Bioactive constituents from Flacourtia vogelii Hook.f. (Flacourtiaceae).

The chemical investigation of the methanolic root extract of Flacourtia vogelii led to the isolation of a new arylbenzoate derivative, vogelinal (1), together with thirteen known compounds (2-14). The structures of the isolates were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses (1D and 2D NMR, ESI-MS) and by comparison with previously reported data. All the compounds were tested for their antioxidant, antifungal and antibacterial activities. Compound 7 exhibited the highest antioxidant potential, with RSa50of 11.80 ± 2.13 µg/mL, RSa50of 42.60 ± 6.32 µg/mL and RC50 of 51.60 ± 7.71 µg/mL for the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assay, respectively. Compound 13 displayed weak antifungal effect with MIC value of 125 µg/mL against Candida parapsilosis. Compound 8 showed weak antibacterial effect with MIC value of 125 µg/mL, against Shigella dysenteria. The present study, conclude that this species could be a promising source of antioxidant and antibacterial constituents.

Evaluation of cultivars diversity and lipid composition properties of Idesia polycarpa var. vestita Diels.

Idesia polycarpa var. vestita Diels is a perennial deciduous tree widely distributed throughout China. Four I. polycarpa fruit of different cultivars with different fruit issues during the growth process were compared, which were on the basis of morphological characteristics and chemical compositions. The influencing factors of oil accumulation in I. polycarpa fruit and the correlation between different components were investigated, and the results revealed a negative correlation between oil content and total sugar (r = -0.930), ash (r = -0.606), and crude fiber (r = -0.952). Except for oil, none of the chemical components changed substantially during the growing phase, and most cultivars showed higher oil content in the pulp portion (14.14-43.99 g/100 g). Linoleic acid was the most abundant fatty acid in I. polycarpa oil (IPO), with values ranging from 52.18% to 66.65% (fruit), 55.44% to 65.15% (pulp), and 68.99% to 78.76% (seed). Principal component analysis revealed that Hubei varieties are more advantageous. Besides, the lipid composition of IPO was identified by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization Q-Exactive Focus mass spectrometry. The glyceride components of IPO were mostly composed of 22 triacylglycerols, 30 diacylglycerols, and 8 monoacyglycerols. Meanwhile, linoleic acid was mainly distributed in sn-2 and sn-3 positions. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Morphologic characteristics, chemical compositions, oil fatty acid profiles, and oil correlation factors of I. polycarpa were analyzed. The comprehensive score of oil quality by PCA in Hb fruit was the highest. The glyceride components of I. polycarpa oil were mainly composed of 22 triacylglycerols, 30 diacylglycerols, and eight monoacyglycerols.

Homalium zeylanicum attenuates streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia and cellular stress in experimental rats via attenuation of oxidative stress imparts inflammation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Homalium zeylanicum (Gardner) Benth (Salicaceae) leaves are being used as folklore medicine to treat diabetes by the local folk of Andhra Pradesh, India. The medicinal claim of this plant with hypoglycaemic effects was initially studied by the authors. Results demonstrated the important antioxidant activities of the hydroalcohol fraction of leaves of H. zeylanicum leaves (HAHZL) were positively correlated with phenols and flavonoids contents. AIM OF THE STUDY: Based on the previous findings, additional research is needed to examine the efficacy of using HAHZL to treat hyperglycemia. We therefore investigated in vitro and in vivo glycemic response of HAHZL, and evaluation of possible mechanism of bioactive molecules in mitigating streptozotocin-induced cellular stress in experimental rats via attenuation of oxidative stress imparts inflammation. METHODS: GC-MS/MS analysis of HAHZL was carried out to identify bioactive constituents. In vitro antidiabetic (α-glucosidase, α-amylase) and anti-inflammatory activities were investigated. HFD/low-STZ-prompted diabetic Wistar rats were administered with HAHZL (300 and 400 mg/kg; oral) for 28 days. Blood serum, oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and antidiabetic markers of pancreas and liver were determined. Histopathological studies of liver and pancreas were performed to assess the protective role of HAHZL. RESULTS: GC-MS/MS study revealed 7 bioactive compounds e.g., Phenol, 4-ethenyl-, acetate (28.68%), hydroquinone (9.10%), n-hexadecanoic acid (0.55%), phytol (0.57%), arbutin (17.65%), Vitamin E (1.04%), ß-Sitosterol (1.54%) which possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities. HAHZL showed significant in vitro glycemic response as evidenced by the inhibition of α-amylase, and α-glucosidase activities. Lineweaver-Burk plot revealed that HAHZL exhibited competitive and mixed competitive inhibition towards α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively. HAHZL at 400 mg/kg modulated the pathophysiology associated with HFD/STZ-induced type2 diabetes mellitus and significantly (p < 0.001) improved antihyperglycemic (SG, SI, HOMA-IR, and HbA1C), antidyslipidemic (TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, and TG), antioxidative (MDA, SOD, CAT, GSH, and 8-OHdG) and anti-inflammatory (TNF-α, and CRP) markers in serum, pancreas and liver. In vitro and in vivo test results were corroborated by the improvement of pancreatic and hepatic tissue architecture in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: HAHZL bearing bioactive components phenol, 4-ethenyl-,acetate, hydroquinone, n-hexadecanoic acid, arbutin, phytol, vitamin E and ß-sitosterol balanced glycemic level by normalising the levels of glycaemic indices, lipid profile, pancreas and liver functional markers in STZ-induced T2DM rats.

