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ABSTRACT. Triterpenoid is a group of natural products with various remarkable activities, including cytotoxic. One of the sources for this type of compounds is Swietenia genus belong to Meliaceae family. This genus known to contains various secondary metabolites including limonoids, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. Especially for triterpenoid, there is limited report on isolation as well as biological activity from Swietenia genus, such as Swietenia mahagoni. In this research, three triterpenoid compounds have been successively isolated and identified from n-hexane extract, namely, (-)-leucophyllone (1), toonaciliatavarin E (2), and moronic acid (3). All isolated were assed against MCF-7 breast cancer and CV-1 normal kidney cell lines. The result showed that only moronic acid (3) performed moderate activity against two cells with IC50 of 63.10 and 48.04 µM, respectively. The other isolated compounds (1 and 2) showed weak cytotoxicity with IC50 > 500 µM. Based on preliminary structure activity relationship, revealed that pentacyclic triterpenoid (moronic acid, 3) showed stronger cytotoxicity compare with tetracyclic triterpenoids (-)-leucophyllone (1) and toonaciliatavarin E (2). Keyword: Cytotoxicity, MCF-7 and CV-1, Switennia mahagoni, Triterpenoids.

With about 120 species, Aglaia is one of the largest genera of the plant family Meliaceae (the mahogany plants). Various Aglaia species have been investigated since the 1960s for their phytochemical constituents and biological properties. This research objective was to find secondary metabolites that have activity as anti-breast cancer compounds from endemic Indonesian Aglaia, such as Aglaia angustifolia Miq. Two cholestan type steroids, stigmast-5en-3α-acetat (1), as a new steroid with α-sterochemistry of acetyl moiety at C-3 and 23a-homostigmast-5en-3β-ol (2), with unusual side chain were isolated for the first time from the stem bark of Aglaia angustifolia Miq or known as segara tree in Kalimantan. The chemical structures of two steroids were identified with spectroscopic data, including IR, NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT 135°, HMQC, HMBC, NOESY, 1H-1H COSY) and HRTOF-MS, as well as by comparing with previously reported spectral data. These two steroids were isolated for the first time from this genus. Steroids 1 and 2 were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells and showed weak activity with IC50 values of 829.0 and 903.0 µg/mL, respectively.

Abstract Background Cestrum diurnum L. (Solanaceae), locally known as buno-Hasnahena, is widely used in different traditional medicinal practices to treat pain, burn, swelling and related disorders. Adequate evidence is not available to support its medicinal properties for further use and drug development. Present study was designed to evaluate its traditional use in pain and inflammation with further characterisation of its chemical constituents through liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopic (LC-MS) analysis. Methods Antinociceptive and analgesic potential of methanol extract of the aerial parts of C. diurnum was carried out using carrageenan induced paw oedema and formalin induced paw licking test in mice at the oral doses of 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight. Inhibition of the inflammatory mediator nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) was evaluated by tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) induced NF-κB activation assay in macrophage cells at the concentration of 100 μg/ml. LC-MS analysis of the extract was performed to characterise the active component responsible for bioactivities. Results The extract significantly inhibited (p

Context Melicope latifolia (DC.) T. G. Hartley (Rutaceae) was reported to contain various phytochemicals including coumarins, flavonoids, and acetophenones. Objective This study investigates the antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of M. latifolia bark extracts, fractions, and isolated constituents. Materials and methods Melicope latifolia extracts (hexane, chloroform, and methanol), fractions, and isolated constituents with varying concentrations (0.078–10 mg/mL) were subjected to in vitro α-amylase and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitory assay. Molecular docking was performed to study the binding mechanism of active compounds towards α-amylase and DPP-4 enzymes. The antioxidant activity of M. latifolia fractions and compounds were determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and β-carotene bleaching assays. Results Melicope latifolia chloroform extract showed the highest antidiabetic activity (α-amylase IC50: 1464.32 μg/mL; DPP-4 IC50: 221.58 μg/mL). Fractionation of chloroform extract yielded four major fractions (CF1–CF4) whereby CF3 showed the highest antidiabetic activity (α-amylase IC50: 397.68 μg/mL; DPP-4 IC50: 37.16 μg/mL) and resulted in β-sitosterol (1), halfordin (2), methyl p-coumarate (3), and protocatechuic acid (4). Isolation of compounds 2–4 from the species and their DPP-4 inhibitory were reported for the first time. Compound 2 showed the highest α-amylase (IC50: 197.53 μM) and β-carotene (88.48%) inhibition, and formed the highest number of molecular interactions with critical amino acid residues of α-amylase. The highest DPP-4 inhibition was exhibited by compound 3 (IC50: 911.44 μM). Discussion and conclusions The in vitro and in silico analyses indicated the potential of M. latifolia as an alternative source of α-amylase and DPP-4 inhibitors. Further pharmacological studies on the compounds are recommended.

