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Bei-dou-gen, the dried rhizome of Menispermum dauricum from the Menispermaceae family, is an important Chinese medicinal material. In order to clarify the pharmacodynamic substance basis, the methanol extract of the rhizome in M. dauricum was systematically isolated and purified using various chromatographic methods and the structures of isolated compounds were identified. The potential anti-inflammatory activity of obtained compounds from M. dauricum was measured in vitro. In this study, the chemical constituents were separated via silica gel column chromatography, macroporous adsorption resin and preparative HPLC, and their structures were determined on the basis of MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and other spectroscopic data analysis, as well as comparison with relevant literatures. Meanwhile, the anti-inflammatory activities of against NO and IL-6 production from LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells of the chemical components were evaluated in vitro. The results were as follows: (1) Fifteen compounds were isolated from the rhizome of M. dauricum, and identified as p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1), vanillic acid (2), syringaldehyde (3), 2-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone (4), methyl 4-hydroxyphenylacetate (5), 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-nitroethane (6), 4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile (7), dibutyl phthalate (8), fragransin B2 (9), 7-hydroxy-3,6-dimethoxy-1,4-phenanthraquinone (10), palmitic acid (11), arachidic acid (12), β-sitosterol (13), β-stigmasterol (14) and daucosterol (15). Among them, compounds 4-7, 9 and 12 were isolated from Menispermaceae for the first time, while compounds 1, 3-11 and 14 were first reported from Menispermum genus. The above compounds were all non-alkaloids components, including phenols, lignans, phenanthraquinones, fatty acids and sterols. (2) Anti-inflammatory assay in vitro showed that Compound 12 could significantly inhibited releases of NO and IL-6 induced by LPS from RAW264.7 cells at the concentrations of 25 and 50 μg·mL-1, indicating potential anti-inflammatory activity. The results of this study enrich the chemical diversity of the rhizome of M. dauricum and clarifies the active ingredients of its anti-inflammatory activity, and provide effective reference for the rational utilization of medicinal plant resources.

IntroductionPhylogenomics have been widely used to resolve ambiguous and controversial evolutionary relationships among plant species and genera, and the identification of unique indels in plastomes may even help to understand the evolution of some plant families. Menispermum L. (Menispermaceae) consists of three species, M. dauricum DC., M. canadense L., and M. mexicanum Rose, which are disjuncly distributed among East Asia, Eastern North America and Mexico. Taxonomists continue to debate whether M. mexicanum is a distinct species, a variety of M. dauricum, or simply a synonym of M. canadense. To date, no molecular systematics studies have included this doubtful species in phylogenetic analyses.MethodsIn this study, we examined phylogenomics and phylogeography of Menispermum across its entire range using 29 whole plastomes of Menispermaceae and 18 ITS1&ITS2 sequences of Menispermeae. We reconstructed interspecific relationships of Menispermum and explored plastome evolution in Menispermaceae, revealing several genomic hotspot regions for the family.Results and discussionPhylogenetic and network analyses based on whole plastome and ITS1&ITS2 sequences show that Menispermum clusters into two clades with high support values, Clade A (M. dauricum) and Clade B (M. canadense + M. mexicanum). However, M. mexicanum is nested within M. canadense and, as a result, we support that M. mexicanum is a synonym of M. canadense. We also identified important molecular variations in the plastomes of Menispermaceae. Several indels and consequently premature terminations of genes occur in Menispermaceae. A total of 54 regions were identified as the most highly variable plastome regions, with nucleotide diversity (Pi) values > 0.05, including two coding genes (matK, ycf1), four introns (trnK intron, rpl16 intron, rps16 intron, ndhA intron), and 48 intergenic spacer (IGS) regions. Of these, four informative hotspot regions (trnH-psbA, ndhF-rpl32, trnK-rps16, and trnP-psaJ) should be especially useful for future studies of phylogeny, phylogeography and conservation genetics of Menispermaceae.

