Bioguided Fractionation of Phyllanthus spp.: Unveiling Anticancer Potential through Metabolomic Correlation and ADMETox Insights.

Cancer remains a significant global health concern, with mortality rates steadily rising and prompting an urgent search for effective treatments. This study focuses on the medicinal properties of plants from the Phyllanthus genus, specifically Phyllanthus amarus and Phyllanthus niruri, which have shown promise in traditional medicine. Through bioguided fractionation using preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), bioactive compounds were isolated and identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MSE) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Chemometric analyses such as principal component analysis (PCA) aided in understanding metabolite distribution. Biological assays demonstrated cytotoxic activities of specific fractions against cancer cell lines, notably the PhyN 4n fraction from P. niruri, which induced S-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HL60 cells. These findings underscore the anticancer potential of Phyllanthus species and lay the groundwork for future drug development efforts. The study's integration of advanced analytical techniques, chemometrics, and biological assays provides valuable insights for harnessing natural products in the fight against cancer.

Cytotoxic Plakortides from the Brazilian Marine Sponge Plakortis angulospiculatus.

Three new plakortides, 7,8-dihydroplakortide E (1), 2, and 10, along with known natural products 3, 4, spongosoritin A (5), 6-8, and plakortide P (9), were isolated from Brazilian specimens of Plakortis angulospiculatus. Compounds 2, 3, 5, and 7-9 displayed cytotoxic activities with IC50 values ranging from 0.2 to 10 µM. Compounds that contained a dihydrofuran ring were generally less active and displayed time dependence in their activity. The activities of compounds 2 and 7-9, carboxylic acids bearing a common six-membered endoperoxide, were higher overall than for compounds 3 and 5. The modes underlying the cytotoxic actions of plakortides 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9 were further investigated using HCT-116 cells. While dihydrofurans 3 and 5 induce a G0/G1 arrest, six-membered peroxides 2, 7, and 9 delivered a G2/M arrest and an accumulation of mitotic figures, indicating a distinctly different antimitotic response. Confocal analysis indicated that microtubules were not altered after treatment with 2, 7, or 9, therein suggesting that the mitotic arrest may be unrelated to cytoskeletal targets. Overall, we find that two related classes of natural products obtained from the same extract offer cytostatic activity, yet they do so through discrete pathways.

Influence of Silver Nanoparticles on the Metabolites of Two Transgenic Soybean Varieties: An NMR-Based Metabolomics Approach.

This study investigated the effect of AgNPs and AgNO3, at concentrations equivalent, on the production of primary and secondary metabolites on transgenic soybean plants through an NMR-based metabolomics. The plants were cultivated in a germination chamber following three different treatments: T0 (addition of water), T1 (addition of AgNPs), and T2 (addition of AgNO3). Physiological characteristics, anatomical analyses through microscopic structures, and metabolic profile studies were carried out to establish the effect of abiotic stress on these parameters in soybean plants. Analysis of the 1H NMR spectra revealed the presence of amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and polyphenols. The metabolic profiles of plants with AgNP and AgNO3 were qualitatively similar to the metabolic profile of the control group, suggesting that the application of silver does not affect secondary metabolites. From the PCA, it was possible to differentiate the three treatments applied, mainly based on the content of fatty acids, pinitol, choline, and betaine.

1H NMR and LC-MS-based metabolomic approach for evaluation of the seasonality and viticultural practices in wines from São Francisco River Valley, a Brazilian semi-arid region.

São Francisco River Valley (SFRV) is a wine-producing semi-arid region in Brazil. Therefore, we used a 1H NMR and UPLC-MS-based metabolomic approach coupled to chemometrics to evaluate the variability in Chenin Blanc and Syrah wines for two harvest seasons, two vine training system and six rootstocks. Overall, the secondary metabolites were influenced by the three factors studied, whereas the primary metabolites were only by the seasonality. Chenin Blanc wines made in December presented higher content of an unidentified carbohydrate. In Syrah wines, glycerol, tartaric acid, succinic acid and 2,3-butanediol were greater in December, while proline and lactic acid were more abundant in July. For training system, caffeic acid derivatives were increased in wines produced from espalier. Lyre system increased phenolic compounds, organic acids and apocarotenoids. The effect of the rootstocks was less pronounced, affecting basically caffeic acid derivatives. Thus, we expect that our results may assist the winemakers to improve the SFRV wine quality.

Neuroinhibitory meroterpenoid compounds from Cordia oncocalyx.

Five new meroterpenoid compounds designed as rel-10ß,11ß-epoxy-2,11-dimethoxy-8α-hydroxy-8aß-methyl-5α,6,7,8,8a,9,10,10aß-octahydro-1,4-anthracendione (1), rel-10ß,11ß-epoxy-8α,5-dihydroxy-2-methoxy-8aß-methyl-5,6,7,8,8a,9,10,10aß-octahydro -1.4-anthracendione (2), rel-1,4,8α-trihydroxy-5-furanyl-2-methoxy-8aß-methyl-6,7,8, 8a,9,10-hexahydro-10-anthracenone (3), rel-10α,11α-epoxy-8α,11ß-dihydroxy-8aß-methyl-5ß,6,7,8,8a,9,10,10aß-octahydro-1,4-anthracenediol (4) and rel-1,4,8α-trihydroxy-5-carboxyethyl-2-methoxy-8aß-methyl-6,7,8,8a,9,10-hexahydro-10-anthra-cenone (5), besides seven (6-12) known compounds were isolated from the heartwood and sapwood ethanol extracts of Cordia oncocalyx. Moreover, the main isolated compounds were screened using the electrically driven mice vas deferens bioassay, which has a rich pharmacological receptors diversity.