Andrographolide, the major constituent from the terrestrial plant Andrographis paniculata is a much-studied bioactive ent-labdane diterpene lactone and has become an important medicinal intermediate. Its structure as determined by X-ray crystallography has been applied in molecular docking studies to explain biological activities. Nevertheless, recently there has been a number of conflicting reports concerning the stereochemistry at the C-14 and C-10 positions affecting the absolute configuration (AC) of the compound. Since a lack of information on the molecular flexibility of the molecule can lead to misleading conclusions on biological activity, a conformational analysis of the molecule in the solution state was necessary. The conformational analysis was performed by the Spartan14 package using the Merck Molecular Force Field (MMFF). The exciton chirality method in electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy (ECM-ECD) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) techniques were then jointly employed to re-establish the AC of andrographolide. Theoretical calculations were performed using TD-DFT methods by using the hybrid functionals B3LYP and CAM-B3LYP combined with 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Long-range exciton coupling of 2-naphthoyl chromophores at C-14 and C-19 led to the establishment of the AC to be 3R, 4R, 5S, 9R, 10R and 14S. Comparison between the theoretical VCD data of 14-S and 14-R stereoisomer confirmed a configuration of S at C-14 position instead of R.

This research aimed to determine the topical administration effect of the combination of Sargassum duplicatum and Garcinia mangostana extracts to ameliorate diabetic open wound healing. The study used 24 adult males of Mus musculus (BALB/c strain, 3–4 months, 30–40 g). They were divided into normal control groups (KN) and diabetic groups. The diabetic group was streptozotocin-induced and divided further into three treatment groups: the diabetic control group (KD), the S. duplicatum treatment group (PA), and the combination of S. duplicatum and G. mangostana treatment group (PAM). The dose of treatment was 50 mg/kg of body weight. Each group was divided into three treatment durations, which were 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days. The wound healing process was determined by wound width, the number of neutrophils, macrophages, fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and collagen density. Histological observation showed that the topical administration of combination extracts increased the re-epithelialization of the wounded area, fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and collagen synthesis. The topical administration of combination extracts also decreased the number of neutrophils and macrophages. This study concluded that the topical administration of the combination of S. duplicatum and G. mangostana extracts improved the open wound healing process in diabetic mice.

The ethnopharmacological information gathered over many centuries and the presence of diverse metabolites have made the medicinal plants as the prime source of drugs. Despite the positive attributes of natural products, there are many questions pertaining to their mechanism of actions and molecular targets that impede their development as therapeutic agents. One of the major challenges in cancer research is the toxicity exerted by investigational agents towards the host. An understanding of their molecular targets, underlying mechanisms can reveal their anticancer efficacy, help in optimal therapeutic dose selection, to mitigate their side effects and toxicity towards the host. The purpose of this review is to collate details on natural products that are recently been investigated extensively in the past decade for their anticancer potential. Besides, critical analysis of their molecular targets and underlying mechanisms on multiple cancer cell lines, an in-depth probe of their toxicological screening on rodent models is outlined as well to observe the prevalence of their toxicity towards host. This review can provide valuable insights for researchers in developing methods, strategies during preclinical and clinical evaluation of anticancer candidates.