Background. Tinomiscium petiolare Hook.f. & Thomson is a medicinal species of the family Menispermaceae. This species is currently being intensively exploited for therapeutic purposes. Precise and rapid identification of T. petiolare is critical and essential for the classification, propagation, use and conservation of its genetic resources. In recent years, DNA barcoding has been known to be a fast and sensitive method for identifying species at any stage of development, using short DNA sequences. In this study we have performed the identification of T. petiolare specimens in Vietnam based on the sequence analysis of 4 DNA barcode loci: ITS, matK, rbcL and rpoC.Materials and methods. Total DNA was extracted from leaf samples using DNeasy Plant Mini Kit. PCR amplification of the ITS, matK, rbcL and rpoC regions was carried out on the GeneAmp PCR System 9700 with specific primers. The purified PCR products were sequenced on the ABI 3500 Genetic Analyzer system, using BigDye®Terminator v3.1 Cycle Sequencing Kit. These genetic sequences were analyzed and compared, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using BioEdit, BLAST, and MEGA 6 programs.Results and conclusion. The success rate of amplification and sequencing was 100% for all 4 DNA barcode loci (ITS, matK, rbcL and rpoC) in the studied specimens. The produced sequence sizes of ITS, matK, rbcL and rpoC in the specimens were 574 bp, 810 bp, 527 bp and 488 bp, respectively. Further, we identified that all studied specimens were genetically related to each other and associated with the same species T. petiolare. Overall, the results of the study generated the most complete DNA barcode database of T. petiolare collected in Vietnam, contributing to the taxonomy and identification of this species.

Fibraurea recisa Pierre 1885, which belongs to the family Menispermaceae, is an important medicinal herb in Yunnan, China. Despite its importance, genetic studies on this species remain rare. Therefore, in the current study, we assembled the complete chloroplast genome of F. recisa. Results showed that the complete genome was 161,671 bp in length, including a large single-copy region (LSC, 91,071 bp), small single-copy region (SSC, 20,858 bp), and two inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb, 24,871 bp). The genome consisted of 124 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that F. recisa was most closely related to species of Tinospora within Menispermaceae. Our complete chloroplast genome of F. recisa should contribute to the genetic resource assessment of this species as well as its future conservation and utilization.

The diversification of Tiliacoreae and the speciation of Eleutharrhena are closely linked to Southeast Asia’s most northerly rainforests which originate from the Himalayan uplift. Migration routes across biogeographical zones within the Asian clade, including those of Eleutharrhena, Pycnarrhena, and Macrococculus, and their population structures are still unexplored. We combine endocarp morphology, phylogenetic analyses, divergence time estimation, ancestral area reconstruction, as well as SCoT method to reconstruct the past diversification of Eleutharrhena macrocarpa and to understand their current distribution, rarity, and evolutionary distinctiveness. The disjunct, monospecific, and geographically restricted genera Eleutharrhena and Macrococculus both have a dry aril, a unique feature in Menispermaceae endocarps that further confirms their close relationship. Pycnarrhena and Eleutharrhena appeared during the end of the Oligocene c. 23.10 million years ago (Mya) in Indochina. Eleutharrhena speciation may be linked to climate change during this time, when humid forests became restricted to the northern range due to the Himalayan uplift. Differentiation across the Thai–Burmese range could have contributed to the isolation of the Dehong populations during the Miocene c. 15.88 Mya, when exchange between India and continental Asia ceased. Dispersal to the Lanping–Simao block and further differentiation in southeastern and southern Yunnan occurred during the Miocene, c. 6.82 Mya. The specific habitat requirements that led to the biogeographic patterns observed in E. macrocarpa contributed to a low genetic diversity overall. Population 1 from Dehong, 16 from Pu’er, and 20 from Honghe on the East of the Hua line have a higher genetic diversity and differentiation; therefore, we suggest that their conservation be prioritized.