Phenolic glycosides from the stems of Homalium stenophyllum.

The phytochemical investigation of the stems of Homalium stenophyllum afforded seven new phenolic glycosides (1-5 and 8-9) and two known compounds (6 and 7). Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of NMR spectroscopic, mass spectrometric data and chemical hydrolysis. Additionally, their anti-inflammatory activities against the NO production in LPS-induced macrophages were evaluated.

Drying methods and structure-activity relationships of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives in Idesia polycarpa Maxim. Leaves.

Idesia polycarpa Maxim. leaves are an excellent source of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and have drawn special attention due to their various biological activities. However, the effects of post-harvest treatment on the structure-activity relationships of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives in leaves of I. polycarpa are still unknown. In the current study, we compared the contents of unstable compounds in leaves with four drying methods, namely sun-drying, freeze-drying, shade-drying, and oven-drying. We found that the four hydroxycinnamic acid derivative isomers of leaves were significantly affected after drying processing with four different drying methods. Consequently, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the variation of these compounds during the drying processes have been well elucidated: UV lighting induced the isomerization of 1-[(6'-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl]-oxy-2-phenol (1) and 1-[(4'-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl]-oxy-2-phenol (3) into 1-[(6'-O-(Z)-p-coumaroyl)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl]-oxy-2-phenol (2) and 1-[(4'-O-(Z)-p-coumaroyl)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl]-oxy-2-phenol (4). Also, heat (exceeding 20 °C) led to the rearrangement of the (E/Z)-p-coumaric acid moiety of compounds 3 and 4, of which the 4-O-acylglucoses changed into the 6-O-acylglucoses to generate compounds 1 and 2, respectively. Interestingly, the hepatocyte-free fatty acid accumulation in OA-induced steatosis-conditioned HepG2 cells decreased by 65.00%, 10.69%, and 47.00%, respectively, following treatment with compounds 2, 3 and 4, and compound 1 presented no lipid-lowering activity. In addition, the bioactivities of compounds 2 and 4 were substantially enhanced by 58.42% and 25.33% with the sun-drying method compared to the freeze-dying methods. Our study suggests that sun-drying processing is the best method among the four drying processing methods of I. polycarpa Maxim. leaves.

Amelioration by Idesia polycarpa Maxim. var. vestita Diels. of Oleic Acid-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver in HepG2 Cells through Antioxidant and Modulation of Lipid Metabolism.