Phytochemical investigation of the dichloromethane crude extract from the bark of Ochreinauclea maingayi with the aid of LCMS/MS-based molecular networking guided the isolation and accelerated the elucidation of known and new indole alkaloids. The molecular networking analysis produces two main clusters, along with 41 non-prioritized clusters and self-loop nodes. Each cluster has several nodes which depict the fractions contained within those nodes. An implementation of a fraction mapping for each node represents the molecular weight and key fragment data of each compound. From the analysis of each cluster and node, we can deduce the indole alkaloids are the scaffold of interest. Indole scaffold can be found between F5 and F10 that contain several types of indole alkaloids. In total, we have successfully purified nine indole alkaloids, including 9H-β-carboline-4-carboxylate 2, norharmane 3, harmane 4, naucledine 10, neonaucline 15, 1,2,3,4-tetranorharmane-1-one 16, naulafine 19, cadambine 9, and a new monoterpene indole alkaloid dihyrodeglycocadambine 7 from F5 to F10 using a chromatographic technique. Their structures were confirmed by 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR, UV, IR, LCMS, and MS2LDA. Several clusters and nodes contain ions that could not be annotated, suggesting that they may possess novel compounds that are yet to be discovered.

Mitragyna speciosa Korth., is a controversial plant that possesses various medicinal values and has been used from time immemorial in folk medicine. Recently, it has been widely abused as a narcotic source. The aim of the present study was to characterize the in vitro nitric oxide (NO) inhibition property of the supercritical CO2 fluid extracts from M. speciosa leaves and to identify the chemical constituents of the extract that exhibited the most inhibition without toxicity effect. Samples were extracted using the green technology, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique via CO2 as the mobile phase. The NO inhibitory activity was evaluated by Griess assay, which measures the formation of nitrite ion (NO2−) in recombinant mouse interferon gamma/lipopolysaccharide (IFN-γ/LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Matrix 5 Step-1 (M5S1) that was extracted with pure CO2 at 3000 psi and 60 °C exhibited the highest NO inhibitory activity (60.08%) without cytotoxicity (cell viability, 91.98%) at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. GC and GC–MS analysis revealed palmitic acid as the major constituent (34.90%) of M5S1. This study provides first evidence that M5S1, the non-alkaloidal extract obtained by supercritical fluid extraction of M. speciosa leaves possesses potential property in preventing inflammatory diseases mediated by excessive production of NO. Keywords: Ketum, Traditional medicine, Griess assay, Supercritical fluid extraction, Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, Palmitic acid

Melicope glabra (Blume) T. G. Hartley from the Rutaceae family is one of the richest sources of plant secondary metabolites, including coumarins and flavanoids. This study investigates the free radical scavenging and antibacterial activities of M. glabra and its isolated compounds. M. glabra ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were prepared using the cold maceration technique. The isolation of compounds was performed with column chromatography. The free radical scavenging activity of the extracts and isolated compounds were evaluated based on their oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) activities. The extracts and compounds were also subjected to antibacterial evaluation using bio-autographic and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) techniques against two oral pathogens, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus mutans. Isolation of phytoconstituents from ethyl acetate extract successfully yielded quercetin 3, 5, 3'-trimethyl ether (1) and kumatakenin (2), while the isolation of the methanol extract resulted in scoparone (3), 6, 7, 8-trimethoxycoumarin (4), marmesin (5), glabranin (6), umbelliferone (7), scopoletin (8), and sesamin (9). The study is the first to isolate compound (1) from Rutaceae plants, and also the first to report the isolation of compounds (2-5) from M. glabra. The ORAC evaluation showed that the methanol extract is stronger than the ethyl acetate extract, while umbelliferone (7) exhibited the highest ORAC value of 24 965 μmolTE/g followed by glabranin (6), sesamin (9) and scopoletin (8). Ethyl acetate extract showed stronger antibacterial activity towards E. faecalis and S. mutans than the methanol extract with MIC values of 4166.7 ± 1443.4 μg/ml and 8303.3 ± 360.8 μg/ml respectively. Ethyl acetate extract inhibited E. faecalis growth, as shown by the lowest optical density value of 0.046 at a concentration of 5.0 mg/mL with a percentage inhibition of 95%. Among the isolated compounds tested, umbelliferone (7) and sesamin (9) exhibited promising antibacterial activity against S. mutans with both exhibiting MIC values of 208.3 ± 90.6 μg/ml. Findings from this study suggests M. glabra as a natural source of potent antioxidant and antibacterial agents.

