Determination of l-(+)-bornesitol, the hypotensive constituent of Hancornia speciosa, in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application on a pharmacokinetic study.

Hancornia speciosa is a medicinal plant with proven antihypertensive activity. The cyclitol l-(+)-bornesitol is the main constituent of its leaves and is a potent inhibitor of the angiotensin-converting enzyme. We herein investigated the pharmacokinetic properties of bornesitol administered orally to Wistar rats, as well as bornesitol permeation in Caco-2 cells. Bornesitol was isolated and purified from an ethanol extract of H. speciosa leaves. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to quantify bornesitol in rat plasma based on Multiple Reaction Monitoring, using pentaerythritol as an internal standard. Pharmacokinetics was evaluated by the administration of single doses via intravenous in bolus (3 mg/kg) and gavage (3, 15 and 25 mg/kg). Bornesitol permeation was assayed in a transwell Caco-2 cells model, tested alone, or combined with rutin, or as a constituent of H. speciosa extract, using a developed and validated UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method. All assayed validation parameters (selectivity, residual effect, matrix effect, linearity, precision, accuracy and stability of analyte in plasma and solution) for the bioanalytical method met the acceptance criteria established by regulatory guidelines. Bornestiol reached peak plasma concentration within approximately 60 min after oral administration with a half-life ranging from 72.15 min to 123.69 min. The peak concentration and area under the concentration-time curve of bornesitol did not rise proportionally with the increasing doses, suggesting a non-linear pharmacokinetics in rats and the oral bioavailability ranged from 28.5%-59.3%. Bornesitol showed low permeability in Caco-2 cells, but the permeability apparently increased when it was administered either combined with rutin or as a constituent of H. speciosa extract. In conclusion, bornesitol was rapidly absorbed after a single oral administration to rats and followed a non-linear pharmacokinetics. The obtained data will be useful to guide further pre-clinical development of bornesitol-containing herbal preparations of H. speciosa as an antihypertensive agent.

Pressurized liquid extraction of cyclitols and sugars: optimization of extraction parameters and selective separation.

Cyclitols and sugars were obtained as a mixture from Medicago sativa L., in a comparative study by using maceration, and pressurized liquid extraction, as a modern and green extraction techniques. The influence of extraction parameters including: extraction temperature, time and number of cycles on the content of sugars and cyclitols was investigated based on response surface methodology. The highest total amount of sugars and cyclitols (62.27 ± 2.30 and 50.35 ± 0.77 mg/g of dry material, respectively) was obtained when extraction was performed at 88°C, for 22 min, in two cycles. The methodology used involved extraction, purification, selective separation (using yeast and anion exchange resin) and derivatization, followed by gas chromatography -mass spectrometry analysis. The use of yeast treatment realized an effective fractionation of cyclitols and sugars, which allowed the removal of most sugars. The involvement of anion exchange resin after yeast allowed the removal of sugar alcohols and lactose, together with other sugar traces remained and to obtain a solution containing six cyclitols. The recrystallization of dry residue after solvent evaporation, from ethanol, allowed us to obtain 14.65 mg of white pure crystals identified with NMR spectroscopy, liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, optical rotation and melting point as analysis D-pinitol.

Isolation of Nabscessin C from Nocardia abscessus IFM 10029T and a Study on Biosynthetic Pathway for Nabscessins.

A new aminocyclitol derivative, designated nabscessin C (1), was isolated from Nocardia abscessus IFM 10029T. Nabcessin C is an isomer of nabscessins A (2) and B (3) with different positioning of the acyl group. Absolute configuration of nabscessin A was determined by conversion into the 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosamine pentaacetyl derivative (4) by hydrolysis and acetylation of 2. The biosynthetic pathway of nabscessins is proposed based on gene expression analysis.

Characterization of cyclitol glycosides by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Several cyclitol glycosides have been characterised as trimethylsilyl derivatives by their gas chromatographic (GC) retention data (linear retention indices) and electron impact mass spectrometric (MS) profiles. Both GC-MS results have been related to cyclitol glycosides structural features. Abundance ratios of characteristic m/z ions 133/129 and 260/265 have been proposed to distinguish glycosyl-inositols from glycosyl-methyl-inositols. These ratios in combination with the presence or absence of m/z 375 ion allowed the unequivocal characterization of cyclitol glycosides. These criteria have been applied to the characterization of new cyclitol glycosides in chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) and in leaves of Coriaria myrtifolia and Coriaria ruscifolia.

Nabscessins A and B, Aminocyclitol Derivatives from Nocardia abscessus IFM 10029T.

Two new aminocyclitol amide derivatives, nabscessins A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the culture broth of a pathogenic actinomycete species, Nocardia abscessus IFM 10029T. The structures of nabscessins A and B were elucidated by spectral studies, and the compounds showed antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, with IC50 values of 32 and 16 µg/mL, respectively.

Evaluation of the Wound Healing Properties of Hancornia speciosa Leaves.