Idesia polycarpa Maxim. var. vestita Diels (I. polycarpa) is well known as an edible oil plant which contains abundant linoleic acid and polyphenols. The objective of this study was to maximize the by-product of defatted fruit of I. polycarpa. We found that the fraction D of ethyl acetate extract (EF-D) contained more polyphenols, which contribute to its strong antioxidant activity by antioxidant assays (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP). Meanwhile, EF-D showed a significant lipid-lowering effect on oleic acid- (OA-) induced hepatic steatosis in HepG2 cells through enhancing antioxidant activity, reducing liver damage, and regulating lipid metabolism, antioxidant, and inflammation-related gene expression. The SOD and T-AOC levels significantly increased, but the levels of MDA, AST, and ALT decreased obviously when treated with EF-D. In general, EF-D improved the antioxidant enzyme activities and decreased the hepatic injury activities. Besides, treatment with EF-D for NAFLD influenced lipid metabolism and inflammation by activating PPARα which was associated with the increased expression of CPT1 and decreased expression of SCD, NF-κB, and IL-1. Moreover, EF-D improved the oxidative stress system through activation of the Nrf2 antioxidant signal pathways and upregulated its target genes of HO-1, NQO1, and GSTA2. The results highlighted the EF-D from the defatted fruit of I. polycarpa regarding lipid-lowering, proving it to be a potential drug resource of natural products for treating the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The modulatory role of prime identified compounds in the bioactive fraction of Homalium zeylanicum in high-fat diet fed-streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Homalium zeylanicum (Gardner) Benth. is a medicinal plant traditionally used in controlling diabetes which thus far has been assessed by the authors only to a very limited extent. PURPOSE: To fill the research gap in the literature review, we investigated the antihyperglycemic effects of hydro alcohol fraction of bark of H. zeylanicum (HAHZB) by modulating oxidative stress and inflammation in high-fat diet fed-streptozotocin (HFD/STZ)-induced type-2 diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To understand the antioxidant capacity of HAHZB, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and cell-based antioxidant protection in erythrocytes (CAP-e) were performed. GC-MS/MS analysis was performed to assess the bioactive components in HAHZB. HFD/STZ-induced diabetic rats were treated orally with HAHZB (300 and 400 mg/kg) for 28 days. After the end of the experiment, marker profiling and histopathological observation of blood and pancreas were examined. The study also highlights interaction between diabetes, oxidative stress and inflammation by examining the increased pro-inflammatory cytokines e.g. TNF-α and C-reactive protein (CRP) promotes DNA damage e.g. oxidation of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in chronic hyperglycaemia. RESULTS: In ex vivo cellular antioxidant capacity of -CAP-e and ORAC assays, HAHZB showed remarkable free radical scavenging ability in a dose dependent manner. GC-MS/MS analysis identified 28 no. of compounds and out of which, oleic acid (1.03%), ethyl tridecanoate (11.77%), phytol (1.29), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, methyl ester, (E,E)-(5.97%), stigmasterol (1.30%) and ß-sitosterol (2.86%) have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities. HAHZB 400 mg/kg significantly (p < 0.001) improved the lipid profile (TC: 74.66 ± 0.59, HDL-C: 22.08 ± 0.46, LDL-C: 38.06 ± 0.69, and TG: 171.92 ± 1.01 mg/dL) as well as restoring antidiabetic markers (SG: 209.62 ± 1.05 mg/dL, SI: 15.07 ± 0.11 µIU/mL, HOMA-IR: 7.79 ± 0.04 %, and HbA1C: 8.93 ± 0.03 %) and renal functional markers (Tg: 291.26 ± 0.57 pg/mL, BUN: 23.79 ± 0.14 mg/dL, and Cr: 1.34 ± 0.04 mg/dL) in diabetic rats. Oxidative stress markers of pancreas (MDA: 3.65 ± 0.17 nM TBARS /mg protein, SOD: 3.14 ± 0.28 U/mg protein, CAT: 7.88 ± 0.23 U/mg protein, GSH: 12.63 ± 0.28 µM/g of tissue) were restored to normal as evidenced by histological architecture of pancreatic islet cells. The increased level of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative DNA damage were significantly restored (TNF-α: 54.48 ± 3.19 pg/mL, CRP: 440.22 ± 7.86 ng/mL, and 8-OHdG: 63.65 ± 1.84 ng/mL) by HAHZB in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: The present findings confirm that the presence of bioactive compounds in HAHZB exert therapeutic protective effect by decreasing oxidative, inflammation and pancreatic ß-cell damage in oxidative stress induced diabetic rats.

Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Family Flacourtiaceae: A Class of Important Phytomedicine.

Flacourtiaceae plants are widely used as folk medicines in traditional medicine systems for its chemical diversity and pharmacological activities. In many different areas, Flacourtiaceae plants are used as traditional medicines for the treatment of ulcers, malaria, rheumatism. The Flacourtiaceae plants contain a very plentiful chemical composition, and phytochemical studies show that the Flacourtiaceae plants contained terpenoids, aromatic glycosides, flavnoids, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, fatty hydrocarbon, and other compounds. In pharmacological studies, various extract and isolated individual compounds exhibited antitumor, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammatory activities. In this review, the literature data on the chemical constituents and pharmacological investigations of the Flacourtiaceae plants are summarized, to provide information about a more comprehensive chemical composition and detailed pharmacological activities of Flacourtiaceae plants, with a view of further development of clinical medication. However, research on quantitative analysis, toxicity, and drug safety in vitro and in vivo is still insufficient, and further research is required.