A new propylcholesterol-type steroid, namely (22E,24S)-24-propylcholest-5en-3α-acetate (1), has been isolated from the stembark of Aglaia angustifolia (Miq.). The structure of 1 was determined on the basis of spectroscopic data including 1D- and 2D-NMR as well as high resolution mass spectroscopy analysis. Compound 1 showed weak activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.

Three cytotoxic steroids, stigmasterol (1), stigmast-5-en-3b-ol (2) and b-sitosterol-3-O-acetate (3) were isolated from the stem bark of Chisocheton cumingianus. The chemical structures of those compounds were identified based on spectroscopic data and by comparison with those data previously reported. All of the compounds isolated were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against P-388 murine leukemia cells in vitro. Compounds 1-3 showed cytotoxicity activity against P-388 murine leukemia cells with IC50values of 12.4, 60.8, and ˃ 100 mg/mL, respectively.

The essential oil of the bark of Cinnamomum altissimum Kosterm. obtained by hydrodistillation was analyzed by capillary GC and GC–MS. The oil was characterized by linalool (36.0%), methyl eugenol (12.8%), limonene (8.3%), α-terpineol (7.8%) and terpinen-4-ol (6.4%). The content of total phenolics in the extracts was determined spectrometrically according to the Folin–Ciocalteu procedure and calculated as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). A total phenolic compound was 50.41 ± 0.98 μg GAE/mg oil. The extract displayed antioxidant activities, with an IC50 value of 38.5 ± 4.72 μg/ml, using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and 345.2 ± 14.8 μM Fe (II)/g dry mass using ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay.

A new aromadendrane-type sesquiterpenoid, namely dehydrosphatulenol (1), has been isolated from the stembark of Chisocheton pentandrus. The chemical structure of 1 was characterized on the basis of spectroscopic evidences including mainly one dimension and two dimension Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Mass Spectroscopy as well as through a comparison with those related compounds previously reported.

A diabetic foot ulcer is an open wound that can become sore and frequently occurs in diabetic patients. Alginate has the ability to form a hydrophilic gel when in contact with a wound surface in diabetic patients. Xanthones are the main compounds of mangosteen rind and have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the wound healing and antioxidants assay with a combination of alginate from S. ilicifolium and mangosteen rind combination extracts on a diabetic mice model. The characterization of alginate was carried out by size exclusion chromatography with multiple angle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The M/G ratio of alginate was calculated by using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The antioxidant activity of mangosteen rind and the combination extracts was determined using the DPPH method. The observed parameters were wound width, number of neutrophils, macrophages, fibrocytes, fibroblasts, and collagen densities. The 36 male mice were divided into 12 groups including non-diabetic control (NC), diabetes alginate (DA), alginate–mangosteen (DAM), and diabetes control (DC) groups in three different groups by a histopathology test on skin tissue. The treatment was carried out for 14 days and mice were evaluated on Days 3, 7, and 14. The SEC-MALLS results showed that the molecular weight and dispersity index (Ð) of alginate were 2.77 × 104 Dalton and 1.73, respectively. The M/G ratio of alginate was 0.77 and described as single-stage decomposition based on TGA. Alginate, mangosteen rind extract, and their combination were divided into weak, medium, and strong antioxidant, respectively. The treatment of the DA and DAM groups showed a decrease in wound width and an increase in the number of fibrocytes, fibroblasts, and macrophages. The number of neutrophils decreased while the percentage of collagen densities increased for all the considered groups.

