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Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a widely researched industrial crop with a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, cosmetic, textile, and materials industries. Although many of these applications are related to its chemical composition, the chemical diversity of the hemp metabolome has not been explored in detail and new metabolites with unknown properties are likely to be discovered. In the current study, we explored the chemical diversity of the hemp seed metabolome through an untargeted metabolomic study of 52 germplasm accessions to 1) identify new metabolites and 2) link the presence of biologically important molecules to specific accessions on which to focus on in future studies. Multivariate analysis of mass spectral data demonstrated large variability of the polar chemistry profile between accessions. Five main groups were annotated based on their similar metabolic fingerprints. The investigation also led to the discovery of a new compound and four structural analogues, belonging to a previously unknown chemical class in hemp seeds: cinnamic acid glycosyl sulphates. Although variability in the fatty acid profiles was not as marked as the polar components, some accessions had a higher yield of fatty acids, and variation in the ratio of linoleic acid to a-linolenic acid was also observed, with some varieties closer to 3:1 (reported as optimal for human nutrition). We found that that cinnamic acid amides and lignanamides, the main chemical classes of bioactive metabolites in hemp seed, were more concentrated in the Spanish accession Kongo Hanf (CAN58) and the French accession CAN37, while the Italian cultivar Eletta Campana (CAN48) demonstrated the greatest yield of fatty acids. Our results indicate that the high variability of bioactive and novel metabolites across the studied hemp seed accessions may influence claims associated with their commercialization and inform breeding programs in cultivar development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aloe vera supports a substantial global trade yet its wild origins, and explanations for its popularity over 500 related Aloe species in one of the world's largest succulent groups, have remained uncertain. We developed an explicit phylogenetic framework to explore links between the rich traditions of medicinal use and leaf succulence in aloes. Results: The phylogenetic hypothesis clarifies the origins of Aloe vera to the Arabian Peninsula at the northernmost limits of the range for aloes. The genus Aloe originated in southern Africa ~16 million years ago and underwent two major radiations driven by different speciation processes, giving rise to the extraordinary diversity known today. Large, succulent leaves typical of medicinal aloes arose during the most recent diversification ~10 million years ago and are strongly correlated to the phylogeny and to the likelihood of a species being used for medicine. A significant, albeit weak, phylogenetic signal is evident in the medicinal uses of aloes, suggesting that the properties for which they are valued do not occur randomly across the branches of the phylogenetic tree. Conclusions: Phylogenetic investigation of plant use and leaf succulence among aloes has yielded new explanations for the extraordinary market dominance of Aloe vera. The industry preference for Aloe vera appears to be due to its proximity to important historic trade routes, and early introduction to trade and cultivation. Well-developed succulent leaf mesophyll tissue, an adaptive feature that likely contributed to the ecological success of the genus Aloe, is the main predictor for medicinal use among Aloe species, whereas evolutionary loss of succulence tends to be associated with losses of medicinal use. Phylogenetic analyses of plant use offer potential to understand patterns in the value of global plant diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comparative growth and efficacy of three strains of Trinidadian Isaria fumosorosea Wize (T, T10 and T11) blastospores were assessed as spray suspensions for controlling greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood. Percent germination of all the three strains were unaffected by the surfactants Triton X -100 or Tween 80 compared to the control (water). Radial growth of fungal strain T11 was faster than either T or T10 which were similar in their growth patterns. Virulence of blastospores of three strains were tested against pharate adult greenhouse whiteflies on bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The corrected mortality of whitefly for strains T, T10 and T11 was 56, 68 and 98% at 107 blastospores mL-1 and the median lethal concentration observed was 2.1 x 107, 1.3 x 107 and 2.5 x 106 blastospores mL-1, respectively. Strain T11 was the most virulent (range: 97-98% mortality) and had the lowest LC50 (range: 1.1-2.5 x 106 viable blastospores mL-1) value of the Trinidadian blastospore treatments tested against greenhouse whitefly on P. vulgaris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an integral part of mainstream medicine in China. Due to its worldwide use, potential impact on healthcare and opportunities for new drug development, TCM is also of great international interest. Recently, a new era for modernisation of TCM was launched with the successful completion