Aerial parts of Cissampelos pareira L. (Family: Menispermaceae), commonly known as “Batulpate” in Nepal, are used for the treatment of fever, indigestion and to stop bleeding after child birth. In this study, a biflavonoid, amentoflavone; and two kaempferol glycosides, kaempferol 3-O-b-D-glucopyranoside and kaempferol 3-O-b-D-glucuronopyranoside were isolated from 70% MeOH extract of the aerial parts. Structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report on the isolation of these compounds from a plant belonging to family Menispermaceae.

The complete chloroplast genome of Stephania tetrandra was sequenced and assembled for the first time. The chloroplast genome is 159,974 bp in length, containing a large single-copy (LSC) region of 90,539 bp and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 20,735 bp, separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 24,350 bp. The genome contains 113 unique genes, including 79 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Among them, 15 genes have one intron each and three genes contain two introns. The overall GC content is 37.8%, while the corresponding values of LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 35.8, 32.4, and 43.7%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that S. tetrandra is more closely related to the clade of two species within Stephania, providing new insight into the evolution of Menispermaceae.

Sinomenium acutum is a woody vine of great virtue in traditional Chinese medicine and, nowadays, a potent anticancer drug against several types of cancers. In the present study, we have assembled and characterized the very first chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of S. acutum. The whole chloroplast genome is 162,966 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats (IR) of 25,051 bp each, separated by one large single-copy region (LSC, 91,627 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 21,237 bp). The cp genome encodes 132 unique genes that contain 85 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. In our phylogeny of Ranunculales, Menispermum dauricum is sister to S. acutum.

Tinospora cordifolia is a popular medicinal plant which is used in several traditional medicines to cure various diseases. The common names are Amrita and Guduchi and belong to the family of Menispermaceae. It is considered an essential herbal plant of Indian system of medicine (ISM) and has been used in the treatment of fever, urinary problem, dysentery, skin diseases leprosy, diabetes, and many more diseases. The plant reported containing chemical compound including Alkaloids, Terpenoids, Lignans, Steroids and others that establish the phytochemistry and pharmacological activity of Tinospora cordifolia. The present review highlights the pharmacological importance viz antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, anti-diabetic activity, antistress activity, hypolipidaemic effect, hepatic disorder, anticancer anti HIV potential, antiosteoporotic effects, antitoxic effects, wound healing, anticomplementary activity, and immunomodulating activity, systemic infection and Parkinson ̓s disease.

Background:Cocculus hirsutus (L.) W.Theob. (Menispermaceae) is a perennial climber distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical areas. The main aim of this article is to collect and analyze the scientific information related to traditional uses, bioactive chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. Methods: Scientific information on C. hirsutus was retrieved from the online bibliographic databases (e.g. MEDLINE/PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus). Information regarding traditional uses was also acquired from secondary resources including books and proceedings. Results: Different plant parts of C. hirsutus were reported to be used for the treatment of fever, skin diseases, stomach disorders and urinary diseases. Alkaloids such as jasminitine, hirsutine, cohirsitine and their derivatives along with a few flavonoids, triterpene derivatives and volatile compounds were reported from whole plant or different plant parts. Extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory and hepatoprotective activities among others. Conclusion: Although widely used in traditional medicines, only a few studies have been performed related to chemical constituents. Most of the biological activity evaluations were carried out using in vitro evaluation methods and only a few studies were carried out in animal models. In the future, properly designed in vivo and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the pharmacological activities of C. hirsutus along with bioassay-guided studies to isolate and identify the active constituents.

Cissampelos andromorpha DC. y C. arenicolaM. Nee & R. Ortiz se citan por primera vez para la flora Argentina. Se presentan descripciones e imágenes de pliegos de herbario de las especies mencionadas y se actualizan sus distribuciones geográficas. Se incluye una clave para la identificación de las cuatro especies de Cissampelospresentes en Argentina