Synthesis of Salicaceae Acetyl Salicins Using Selective Deacetylation and Acetyl Group Migration.

In the present work, the synthesis of acetylated salicins, which occur naturally in many Salicaceae species, is reported. The preparation of 2-O-acetylsalicin, 2-O-acetylchlorosalicin, and 2-O-acetylethylsalicin from peracetylated bromosalicin with selective acid-catalyzed deacetylation and one-pot nucleophilic substitution of bromine as the key steps is described. The base-catalyzed O-2 → O-6 acetyl migration afforded 6-O-acetylsalicin derivatives in good yields. Thus, the first synthesis of 6-O-acetylsalicin (fragilin) using acetyl group migration is reported as well as the synthesis of 6-O-acetylchlorosalicin and 6-O-acetylethylsalicin. The NaOMe-catalyzed deacetylation of acetylated glycosides gave salicin, chlorosalicin, and ethylsalicin recently reported from Alangium chinense.

Computational and experimental validation of free radical scavenging properties of high-performance thin-layer chromatography quantified phenyl myristate in Homalium nepalense.

Phenyl myristate was isolated from Homalium nepalense, which is known for its therapeutic virtues in traditional medicine. However, the study of radical scavenging-capacity of phenyl myristate is limited by its relatively low abundance in medicinal plants. We have studied the isolation, structure-elucidation, and bioactivities of high-performance thin-layer chromatography validated phenyl myristate from hydroalcohol-extract of bark of H. nepalense. The chemical structure of phenyl myristate was elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The chromatography was performed on high-performance thin-layer chromatography aluminum plates coated with silica-gel 60 F254 . Determination and quantitation of phenyl myristate were performed by densitometric-scanning at 254 nm (chloroform-methanol, 9:1, v/v; Rf 0.49). The method was validated according to International Council for Harmonisation guidelines in terms of linearity, specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, precision, robustness, and stability. Linearity-range of phenyl myristate was 100-500 ng/5 µL with correlation-coefficient r2  = 0.9997. Limits of detection and quantitation were 3.35 and 10.17 ng, respectively. Phenyl myristate showed significant free-radical-scavenging activities in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, oxygen-radical-absorbance-capacity, and ex vivo cell-based-antioxidant-protection-in-erythrocytes assays. Molecular-docking approach of phenyl myristate showed effective binding at active sites of human serum albumin (HSA) with the lowest binding energy (-8.4 kcal/mol) that was comparable with ascorbic acid (-5.0 kcal/mol). These studies provide mechanistic insight into the potential free radical scavenging activities of phenyl myristate.

Isolation and purification of four phenolic glycoside isomers from the leaves of Idesia polycarpa Maxim. by high-speed counter-current chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography.

We established an efficient method using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) combined with preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-HPLC) for isolating and purifying phenolic glycoside isomers. The method involves a rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-under voltage(UPLC-UV) technique using a sub-2 µm core-shell particle column for qualitative and quantitative analysis of four phenolic glycoside isomers from Idesia polycarpa Maxim. leaves. The partially purified samples from ethyl acetate extraction of ethanol extracts of I. polycarpa Maxim. leaves were obtained by HSCCC with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water solution (3:5:3:5, v/v/v/v) to obtain fractions I and II, which contain two phenolic glycoside isomers. The two fractions were further isolated by prep-HPLC to yield compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 with purities of 98.29%, 98.71%, 98.49% and 98.52%, and total recoveries of 93.5%, 72.2%, 75.5% and 88.3%, respectively. Compound 1 was first isolated from I. polycarpa Maxim., while compound 2 was reported to be a new phenolic glycoside, which is 1-[(6'-O-(Z)-p-coumaroyl)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl]-oxy-2-phenol. The chemical structures of the four phenolic glycoside isomers were analyzed and confirmed by UPLC, UV, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) spectra. This study opens prospects for broad industrial applications of HSCCC/prep-HPLC for the isolation and purification of isomers.