of the Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in the Post-genomic Era (GP-TCM) project, the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) coordination action on TCM research. This 3.5-year project that involved inputs from over 200 scientists resulted in the production of 20 editorials and in-depth reviews on different aspects of TCM that were published in a special issue of Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2012; volume 140, issue 3). In this narrative review, we aim to summarise the findings of the FP7 GP-TCM project and highlight the relevance of TCM to modern medicine within a historical and international context. Advances in TCM research since the 1950s can be characterised into three phases: Phase I (1950s-1970s) was fundamental for developing TCM higher education, research and hospital networks in China; Phase II (1980s-2000s) was critical for developing legal, economic and scientific foundations and international networks for TCM; and Phase III (2011 onwards) is concentrating on consolidating the scientific basis and clinical practice of TCM through interdisciplinary, interregional and intersectoral collaborations. Taking into account the quality and safety requirements newly imposed by a globalised market, we especially highlight the scientific evidence behind TCM, update the most important milestones and pitfalls, and propose integrity, integration and innovation as key principles for further modernisation of TCM. These principles will serve as foundations for further research and development of TCM, and for its future integration into tomorrow's medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We recently developed high-throughput assays of inflammation-independent anti-fibrotic activities based on TGF-β1-induced total collagen accumulation and nodule formation in normal rat kidney fibroblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tricin, a flavone isolated from rice bran, has been shown to be chemopreventive in a colorectal cancer (CRC) mouse model. This study aimed to illustrate the inhibitory activities of tricin in colon cancer cells and in a metastatic CRC mouse model. BALB/c mice injected with mouse Colon26-Luc cells into the rectum wall were treated with tricin (37.5 mg/kg) daily for 18 days. Orthotopic colon tumor growth and metastasis to lungs were assessed by in vivo bioluminescence imaging. Results showed that tricin suppressed Colon-Luc cells motility and downregulated phosphorylated Akt, Erk1/2 and NF-κB expressions of human colon cancer HT-29 cells. While tricin treatment suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis as well as altered the populations of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells in spleens. In summary, the tumor microenvironment modulatory and anti-metastatic effects of tricin in colon cancer mouse model were shown for the first time, suggesting the potential development of tricin-containing food supplements for CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) is a widely researched industrial crop with a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, cosmetic, textile, and materials industries. Although many of these applications are related to its chemical composition, the chemical diversity of the hemp metabolome has not been explored in detail and new metabolites with unknown properties are likely to be discovered. In the current study, we explored the chemical diversity of the hemp seed metabolome through an untargeted metabolomic study of 52 germplasm accessions to 1) identify new metabolites and 2) link the presence of biologically important molecules to specific accessions on which to focus on in future studies. Multivariate analysis of mass spectral data demonstrated large variability of the polar chemistry profile between accessions. Five main groups were annotated based on their similar metabolic fingerprints. The investigation also led to the discovery of a new compound and four structural analogues, belonging to a previously unknown chemical class in hemp seeds: cinnamic acid glycosyl sulphates. Although variability in the fatty acid profiles was not as marked as the polar components, some accessions had a higher yield of fatty acids, and variation in the ratio of linoleic acid to α-linolenic acid was also observed, with some varieties closer to 3:1 (reported as optimal for human nutrition). We found that that cinnamic acid amides and lignanamides, the main chemical classes of bioactive metabolites in hemp seed, were more concentrated in the Spanish accession Kongo Hanf (CAN58) and the French accession CAN37, while the Italian cultivar Eletta Campana (CAN48) demonstrated the greatest yield of fatty acids. Our results indicate that the high variability of bioactive and novel metabolites across the studied hemp seed accessions may influence claims associated with their commercialization and inform breeding programs in cultivar development., Competing Interests: The authors declare that we have received funding from companies to assess the quality of commercialized hemp seed extracts including “The Procter & Gamble Company”. However, no company contributed scientifically or financially to this research or was involved in the decision to publish it. The authors declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2023 Padilla-González, Rosselli, Sadgrove, Cui and Simmonds.)

