The objective of the present study was to obtain and elucidate the active compounds from this fraction and evaluate their anti-inflammatory activity in vivo and in vitro. The enriched fraction of P. peruviana was purified by several chromatographic methods to obtain an inseparable mixture of two new sucrose esters named peruviose A (1) and peruviose B (2). Structures of the new compounds were elucidated using spectroscopic methods and chemical transformations. The anti-inflammatory activity of the peruvioses mixture was evaluated using λ-carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats and lipopolysaccharide-activated peritoneal macrophages. Results showed that the peruvioses did not produce side effects on the liver and kidneys and significantly attenuated the inflammation induced by λ-carrageenan in a dosage-dependent manner, probably due to an inhibition of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2, which was demonstrated in vitro. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of sucrose esters in P. peruviana that showed a potent anti-inflammatory effect. These results suggest the potential of sucrose esters from the Physalis genus as a novel natural alternative to treat inflammatory diseases.

GC-MS and MALDI-TOF MS profiling of sucrose esters from Nicotiana tabacum and N. rustica.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been applied for the first time to the analysis of the sucrose esters from the surface of Nicotiana L. leaves. The profiles obtained for the model plant N. tabacum were similar to those from the gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) analysis. The most reproducible results were obtained using a dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) matrix. The main advantage of this method is that crude plant extracts can be analysed without sample clean-up. GC-MS analysis of Aztec tobacco (N. rustica) extracts revealed the presence of three types of sucrose esters. All identified compounds had three C4-C8 acyl chains substituting the glucose moiety, while the fructose part of the molecule was substituted with 0, 1, or 2 acetyl groups. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the sucrose ester fraction revealed the presence of compounds not eluting from a GC column. Combining the data from both GC-MS and MALDI-TOF MS experiments, we obtained a full sucrose ester profile, which is based on the molecular weight of the compounds and on the number of acyl chains in the molecule.

Protection of SH-SY5Y neuronal cells from glutamate-induced apoptosis by 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose, a bioactive compound isolated from Radix Polygala.

The neuroprotective effects of 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose (DISS) from Radix Polygala against glutamate-induced SH-SY5Y neuronal cells injury were evaluated in the present study. SH-SY5Y neuronal cells were pretreated with glutamate (8 mM) for 30 min followed by cotreatment with DISS for 12 h. Cell viability was determined by (3,4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenylte-trazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and apoptosis was confirmed by cell morphology and flow cytometry assay, evaluated with propidium iodide dye. Treatment with DISS (0.6, 6, and 60 µmol/L) increased cell viability dose dependently, inhibited LDH release, and attenuated apoptosis. The mechanisms by which DISS protected neuron cells from glutamate-induced excitotoxicity included the downregulation of proapoptotic gene Bax and the upregulation of antiapoptotic gene Bcl-2. The present findings indicated that DISS exerts neuroprotective effects against glutamate toxicity, which might be of importance and contribute to its clinical efficacy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

[Study on the chemical constituents of aerial part of Ligusticum jeholense].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of the aerial part of Ligusticum jeholense. METHODS: The constituents were isolated by sillica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis. RESULTS: Seven compounds were separated from the EtOH extracts. Their structures were identified as psoralen (1), beta-sitosterol (2), daucosterol (3), kaempferol-3-O-(2",4"-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-alpha-L-rhamnoside (4), kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-galactoside (5), quercetin-3-O-beta-D-galactoside (6), sucrose (7). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1, 4, 5 and 6 are isolated from the genus for the first time. Compounds 2, 3 and 7 are isolated from the aerial part of the plant for the first time.

[Studies on the chemical constituents of Rhodiola rosea].

OBJECTIVE: To separate and identify the chemical constituents of n-BuOH extraction from the roots of Rhodiola rosea in Xinjiang. METHODS: The column chromatography was used to separate consituents. The structures were elucidated by chemical reactions and MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and 2D-NMR spectral data. RESULTS: Six compounds were isolated and identified as salidroside (I), kaempferol-7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside(II), herbacetin-7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyr-anoside(III), herbace-tin-7-0-(3"-O-beta-D-glucopyran-oside)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside(IV), 5, 7, 3', 5'-tetrahydroxy-flavanone(V), sucrose(VI). CONCLUSION: Compound V is isolated from this plant for the first time.