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania found in tropical and sub-tropical areas, affecting 12 million people around the world. Only few treatments are available against this disease and all of them present issues of toxicity and/or resistance. In this context, the development of new antileishmanial drugs specifically directed against a therapeutic target appears to be a promising strategy. The GDP-Mannose Pyrophosphorylase (GDP-MP) has been previously shown to be an attractive therapeutic target in Leishmania. In this study, a chemical library of 5000 compounds was screened on both L. infantum (LiGDP-MP) and human (hGDP-MP) GDP-MPs. From this screening, oncostemonol D was found to be active on both GDP-MPs at the micromolar level. Ten alkyl-resorcinol derivatives, of which oncostemonols E and J (2 and 3) were described for the first time from nature, were then evaluated on both enzymes as well as on L. infantum axenic and intramacrophage amastigotes. From this evaluation, compounds 1 and 3 inhibited both GDP-MPs at the micromolar level, and compound 9 displayed a three-times lower IC50 on LiGDP-MP, at 11 µM, than on hGDP-MP. As they displayed mild activities on the parasite, these compounds need to be further pharmacomodulated in order to improve their affinity and specificity to the target as well as their antileishmanial activity.

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood-glucose levels over a prolonged period that causes complications when an open wound is present. Alginate is an antioxidant and a good absorbent of exudates. Okra fruit contains flavonoids that can act as antioxidants. The antioxidant properties of extracts combination reduce blood-glucose levels significantly to accelerate the activities of wound-healing processes on diabetic mice. Alginate was characterized by Size Exclusion Chromatography-Multiple Angle Laser Light Scattering (SEC-MALLS), thermal stability and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR). The evaluation of wound healing on 36 male mice were divided into 12 groups including normal control (NC), diabetics control (DC), alginate (DA) and alginate–okra (DAO) groups in three different times by histopathology test on skin tissue. The results of SEC-MALLS analysis showed that alginate as single and homogeneous polysaccharide. The 1H-NMR spectrum showed that the mannuronate/guluronate ratio of the used alginate was 0.91. Alginate, okra fruit extract and their combination were classified as moderate and strong antioxidants. The numbers of fibrocytes, fibroblasts, collagen densities had significantly increased from three to seven days. In contrast, wound width, neutrophil, macrophages had significantly decreased at 14 days. The administration of extracts combination increased the re-epithelization of the wound area and wound-healing process on diabetic mice.

Modulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression using drugs has been proposed to control immunity. Phytochemical investigations on Garcinia species have allowed the isolation of bioactive compounds such as polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs). PPAPs such as guttiferone J (1), display anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities while garcinol (4) is a histone acetyltransferases (HAT) p300 inhibitor. This study reports on the isolation, identification and biological characterization of two other PPAPs, i.e., xanthochymol (2) and guttiferone F (3) from Garcinia bancana, sharing structural analogy with guttiferone J (1) and garcinol (4). We show that PPAPs 1–4 efficiently downregulated the expression of several MHC molecules (HLA-class I, -class II, MICA/B and HLA-E) at the surface of human primary endothelial cells upon inflammation. Mechanistically, PPAPs 1–4 reduce MHC proteins by decreasing the expression and phosphorylation of the transcription factor STAT1 involved in MHC upregulation mediated by IFN-γ. Loss of STAT1 activity results from inhibition of HAT CBP/p300 activity reflected by a hypoacetylation state. The binding interactions to p300 were confirmed through molecular docking. Loss of STAT1 impairs the expression of CIITA and GATA2 but also TAP1 and Tapasin required for peptide loading and transport of MHC. Overall, we identified new PPAPs issued from Garcinia bancana with potential immunoregulatory properties.

