New dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans from Kadsura induta with their anti-inflammatory activity.

Five new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, named kadsuindutains A-E (1-5), and three known ones schizanrin F (6), schizanrin O (7), and schisantherin J (8) were isolated from the stems of Kadsura induta. Their structures were determined by analyses of HR-ESI-MS, NMR, and ECD spectra. Compounds 1-5 contain a 2',4'-dioxygenated-2',3'-dimethylbutyryl moiety which is rarely reported for dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans. Molecular docking predicted that compounds 1-8 displayed good binding affinity to the active site of iNOS and TNF-α proteins but unstable binding to the active site of COX-2 protein. Additionally, in vitro experiments showed that compounds 1-8 inhibited NO production in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values from 10.7 µM to 34.0 µM, compared to the positive control L-NMMA (IC50 = 31.2 µM).

Investigation of Vietnamese plants for potential anticancer agents.

Higher plants continue to afford humankind with many new drugs, for a variety of disease types. In this review, recent phytochemical and biological progress is presented for part of a collaborative multi-institutional project directed towards the discovery of new antitumor agents. The specific focus is on bioactive natural products isolated and characterized structurally from tropical plants collected in Vietnam. The plant collection, identification, and processing steps are described, and the natural products isolated from these species are summarized with their biological activities.

Composition of essential oils of four Hedychium species from Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Vietnam is a country blessed with many medicinal plants widely used as food and for medicinal purposes, and they contain a host of active substances that contribute to health. However, the analysis of chemical constituents of these plant species has not been subject of literature discussion. RESULTS: In this study, the chemical compositions of essential oils of four Hedychium species, obtained by hydrodistillation, were determined by means of gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. Individually, α-pinene (52.5%) and ß-pinene (31.8%) were present in the leaf oil of Hedychium stenopetalum Lodd., while linalool (45.2%), (E)-nerolidol (8.7%) and α-pinene (5.0%) were identified in the root. The leaf of Hedychium coronarium J. König was characterized by ß-pinene (20.0%), linalool (15.8%), 1,8-cineole (10.7%), α-pinene (10.1%) and α-terpineol (8.6%); while ß-pinene (23.6%), α-humulene (17.1%) and ß-caryophyllene (13.0%) were identified in the root. Hedychium flavum Roxb., gave oil whose major compounds were ß-pinene (22.5%), α-humulene (15.7%) and ß-caryophyllene (10.4%) in the leaf; α-humulene (18.9%), ß-caryophyllene (11.8%) and ß-pinene (11.2%) in the stem, as well as ß-pinene (21.8%), linalool (17.5%) and 1,8-cineole (13.5%) in the root. The main constituents of Hedychium ellipticum Buch.-Ham. ex Smith were (E)-nerolidol (15.9%), ß-pinene (11.8%) and bornyl acetate (9.2%) in the leaf with 1,8-cineole (40.8%), α-pinene (18.3%) and ß-pinene (11.0%) occurring in the root. CONCLUSIONS: Ubiquitous monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were identified as characteristic markers for Hedychium species. This work is of great importance for the evaluation of Hedychium essential oils grown in Vietnam.