Ethnobotanical uses, biological activities and chemical properties of Kei-apple [Dovyalis caffra (Hook.f. & Harv.) Sim]: An indigenous fruit tree of southern Africa.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dovyalis caffra (Hook.f. & Harv.) Sim (commonly called Kei-apple) is an indigenous fruit tree that has medicinal values for various ethnic groups in southern Africa. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This review aims to provide a critical appraisal of the existing knowledge on the ethnobotanical value, biological activities and phytochemicals of Dovyalis caffra. In addition, the potential of producing a functional health product from Kei-apple due to its therapeutic effects and rich pool of phytochemicals was explored. METHODS: A detailed literature search was conducted using various online search engines, such as Scopus, Google Scholar, Mendeley and Web of Science. Additional information was sourced from ethnobotanical literature focusing on southern African flora. RESULTS: Dovyalis caffra has diverse uses in local and popular medicine, specifically for relieving pain and rheumatism in humans. Ethno-veterinary potential of Kei-apple has also been documented in East Africa. Non-medicinal uses of the tree include its role in biological hedging and as a traditional herb for African magical purpose. Regarding its biological activities, polar extracts from the seeds exhibited noteworthy antibacterial (minimum inhibitory concentration of 1 µg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus) activity. Quantitative analysis (e.g. GC-MS, HPLC) indicated the presence of a rich (>80) pool of chemicals, including sterols, phenolic acids and fatty acids from different parts of the plant while 11 compounds have been isolated from its leaves and twigs. CONCLUSIONS: Dovyalis caffra has been tested for various biological activities and the extracts (seeds in particular) demonstrated promising antibacterial potential. A lack of alignment between the ethno-medicinal uses and existing biological screenings was observed, indicting the need for anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatism potential of Dovyalis caffra to be explored. In vivo validation of antibacterial and anti-parasitic activities against clinical bacterial strains and parasites, respectively is required. Other areas that need investigation are safety evaluations and development of integrated cultivation approach in order to fully explore the plant's potential.

A new phenolic glycoside from the Idesia polycarpa Maxim. leaves.

Phytochemical investigation on the ethyl acetate extract of Idesia polycarpa Maxim. Leaves led to the isolation of four phenolic glycoside isomers (1-4). Compound 2 appeared to be new reported phenolic glycoside, while compound 1 was the first time isolated from the titled species. Their structures were established by IR, UV, HRESI-MS and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopies analysis and comparison of spectral data with previously reported data. The compounds 3 and 4 showed stronger activity of scavenging the DPPH free radical than the other two compounds, while the compounds 1 and 2 showed a significant activity of scavenging the ABTS free radical. Compounds 2 and 4 exhibited stronger cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell lines compared to compounds 1 and 3. Moreover, compound 3 presented the highest cytotoxicity against MCF cell lines with IC50 value of 37.17 ± 0.26 µg/mL than compounds 1, 2 and 4.

The ameliorative effect of Homalium nepalense on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatocellular injury in rats.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate ameliorative effects of Homalium nepalense Benth. (Flacourtiaceae) on CCl4-induced hepatocellular injury in rats. Oxygen-radical absorbance-capacity (ORAC) and cell-based-antioxidant-protection-in-erythrocytes (CAP-e) were performed and found that the ethyl acetate fractions of bark (HNEB) and leaf (HNEL) showed a remarkable degree of antioxidant activities in a dose dependent manner. Antioxidant potential HNEB was higher than HNEL and was comparable with trolox. HNEB and HNEL at 300 and 400 mg/kg showed significant hepatoprotective activities against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity as evidenced by restoration of SGOT, SGPT, ALP, TB and TP level. The level of TBARS, SOD, CAT and GSH were significantly improved and restored towards normal value. Both fractions at 400 mg/kg showed remarkable improvements in marker levels as comparable to silymarin. Histopathological observations of liver tissues revealed the reduction of necrosis with appearance of sinusoidal space, central vein, and bile duct both in case of HNEB and HNEL. GC-MS and LC-MS confirmed occurrence of a total 53 no. of phytocompounds in HNEB and HNEL. Based on their retention times-(RT) and mass-to-charge-ratios-(m/z), some of the major bioactive compounds were catechol (5.89%), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5.87%), salicylic acid (4.89%), eugenol (1.60%), doconexent (0.31%), ß-sitosterol (1.59%), 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (1.15%), coniferyl alcohol (2.99%), hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (1.05%), and betulin (1.20%). H. nepalense possesses significant hepatoprotection effect because of its antioxidant constituents.