[Studies on chemical constituents of fructus broussonetiae].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Fructus Broussonetiae. METHODS: Column chromatography with silic gel was employed to isolate and purify the 80% alcohol extract of Fructus Broussonetia, and the constituents were identified by spectral methods. RESULTS: Six compounds were isolated from 80% ethanol extract. Their structures were identified as Isoterihanine (1), Chelerythrine (2), Trillin (3), Sucrose (4), beta-sitosterol (5) and Fucosterol (6). CONCLUSION: These compounds are isolated from Fructus Broussonetiae for the first time.

Structure elucidation of acylsucrose derivatives from Atractylodes lanceae rhizome and Atractylodes rhizome.

The mass chromatographic fingerprints of the water extracts of Atractylodes rhizome and Atractylodes lancea rhizome were analyzed by LC-MS. Three new acylsucrose derivatives [2,6,3',6'-tetra(3-methylbutanoyl)sucrose (1), 2,4,3',6'-tetra(3-methylbutanoyl)sucrose (2), and a mixture of 3',4',6'-tris(3-methylbutanoyl)-1'-(2-methylbutanoyl)sucrose and 1',3',4',6'-tetra(3-methylbutanoyl)sucrose (6)), along with three known acylsucroses (2,6,3',4'-tetra(3-methylbutanoyl)sucrose (3), 2,4,3',4'-tetra(3-methylbutanoyl)sucrose (4) and a mixture of 2,3',6'-tris(3-methylbutanoyl)-1'-(2-methylbutanoyl)sucrose and 2,1',3',6'-tetra(3-methylbutanoyl)sucrose (5)] were isolated as the marker compounds of Atractylodes rhizome and Atractylodes lancea rhizome. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by MS/MS analyses and NMR experiments.

[Studies on the chemical constituents of the root and rhizoma of Ligusticum jeholense].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of the root and rhizoma of Ligusticum jeholense. METHODS: The constituents were isolated by silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and their structures were elucidated through spectral analysis. RESULTS: Seven compounds were separated from the EtOH extracts. Their structures were identified as levistolide A (1), xiongterpene (2), linoleic acid (3), sucrose (4), daucosterol (5), ferulic acid (6) and beta-sitosterol (7). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1-5 are isolated from the genus for the first time.

Anti-androgen receptor signaling and prostate cancer inhibitory effects of sucrose- and benzophenone-compounds.

PURPOSE: Novel agents that target multiple aspects of androgen receptor (AR) signaling are desirable for chemoprevention and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). We aimed to identify compounds isolated from medicinal herbs as such drug candidates. METHODS: In the LNCaP human androgen sensitive PCa cell model, we tested five compounds purified from Lindera fruticosa Hemsley in the range of 10-50 microM for growth inhibition and AR-prostate specific antigen (PSA) suppressing potency. We determined the relationship between these activities and P53 tumor suppressor protein activation and apoptotic cleavage of PARP. We compared these compounds to the anti-androgen drug Casodex/bicalutamide to identify mechanistic novelty. RESULTS: Among 3 sucrose compounds, beta-D-(3,4-di-sinapoyl)fructofuranosyl-alpha-D-(6-sinapoyl)glucopyranoside decreased AR and PSA mRNA and protein levels in LNCaP cells and inhibited androgen-stimulated AR translocation from the cytosol to the nucleus. This compound also increased P53 Ser(15) phosphorylation and PARP cleavage in LNCaP cells, but required higher dosage than for suppressing AR-PSA. Interestingly, this compound did not inhibit the growth of RWPE-1 non-transformed prostate epithelial cells. The benzophenone compound 2-methoxy-3,4-(methylenedioxy)benzophenone suppressed PSA and AR in LNCaP cells without apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support novel anti-AR actions of these herbal compounds distinct from Casodex and merit further investigation as drug candidates.

Two new sucrose esters from Sparganium stoloniferum.

