Sesquiterpene lactones from Artemisia verlotorum and their anti-inflammatory activities.

Seven new sesquiterpenoids (1-7) and 19 known analogues were isolated from the whole plant of Artemisia verlotorum. Their structures were determined by extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS data, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, density functional theory (DFT) NMR calculations, and time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) ECD calculations. The absolute configurations of 1, 3, 5 and 7 were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Compounds 1 and 2 possess a rarely reported 5/8-bicyclic skeleton, while both compounds 3 and 4 were uncommon iphionane-type sesquiterpenoids. Eudesmane sesquiterpenoids (5-17) reported in this study are all 7,8-cis-lactones, of which, compound 7 represents the first eudesmane sesquiterpene with an oxygen bridge connecting C-5 and C-11. All the compounds were tested in vitro for their anti-inflammatory activities in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Compound 18 showed a potent inhibitory effect on NO production, with IC50 values of 3.08 ± 0.61 µM.

Comparative Analysis of Active Ingredients and Potential Bioactivities of Essential Oils from Artemisia argyi and A. verlotorum.

Artemisia argyi H. Lév. and Vaniot is a variety of Chinese mugwort widely cultured in central China. A. verlotorum Lamotte, another variety of Chinese mugwort, has been used in the southern region of China since ancient times. Despite their similar uses in traditional medicine, little is known about the differences in their active ingredients and potential benefits. Herein, the chemical compositions of the essential oils (EOs) from both varieties were analyzed using chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A series of databases, such as the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database (TCMSP), SuperPred database and R tool, were applied to build a networking of the EOs. Our results revealed significant differences in the chemical compositions of the two Artemisia EOs. However, we found that they shared similar ingredient-target-pathway networking with diverse bioactivities, such as neuroprotective, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory. Furthermore, our protein connection networking analysis showed that transcription factor p65 (RELA), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit alpha (PIK3R1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) are crucial for the biological activity of Artemisia EOs. Our findings provided evidence for the use of A. verlotorum as Chinese mugwort in southern China.

New eudesmanolides from Artemisia verlotorum and their potential targets of hepatocellular carcinoma by network pharmacology.

Fractionation of the ethanol extract of Artemisia verlotorum led to the identification of eight undescribed eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoids, artemverlolides A-H (1-8). Their structures were determined by spectral analyses (HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, IR, and ECD). Network pharmacology predicted that compounds 1-8 might be target on AURKA, CCNA2, CYP2C19, and EPHX2 with possibly antihepatoma effect from Swiss TargetPrediction and Gene Expression Omnibus database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that the targets significantly enriched in FoxO signaling pathway. The molecular docking suggested that compound 8 had high binding affinity with AURKA. Furthermore, the interaction between compound 8 and AURKA was determined by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) assay. The result suggested that compound 8 bound to AURKA with KD value of 68.0µM and was consistent with the predicted data, demonstrating that AURKA might be one of acting targets of 8.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of Artemisiae Verlotori Folium and Artemisiae Argyi Folium by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Artemisiae Argyi Folium (Aiye in Chinese) has been widely used since ancient times. In the Lingnan region (Southern China), the leaf of Artemisia verlotorum Lamotte, which is named Hongjiaoai (HJA) because the roots are red (Hongjiao means red foot in Chinese), has been used as a local substitute for Artemisiae Argyi Folium. The plant has a long medicinal and edible history that can be traced to the Jin Dynasty. However, there is no systematic and reliable method to control the quality of Artemisiae Verlotori Folium. In this study, a comprehensive method involving high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry was established to identify and quantify eight constituents (including organic acids and flavonoids) in Artemisiae Verlotori Folium and Artemisiae Argyi Folium as well as high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints of the two varieties. Moreover, dissimilarities of chemical compositions among the two varieties were further investigated by orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis and cluster analysis. This research not only explored the similarities and differences between Artemisiae Verlotori Folium and Artemisiae Argyi Folium in eight components but also provided a qualitative and quantitative analytical method that quickly, accurately, and comprehensively assesses the quality of Artemisiae Verlotori Folium.

Medicinal plant extracts on the control of Diabrotica speciosa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) / Extratos de plantas medicinais no controle de Diabrotica speciosa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal effect of aqueous, alcoholic, and oil extracts from leaves of eight medicinal plants against Diabrotica speciosa prepared at five concentrations. The extracts that used commercial soybean oil as solvent showed the highest D. speciosa mortality due to the solvent itself, regardless of the used plants and their concentrations. Thus, commercial soybean oil was discarded as solvent since at these volumes it would cause serious phytotoxicity problems. After 24 hours of exposure of the pest to the extracts, the highest D. speciosa mortality values were observed for Copaifera langsdorfii and Chenopodium ambrosioides extracts, both in 5% alcohol, and Artemisia verlotorum, in 10% water. However, in the last mortality assessment (48 h), C. langsdorfii extract in 5% alcohol showed higher mortality of this pest, followed by C. ambrosioides extract in 5% alcohol, compared to the remaining plants.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito inseticida de extratos aquosos, alcoólicos e oleosos de folhas de oito plantas medicinais contra Diabrotica speciosa preparadas em cinco concentrações. Os extratos que utilizaram óleo de soja comercial como solvente apresentaram as maiores mortalidades de D. speciosa em função do próprio óleo, independentemente das plantas utilizadas em suas concentrações. Sendo assim, o óleo de soja comercial foi descartado como solvente, pois nestes volumes acarretaria sérios problemas de fitotoxidade. Após 24 horas de exposição da praga aos extratos, os maiores valores de mortalidade de D. speciosa foram observados nos extratos de Copaifera Langsdorfii e de Chenopodium ambrosioides, ambos em álcool 5%, e de Artemisia verlotorum, em água 10%. Entretanto, na última avaliação de mortalidade (48 h), o extrato de C. langsdorfii em álcool a 5% apresentou maior mortalidade dessa praga, seguida pelo extrato alcoólico a 5% de C. ambrosioides comparada às demais plantas.