PLS, iPLS, GA-PLS models for soluble solids content, pH and acidity determination in intact dovyalis fruit using near-infrared spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Dovyalis species Dovyalis abyssinica Warb. and Dovyalis hebecarpa Warb. were introduced into Brazil, but the fruit quality of these species is not appropriate for fresh consumption due to their high titratable acidity (TA) and low soluble solids content (SSC). With the selection of new D. abyssinica clones with lower acidity and the hybridization of these two dovyalis species (D. abyssinica and D. hebecarpa) the fruit quality improved and the better physical-chemical characteristics make them more suitable for fresh consumption. The objective of this study was to develop partial least squares (PLS) models using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the determination of SSC, TA and pH in intact dovyalis hybrid fruit (D. abyssinica Warb. × D. hebecarpa Warb.). RESULTS: The best SSC prediction model was developed with PLS regression (root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP ) of 0.71 °Brix, prediction data set (RP 2 ) of 0.74 and residual predictive deviation (RPD) of 2.82). Although interval PLS was tested, genetic algorithm PLS performed better for TA (RMSEP of 4.8 g kg-1 , RP 2 of 0.40, and RPD of 1.67), and for pH (RMSEP of 0.03, RP 2 of 0.90, and RPD of 6.67). CONCLUSION: NIRS can be used as a non-destructive method to determine quality parameters in intact dovyalis hybrid fruit. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Phytochemicals and nutritional composition in accessions of Kei-apple (Dovyalis caffra): Southern African indigenous fruit.

Current study was initiated to identify the phytochemicals and the nutritional profile of eleven Kei-apple fruit accessions. Accession FH29 showed the highest level (492.45 mg 100 g-1 fresh weight) of total phenolic content, higher than the referral fruit, blueberry. Pyrogallol was identified as the predominant phenolic compound in all accessions. Accession FH 29 showed the highest (49.75 µmol TEAC g-1 fresh weight) antioxidant capacity. Catechin content was higher in accessions; FH151, FH15, FH14, FH29, FH243, FH 239 and FH 231. Accessions, FH14 and FH232 exhibited higher levels of ß-carotene than the referral fruit apples (cv. Top red) and peaches (cv. Excellence). The total sugar (glucose and fructose) was highest (50 mg g-1 fresh weight) in accession FH240. Asparagine (3122.18 mg L-1) and gamma-aminobutyric (1688.87 mg L-1) were higher in accessions FH239 and FH243 respectively. Overall, the accession Kei-apple FH236 can be regarded as a good source of essential amino acids.

Bioactive Phenolic and Isocoumarin Glycosides from the Stems of Homalium paniculiflorum.

Two new phenolic glycosides (1 and 2) and two new isocoumarin glycosides (3 and 4), along with 14 known compounds (5-18), were isolated from the stems of Homalium paniculiflorum. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods. All new compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities via examining the inhibitory activity on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells in vitro. Compounds 1 and 4 exhibited inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 30.23 ± 1.23 µM and 19.36 ± 0.19 µM, respectively.

A new dihydrochalcone glycoside from the stems of Homalium stenophyllum.

A new dihydrochalcone glycoside, phloretin-4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1), together with seven known flavonoids (2-8), were isolated from the stems of Homalium stenophyllum. The structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and the known compounds were identified by comparisons with data reported in the literature. The known compounds (2-8) were isolated from the genus Homalium for the first time. All compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against six pathogenic bacteria in vitro.

Corymbulosins I-W, Cytotoxic Clerodane Diterpenes from the Bark of Laetia corymbulosa.

The isolation studies of a crude MeOH/CH2Cl2 (1:1) extract (N005829) of the bark of Laetia corymbulosa yielded 15 new clerodane diterpenes, designated corymbulosins I-W (1-15), as well as four known diterpenes, 16-19. The structures of 1-15 were characterized on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR and HRMS analyses. The absolute configurations of newly isolated compounds 1-15, as well as known 16-19, which were reported previously with only relative configurations, were determined through ECD experiments, X-ray analysis, chemical methods, including Mosher esterification, and comparison of their spectroscopic data. The isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines. Flow cytometric and immunocytochemical observations of cells treated with cytotoxic clerodanes demonstrated that the chromatin was fragmented and dispersed with formation of apoptotic microtubules.

Idesia polycarpa (Salicaceae) leaf constituents and their toxic effect on Cerura vinula and Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera) larvae.

Phytochemical investigation of Idesia polycarpa (Salicaceae) resulted in the structure elucidation of nine previously undescribed phenolic natural products along with six known compounds. The compounds are structurally related to salicinoids that are known defense compounds from Salix and Populus species. The I. polycarpa diet was toxic, as shown in feeding experiments with larvae of Lymantria dispar, an herbivorous broadleaf tree generalist insect, and with larvae of Cerura vinula, a specialist adapted to poplar. The survival rate and mass gain of larvae was significantly lower when they fed on I. polycarpa leaves, compared to larvae fed on Populus nigra leaves. Potential reasons for the poor performance of both herbivores on I. polycarpa leaves are discussed.