Three flavonoid compounds, kaempferol (1), kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (2), and kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucosyl-α-L-rhamnoside (3), were isolated from the bark of Aglaia eximia (Meliaceae). The chemical structures of compounds 1–3 were identified with spectroscopic data, including UV, IR, NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT 135°, HMQC, HMBC, 1H-1H-COSY NMR), and MS, as well as a compared with previously reported spectra data. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against P-388 murine leukemia cells. Compounds 1–3 showed cytotoxicity against P-388 murine leukemia cells with IC50 values of 1.22, 42.92, and >100 mg/mL, respectively

Autophagy plays a role in deciding the fate of cells by inducing either survival or death. 1'S-1-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) is a phenylpropanoid isolated from rhizomes of Alpinia conchigera and has been reported previously on its apoptotic effects on various cancers. However, the effect of ACA on autophagy remains ambiguous. The aims of this study were to investigate the autophagy-inducing ability of ACA in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to determine its role as pro-survival or pro-death mechanism. Cell viability assay was conducted using MTT. The effect of autophagy was assessed by acridine orange staining, GFP-LC3 punctate formation assay, and protein level were analysed using western blot. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining was performed to detect percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis by using flow cytometry. ACA inhibits the cell viability and induced formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles in NSCLC cells. Acidic vesicular organelles and GFP-LC3 punctate formation were increased in response to ACA exposure in A549 and SK-LU-1 cell lines; implying occurrence of autophagy. In western blot, accumulation of LC3-II accompanied by degradation of p62 was observed, which further confirmed the full flux of autophagy induction by ACA. The reduction of Beclin-1 upon ACA treatment indicated the Beclin-1-independent autophagy pathway. An early autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyaldenine (3-MA), failed to suppress the autophagy triggered by ACA; validating the existence of Beclin-1-independent autophagy. Silencing of LC3-II using short interfering RNA (siRNA) abolished the autophagy effects, enhancing the cytotoxicity of ACA through apoptosis. This proposed ACA triggered a pro-survival autophagy in NSCLC cells. Consistently, co-treatment with lysosomal inhibitor, chloroquine (CQ), exerted a synergistic effect resulting in apoptosis. Our findings suggested ACA induced pro-survival autophagy through Beclin-1-independent pathway in NSCLC. Hence, targeting autophagy pathway using autophagy inhibitor such as CQ represented a novel promising approach to potentiate the cytotoxicity of ACA through apoptosis in NSCLC.

Schiff bases of 3,4-dimethoxybenzenamine 1–25 were synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant activity. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. In addition, the characterizations of compounds 13, 15 and 16 were supported by crystal X-ray determinations and their geometrical parameters were compared with theoretical DFT calculations at the B3LYP level of theory. Furthermore, the X-ray crystal data of two non-crystalline compounds 8 and 18 were theoretically calculated and compared with the practical values of compounds 13, 15, 16 and found a good agreement. The compounds showed good DPPH scavenging activity ranging from 10.12 to 84.34 μM where compounds 1–4 and 6 showed stronger activity than the standard n-propyl gallate. For the superoxide anion radical assay, compounds 1–3 showed better activity than the standard.

A phytochemical investigation of the methanolic extract of the bark of Endiandra kingiana led to the isolation of seven new tetracyclic endiandric acid analogues, kingianic acids A–G (1–7), together with endiandric acid M (8), tsangibeilin B (9) and endiandric acid (10). Their structures were determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR analysis in combination with HRMS experiments. The structure of compounds 9 and 10 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. These compounds were screened for Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 binding affinities and cytotoxic activity on various cancer cell lines. Compound 5 showed moderate cytotoxic activity against human colorectal adeno-carcinoma (HT-29) and lung adenocarcinoma epithelial (A549) cell lines, with IC50 values in the range 15–17 µM, and compounds 3, 6 and 9 exhibited weak binding affinity for the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1.

Cancer development and progression are extremely complex due to the alteration of various genes and pathways. In most cases, multiple agents are required to control cancer progression. The purpose of this study is to investigate, using a mouse model, the synergistic interactions of anti-cancer agents, 1′-S-1′-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA), Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP), and cisplatin (CDDP) in double and triple combinations to treat chemo-sensitize and immune-sensitize breast cancer. Changes in tumor volume and body weight were monitored. Organs were harvested and stained using hematoxylin−eosin for histopathological assessment. Milliplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to determine cytokine levels, while immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted on tumor biopsies to verify systemic drug effects. In vivo mouse models showed tumor regression with maintenance of regular body weight for all the different treatment regimens. IHC results provided conclusive evidence indicating that combination regimens were able to down-regulate nuclear factor kappa-B activation and reduce the expression of its regulated pro-inflammatory proteins. Reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-ɣ) levels were observed when using the triple combination, which indicated that the synergistic drug combination was able to significantly control cancer progression. In conclusion, ACA, MIP, and CDDP together serve as promising candidates for further development and for subsequent clinical trials against estrogen-sensitive breast cancer.