Quaternary alkaloids are the major alkaloids isolated from Tinospora species. A previous study pointed to the necessary presence of quaternary nitrogens for strong acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity in such alkaloids. Repeated column chromatography of the vine of Tinospora crispa extract led to the isolation of one new protoberberine alkaloid, 4,13-dihydroxy-2,8,9-trimethoxydibenzo[a,g]quinolizinium (1), along with six known alkaloids—dihydrodiscretamine (2), columbamine (3), magnoflorine (4), N-formylannonaine (5), N-formylnornuciferine (6), and N-trans-feruloyltyramine (7). The seven compounds were isolated and structurally elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Two known alkaloids, namely, dihydrodiscretamine and columbamine are reported for the first time for this plant. The compounds were tested for AChE inhibitory activity using Ellman’s method. In the AChE inhibition assay, only columbamine (3) showed strong activity with IC50 48.1 µM. The structure–activity relationships derived from these results suggest that the quaternary nitrogen in the skeleton has some effect, but that a high degree of methoxylation is more important for acetylcholinesterase inhibition.

Menispermum dauricum is a woody liana with great medicinal value. In the current study, we assembled the first chloroplast (cp) genome of M. dauricum. The whole chloroplast genome is 158,623 bp in length, with one large copy region (LSC: 88,879 bp), a small single copy region (SSC: 20,644 bp), and two inverted repeats (IR: 24,550 bp). The cp genome contains 114 unique genes with 80 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. In our phylogeny of Ranunculales, Papaveraceae is found to be the basal group of Ranunculales and M. dauricum is sister to Stephania japonica.

Cissampelos capensis, commonly known by the Afrikaans name “dawidjies” or “dawidjieswortel”, is the most important and best known medicinal plant of the family Menispermaceae used by the Khoisan and other rural people in the western region of South Africa. The main alkaloids in the leaves, stems and rhizomes were isolated and identified. Several of the main compounds were previously found in species of the related genus Antizoma and this similarity indicates that the two genera are closely related if not congeneric. Bulbocapnine (an aporphine alkaloid), dicentrine (an aporphine alkaloid) and salutaridine (a morphinane alkaloid) were the main alkaloids in the leaves, while bulbocapnine, cissacapine, cycleanine and insularine (the last three are bisbenzyltetrahydro-isoquinoline alkaloids) are the major compounds in the stems. The rhizome contains mostly bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, with 12-O-methylcurine, cissacapine and cycleanine as the main ones. Alkaloids appear to be quite variable within different plant parts and different provenances, as confirmed by the difference in alkaloid patterns between coastal and inland forms of Cissampelos capensis (the morphinane alkaloid salutaridine, for example, is the major leaf alkaloid along the coast but is practically absent from the inland form of the species). The variety of alkaloids identified may contribute to the medicinal value of this species. The data on alkaloidal variation in the species has potential value and practical applications in chemotaxonomy, toxicology and pharmacognosy.

Fifty-seven compounds were purified from the stems of Tinospora sinensis, including three new compounds characterized as a lignan (1), a pyrrole alkaloid (11), and a benzenoid (17), respectively. Their structures were elucidated and established by various spectroscopic and spectrometric analytical methods. Among the isolates, fifteen compounds were examined for their anti-inflammatory potential in vitro. The results showed that several compounds displayed moderate inhibition of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine/cytochalasin B (fMLP/CB)-induced superoxide anion generation and elastase release.

Se citan por primera vez para la flora argentina las especies Cissampelos ovalifolia (Menispermaceae) y Rubus brasiliensis (Rosaceae), las cuales se destacan en otros países por sus propiedades medicinales. Se detallan caracteres distintivos de las especies, se ilustran y se brinda información acerca de su distribución, nombres vernáculos, usos y observaciones ecológicas.Cissampelos ovalifolia (Menispermaceae) y Rubus brasiliensis (Rosaceae) are reported for the first time for the Argentinian flora. These species are widely known in another countries because of its medicinal properties. Distinctive characters of the species are detailed and illustrated; information about distribution of species, vernacular names, uses and ecological observations are given.