Two new sucrose esters, beta-d-(1-O-acetyl-3-O-trans-feruloyl)fructofuranosyl-alpha-d-2',4',6'-O-triacetylglucopyranoside (1) and beta-d-(1-O-acetyl-3-O-trans-feruloyl)fructofuranosyl-alpha-d-2',3',6'-O-triacetylglucopyranoside (2), together with two known sucrose esters have been isolated from Sparganium stoloniferum. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods.

[Studies on chemical constituents from herbs of Botrychium lanuginosum].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Botrychium lanuginosum. METHOD: Various chromatographic techniques were used to isolate and purify the constituents. The structures were elucidated by chemical evidence and spectroscopic methods. RESULT: Ten compounds were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of the herb of B. lanuginosum and their structures were elucidated as 30-nor-21beta-hopan-22-one (1), beta-sitosterol (2), luteolin (3), thunberginol A (4), apigenin (5), (6'-O-palmitoyl)-sitosterol-3-O-beta-D-glucoside (6), daucosterol (7), 1-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(2S, 3R, 4E, 8Z)-2-[(2R-hydroxy hexadecanoyl) amino]-4, 8-octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (8), luteolin-7-O-glucoside (9), sucrose (10). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1-10 were isolated from this genus for the first time.

[Studies on chemical constituents of Suregada glomerulata II].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Suregada glomeruldata. METHOD: Isolation and purification were carried out on silica gel, sephardex LH -20, ODS column chromatography etc. Constituents were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral analysis. RESULT: Nine compounds, Jolkinolide B (1), 8alpha, 14-dihydro-7-oxo-jolkinolide E (2), helioscopinolide B (3), ent-kauran-16beta, 17-diol (4), 7-oxo-beta-sitosterol (5), scopoletin (6), adenosine (7), 1'-sinapoylglucose (8), sucrose (9), were obtained and identified. CONCLUSION: Compounds 2-9 were isolated from S. glomerulata for the first time.

[The chemical constituents of Polygala hongkongensis Hemsl].

Polygala hongkongensis Polycalaceae is mostly distributed in southern China, such as Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian and Sichuan provinces. And its herbs is used as a remedy of heat-clearing and detoxicating, removing food retention, promoting blood flow and expelling phlegm to arrest coughing in the folk medicine. Previous phytochemical investigations on Polygala plants have reported that the main chemical constituents are sapaonins, xanthones and oligosaccharide esters. To the best of our knowledge, there is no chemical report on the Polygala hongkongensis Hemsl. yet. In order to search and make use of natural resources from Polygala and to find the bioactive compounds and new compounds, we carried out studies on chemical constituents of this plant. The herbs of P. hongkongensis were extracted with 70% MeOH. The extract was combined and evaporated in vacuum to residue, which was suspended in water and successively partitioned with EtOAc and n-BuOH. Part of the n-BuOH extract was isolated and purified by various column chromatographs such as a macroporous resin, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 column and semipreparative HPLC. The structures of isolated and purified compounds were determined by spectral analysis such as UV, IR, HRESI-MS, ESI-MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HMQC, HMBC, H-H COSY, NOESY and physico-chemical property. Six compounds were identified as polyhongkonggaline (1), 3, 6'-di-O-sinapoyl-sucrose (2), tenuifoliside A (3), glomeratose D (4), cis-syringin (5), syringaresinol-4'-O-beta-D-monoglucoside (6). Compounds 1 is new compound, and 2-6 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Farther studies on the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of P. hongkongensis will be carried out.

[Chemical constituents from the leaves of Cassia angustifolia].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents from the leaves of Cassia angustifolia. METHODS: Compounds were isolated and repeatedly purified by chromatographic techniques on silica gel column. Their structures were elucidated by chemical and spectral methods. RESULTS: eight compounds were isolated from the leaves of Cassia angustifolia, and identified as tinnevellin glycoside(I), isorhamnetin-3-O-beta-gentiobioside(II), apigenin-6,8-di-C-glycoside(III), emodin-8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(IV), kaempferol(V), aloe emodin(VI), D-3-O-methylinositol(VII), sucrose(VIII). CONCLUSION: Compounds III, VII and VIII are isolated from the plant for the first time.