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don is a herbal plant traditionally used by local populations in India, South Africa, China and Malaysia to treat diabetes. The present study reports the in vitro antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of the major alkaloids isolated from Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don leaves extract. Four alkaloids—vindoline I, vindolidine II, vindolicine III and vindolinine IV—were isolated and identified from the dichloromethane extract (DE) of this plant’s leaves. DE and compounds I–III were not cytotoxic towards pancreatic β-TC6 cells at the highest dosage tested (25.0 µg/mL). All four alkaloids induced relatively high glucose uptake in pancreatic β-TC6 or myoblast C2C12 cells, with III showing the highest activity. In addition, compounds II–IV demonstrated good protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B) inhibition activity, implying their therapeutic potential against type 2 diabetes. III showed the highest antioxidant potential in ORAC and DPPH assays and it also alleviated H2O2-induced oxidative damage in β-TC6 cells at 12.5 µg/mL and 25.0 µg/mL.

A dichloromethane extract of the stem bark of Cryptocarya nigra showed strong in vitro inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum growth, with an IC50 value of 2.82 μg/mL. The phytochemical study of this extract has led to the isolation and characterization of four known alkaloids: (+)-N-methylisococlaurine (1), atherosperminine (2), 2-hydroxyathersperminine (3), and noratherosperminine (4). Structural elucidation of all alkaloids was accomplished by means of high field 1D- and 2D-NMR, IR, UV and LCMS spectral data. The isolated extract constituents (+)-N-methylisococlaurine (1), atherosperminine (2) and 2-hydroxy-atherosperminine (3) showed strong antiplasmodial activity, with IC50 values of 5.40, 5.80 and 0.75 μM, respectively. In addition, (+)-N-methylisocolaurine (1) and atherosperminine (2) showed high antioxidant activity in a DPPH assay with IC50 values of 29.56 ug/mL and 54.53 ug/mL respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 also both showed high antioxidant activity in the FRAP assay, with percentages of 78.54 and 70.66 respectively and in the metal chelating assay, with IC50 values of 50.08 ug/mL and 42.87 ug/mL, respectively.

Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus are vectors of dengue fever and West Nile virus diseases. This study was conducted to determine the toxicity, mechanism of action and the binding interaction of three active phenylpropanoids from Piper sarmentosum (Piperaceae) toward late 3rd or early 4th larvae of above vectors. A bioassay guided-fractionation on the hexane extract from the roots of Piper sarmentosum led to the isolation and identification of three active phenylpropanoids; asaricin 1, isoasarone 2 and trans-asarone 3. The current study involved evaluation of the toxicity and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition of these compounds against Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. Asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 were highly potent against Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae causing up to 100% mortality at ≤ 15 μg/mL concentration. The ovicidal activity of asaricin 1, isoasarone 2 and trans-asarone 3 were evaluated through egg hatching. Asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 showed potent ovicidal activity. Ovicidal activity for both compounds was up to 95% at 25μg/mL. Asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 showed strong inhibition on acetylcholinesterase with relative IC50 values of 0.73 to 1.87 μg/mL respectively. These findings coupled with the high AChE inhibition may suggest that asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 are neuron toxic compounds toward Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. Further computational docking with Autodock Vina elaborates the possible interaction of asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 with three possible binding sites of AChE which includes catalytic triads (CAS: S238, E367, H480), the peripheral sites (PAS: E72, W271) and anionic binding site (W83). The binding affinity of asaricin 1 and isoasarone 2 were relatively strong with asaricin 1 showed a higher binding affinity in the anionic pocket.