The leaves of Hancornia speciosa Gomes (Apocynaceae), a medicinal species found in the Brazilian cerrado biome, are traditionally used to treat wounds and inflammatory disorders. The goal of the present study was to investigate the in vitro wound healing properties of ethanolic extract of H. speciosa leaves and its isolated compounds, using the scratch assay, and to evaluate their effects on the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human acute monocytic (THP-1) cells. H. speciosa ethanolic extract significantly increased (42.8% ± 5.4 at 25 µg/mL) cell migration and proliferation of fibroblasts compared with control cells, as well as the isolated compounds bornesitol (80.8% ± 5.1) and quinic acid (69.1% ± 6.2), both assayed at 50 µM. TNF-α release by LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells was significantly reduced by the ethanolic extract (62.9% ± 8.2, i.e. 1791.1 ± 394.7 pg/mL) at 10 µg/mL, bornesitol (48.9% ± 0.9, i.e. 2461.6 ± 43.1 pg/mL) at 50 µM, and quinic acid (90.2% ± 3.4, i.e. 473.5 ± 164.4 pg/mL) and rutin (82.4% ± 5.6, i.e. 847.0 ± 271.8 pg/mL) at 10 µM. These results provided evidences to support the traditional use of H. speciosa leaves to treat wounds and inflammatory disorders.

Isolation and Total Synthesis of Kirkamide, an Aminocyclitol from an Obligate Leaf Nodule Symbiont.

The new C7N aminocyclitol kirkamide (1) was isolated from leaf nodules of the plant Psychotria kirkii by using a genome-driven (1)H NMR-guided fractionation approach. The structure and absolute configuration were elucidated by HRMS, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. An enantioselective total synthesis was developed, which delivered kirkamide (1) on a gram scale in 11 steps and features a Ferrier carbocyclization and a Pd-mediated hydroxymethylation. We propose that kirkamide is synthesized by Candidatus Burkholderia kirkii, the obligate leaf symbiont of Psychotria kirkii. Kirkamide (1) was shown to be toxic to aquatic arthropods and insects, thus suggesting that bacterial secondary metabolites play a protective role in the Psychotria/Burkholderia leaf nodule symbiosis.

Hancornia speciosa Gomes (Apocynaceae) as a potential anti-diabetic drug.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The leaves of Hancornia speciosa Gomes are traditionally used to treat diabetes in Brazil. The aim of the study is to evaluate the potential anti-diabetic effect of Hancornia speciosa extract and derived fractions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ethanolic extract from Hancornia speciosa leaves and chromatographic fractions thereof were evaluated on α-glucosidase assay, on hyperglycemic effect and glucose uptake. The chemical composition of the extract and its most active fraction was investigated by ESI-LC-MS. RESULTS: The ethanolic extract and derived fractions inhibited α-glucosidase in vitro. However, only the crude extract and the dichloromethane fraction inhibited the hyperglycemic effect induced by starch or glucose. Both the extract and dichloromethane fraction were also able to increase glucose uptake in adipocytes. Bornesitol, quinic acid, and chorogenic acid were identified in the extract, along with flavonoid glycosides, whereas the dichloromethane fraction is majorly composed by esters of lupeol and/or α/ß-amirin. CONCLUSIONS: Hancornia speciosa has a potential anti-diabetic effect through a mechanism dependent on inhibition of α-glucosidase and increase on glucose uptake. These results give support to the use on traditional medicine of this medicinal plant.

New cyclitol derivative from a sponge Sarcotragus species.

Guided by the brine shrimp lethality assay, a new cyclitol derivative, sarcotride D (1), was isolated from a marine sponge Sarcotragus species. The structure was established based on NMR and MS analyses.

NF-kappaB inhibitory activity of cyclitols isolated from Hancornia speciosa.

Hancornia speciosa Gomes (Apocynaceae) is a Brazilian plant traditionally employed to treat inflammatory conditions, among other uses. The chemopreventive effect of an ethanol extract from H. speciosa leaves (EHS) was evaluated in a battery of in vitro tests [inhibition of aromatase, NF-kappaB and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), antioxidant response elements (ARE) induction and cell proliferation assays]. Bioassay-directed fractionation of EHS following by inhibition of 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-acetate (TPA)-mediated NF-kB activation led to the isolation of the cyclitols quinic acid (1) (85.0+/-12.3 microM) and l-(+)-bornesitol (2) (IC(50)=27.5+/-3.8 microM), along with rutin (26.8+/-6.3 microM). Based on these lead compounds, the cyclitols per-O-acetyl-1l-(+)-bornesitol (3) (IC(50)=38.4+/-6.2 microM), myo-inositol (4) (>180.2 microM), scyllo-inositol (5) (83.0+/-13.7 microM) and beta-d-galactoside-myo-inositol (6) (52.4+/-8.4 microM) were evaluated in the assay, but found to be somewhat less active than 1 and 2. None of the compounds was active in the ARE, aromatase or ODC assays and did not inhibit proliferation of MCF-7, LNCaP, HepG2 or LU-1 cell lines at a final concentration of 20 microg/ml (equivalent to 104.07-32.76 microM).This work identifies l-(+)-bornesitol, quinic acid and rutin as NF-kappaB inhibitors of H. speciosa and suggests cyclitols, in addition to myo-inositol, are potentially useful as chemopreventive agents.

Hypoglycemic effect of 13-membered ring thiocyclitol, a novel alpha-glucosidase inhibitor from Kothala-himbutu (Salacia reticulata).

A novel 13-membered ring thiocyclitol, isolated from an aqueous extract of Kothala-himbutu (Salacia reticulata), inhibited alpha-glucosidase in vitro. The inhibitory activity was investigated by maltose- and sucrose-loading on Wistar rats. This study found significant lowering of postprandial glucose levels, and the potency of 13-membered ring thiocyclitol was confirmed in vivo.