Background: Ulcerative colitis is a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease, characterized by relapsing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract with limited treatment options. Previous studies suggested that the natural compound tricin, a flavone isolated from rice bran, could suppress chemically-induced colitis in mice, while our recent study also demonstrated the anti-metastatic effect of tricin in colon tumor-bearing mice., Hypothesis/purpose: Here we further investigated the underlying mechanism of the inhibitory effects of tricin on lipopolysaccharides-activated macrophage RAW264.7 cells and explored the efficacy of tricin in acute colitis mouse model induced by 4.5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 7 days., Methods: Tricin (75, 100, and 150 mg/kg) or the positive control drug sulfasalazine (200 mg/kg) were orally administered to mice for 7 days. Stool consistency scores, stool blood scores, and body weight were recorded daily. Disease activity index (DAI) was examined on day 7, and colon tissues were collected for biochemical analyses. The fecal microbiome of colitis mice after tricin treatment was characterized for the first time in this study using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing., Results: Results showed that tricin (50 µM) remarkably reduced nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharides-activated RAW264.7 cells and the anti-inflammatory activity of tricin was shown to act through the NF-κB pathway. Besides, tricin treatment at 150 mg/kg significantly reversed colon length reduction, reduced myeloperoxidase activities and DAI scores, as well as restored the elevated myeloid-derived suppressive cells population in acute colitis mice. The influence from DSS on gut microbiota, such as the increased population of Proteobacteria phylum and Ruminococcaceae family, was shown to be relieved after tricin treatment., Conclusion: Our present study firstly demonstrated that tricin ameliorated acute colitis by improving colonic inflammation and modulating gut microbiota profile, which supports the potential therapeutic use of tricin for colitis treatment., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The phosphatase enzyme calcineurin controls gene expression in a variety of biological contexts however few potent inhibitors are currently available. A screen of 360 plant extracts for inhibition of calcineurin-dependent gene expression in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified the compound 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl isothiocyanate as an inhibitor. The compound was subsequently shown to inhibit human calcineurin via a mixed inhibition mechanism. To gain further mechanistic insight a yeast haploinsufficiency screen of 1152 deletion strains was carried out using a novel liquid medium screening method. The resulting haploinsufficiency profile is similar to that reported for the known calcineurin inhibitor FK506., (Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. All rights reserved.)

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an integral part of mainstream medicine in China. Due to its worldwide use, potential impact on healthcare and opportunities for new drug development, TCM is also of great international interest. Recently, a new era for modernisation of TCM was launched with the successful completion of the Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in the Post-genomic Era (GP-TCM) project, the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) coordination action on TCM research. This 3.5-year project that involved inputs from over 200 scientists resulted in the production of 20 editorials and in-depth reviews on different aspects of TCM that were published in a special issue of Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2012; volume 140, issue 3). In this narrative review, we aim to summarise the findings of the FP7 GP-TCM project and highlight the relevance of TCM to modern medicine within a historical and international context. Advances in TCM research since the 1950s can be characterised into three phases: Phase I (1950s-1970s) was fundamental for developing TCM higher education, research and hospital networks in China; Phase II (1980s-2000s) was critical for developing legal, economic and scientific foundations and international networks for TCM; and Phase III (2011 onwards) is concentrating on consolidating the scientific basis and clinical practice of TCM through interdisciplinary, interregional and intersectoral collaborations. Taking into account the quality and safety requirements newly imposed by a globalised market, we especially highlight the scientific evidence behind TCM, update the most important milestones and pitfalls, and propose integrity, integration and innovation as key principles for further modernisation of TCM. These principles will serve as foundations for further research and development of TCM, and for its future integration into tomorrow's medicine.