The stems of Arcangelisia flava, Coscinium blumeanum and Fibraurea tinctoria, collectively known in southern Thailand as Khaminkhruea, were sequentially extracted with petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and boiling water to afford 12 crude extracts. All extracts have been assessed for antioxidant activity against DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical and cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp and human cancer cell line MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma). Methanol extract of A. flava (AFM), and methanol and chloroform extracts of C. blumeanum (CBM and CBC) exhibited moderate antioxidant activity with EC50 values of 25-55 μg/ml. Chloroform extracts of A. flava (AFC) and F. tinctoria (FTC), AFM, CBC and CBM showed pronounced cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp and MCF-7 cells with LC50 and IC50 values of 210-278 and 8-12 μg/ml, respectively. Bioassay-guided chemical investigation led to the isolation of berberine as a main compound of AFC, AFM, CBC and CBM. Palmatine and jatrorrhizine were found to be main alkaloids of FTC, and minor alkaloids of AFC, AFM, CBC and CBM. In addition, an ester triacontanyl caffeate was isolated for the first time from C. blumeanum (CBC). Chemical structures of the isolated compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods particularly NMR and mass spectrometry. Triacontanyl caffeate was mainly responsible for antioxidant activity of C. blumeanum with an EC50 value of 6.8 μg/ml. Jatrorrhizine possessed moderate antioxidant activity with an EC50 value of 98.0 μg/ml, whereas palmatine and berberine were found to be considerably less active (EC50 >100 μg/ml). The LC50 values of the four isolated compounds on brine shrimp were ranging from 37-206 μg/ml. The IC50 values of berberine, palmatine and jatrorrhizine against MCF-7 cells were in the range of 1-4 μg/ml. Triacontanyl caffeate was considerably less cytotoxic than the alkaloids with an IC50 value of 15.5 μg/ml.

La familia Menispermaceae es reconocida en el Perú por presentar 15 géneros y 75 especies (Brako & Zarucchi, 1993; Ulloa Ulloa et al., 2004), principalmente lianas y bejucos. En este trabajo reconocemos cuatro especies endémicas en tres géneros. Las especies endémicas se encuentran en las regiones Bosques Húmedos Amazónicos y Bosques Muy Húmedos Montanos, entre los 100 y 940 m de altitud. Ninguna de las especies endémicas está representada en el Sistema Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado.

Phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Cissampelos ovalifolia D. C. and C. pareira L. from Guyana, India and several regions of Colombia are discussed. A description of extraction procedures, isolation, purification, chromatographic (CC, TLC) and spectroscopic techniques (IR, H +-NMR, MS) as well as a comparison of the BBI alkaloids present in the material studied, are presented.

Les auteurs présentent les résultats d'une étude sur l'effet du tannate de berbérine (BertamixND), comme activateur de croissance pour les porcs, extrait de Cossinium fenestratum (Gaertn) Colebr. et de l'écorce du tronc de Terminalia chebula Retz, deux plantes largement disponibles au Viêt-nam. L'addition du BertamixND au taux de 5 p. 1000 dans le régime alimentaire de porcs âgés de 3 à 5 mois entraîne un gain de poids de 21 % et améliore l'indice de consommation de 17,3 % : soit une réduction de 0,76 UF/kg de gain de poids. Son intérêt pour accroître les performances de croissance chez le porc charcutier au Viêt-nam est discuté.

No presente trabalho foram estudados os grãos de pólen de cinco espécies pertencentes à família Menispermaceae (Abuta selloana Eichler, Cissampelos andromorpha DC, Disciphania modestaDiels, Hyperbaena domingensis (DC.) Benth, Odontocarya acuparata Miers) e de uma espécie pertencente à família Violaceae (Anchietea pyrifolia (Mart.) G. Don), ocorrentes na Reserva do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga. Para todos os táxons estudados, são apresentadas descrições, ilustrações, e observações.

Additional Notes on Menispermaceae?. In this work the author cites specimens of Menispermaceae, which he had not previously studied, making some considerations regarding them. Add the geographical distribution of the species in different South and Central American countries and a list of synonymy, and describe a new species: Anomospermum bolivianum Krukoff et Moldenke.