Plants in the Meliaceae family are known to possess interesting biological activities, such as antimalaral, antihypertensive and antitumour activities. Previously, our group reported the plant-derived compound cycloart-24-ene-26-ol-3-one isolated from the hexane extracts of Aglaia exima leaves, which shows cytotoxicity towards various cancer cell lines, in particular, colon cancer cell lines. In this report, we further demonstrate that cycloart-24-ene-26-ol-3-one, from here forth known as cycloartane, reduces the viability of the colon cancer cell lines HT-29 and CaCO-2 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further elucidation of the compound's mechanism showed that it binds to tumour necrosis factor-receptor 1 (TNF-R1) leading to the initiation of caspase-8 and, through the activation of Bid, in the activation of caspase-9. This activity causes a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the release of cytochrome-C. The activation of caspase-8 and -9 both act to commit the cancer cells to apoptosis through downstream caspase-3/7 activation, PARP cleavage and the lack of NFkB translocation into the nucleus. A molecular docking study showed that the cycloartane binds to the receptor through a hydrophobic interaction with cysteine-96 and hydrogen bonds with lysine-75 and -132. The results show that further development of the cycloartane as an anti-cancer drug is worthwhile.

Geranylated 4-phenylcoumarins, DMDP-1 & -2 isolated from Mesua elegans were investigated for anticancer potential against human prostate cancer cells. Treatment with DMDP-1 & -2 resulted in cell death in a time and dose dependent manner in an MTT assay on all cancer cell lines tested with the exception of lung adenocarcinoma cells. DMDP-1 showed highest cytotoxic efficacy in PC-3 cells while DMDP-2 was most potent in DU 145 cells. Flow cytometry indicated that both coumarins were successful to induce programmed cell death after 24 h treatment. Elucidation on the mode-of-action via protein arrays and western blotting demonstrated death induced without any significant expressions of caspases, Bcl-2 family proteins and cleaved PARP, thus suggesting the involvement of caspase-independent pathways. In identifying autophagy, analysis of GFP-LC3 showed increased punctate in PC-3 cells pre-treated with CQ and treated with DMDP-1. In these cells decreased expression of autophagosome protein, p62 and cathepsin B further confirmed autophagy. In contrary, the DU 145 cells pre-treated with CQ and treated with DMDP-2 has reduced GFP-LC3 punctate although the number of cells with obvious GFP-LC3 puncta was significantly increased in the inhibitor-treated cells. The increase level of p62 suggested leakage of cathepsin B into the cytosol to trigger potential downstream death mediators. This correlated with increased expression of cathepsin B and reduced expression after treatment with its inhibitor, CA074. Also auto-degradation of calpain-2 upon treatment with DMDP-1 &-2 and its inhibitor alone, calpeptin compared with the combination treatment, further confirmed involvement of calpain-2 in PC-3 and DU 145 cells. Treatment with DMDP-1 & -2 also showed up-regulation of total and phosphorylated p53 levels in a time dependent manner. Hence, DMDP-1 & -2 showed ability to activate multiple death pathways involving autophagy, lysosomal and endoplasmic reticulum death proteins which could potentially be manipulated to develop anti-cancer therapy in apoptosis resistant cells.

Eleven compounds:goniomicin A (1), goniomicin B (2), goniomicin C (3), goniomicin D (4), tapisoidin (5), goniothalamin (6), 9-deoxygoniopypyrone (7), pterodondiol (8), liriodenine (9), benzamide (10) and cinnamic acid (11), were isolated from the stem bark of Goniothalamus tapisoides. All compounds were identified by spectroscopic analysis and, for known compounds, by comparison with published data. Goniothalamin (6) exhibited mild cytotoxic activity towards a colon cancer cell line (HT-29), with an IC50value of 64.17 ± 5.60 µM. Goniomicin B (2) give the highest antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay among all compounds tested, with an IC50 of 0.207 µM.

Three isoflavanoids, isovestitol (1), medicarpin (2), and sativan (3), along with another known compound, betulinic acid (4), were isolated from the root of Sesbania grandiflora. The structures of the isolated compounds were characterised by means of spectroscopic techniques (UV, IR, MS, 1H- and 13C-NMR, DEPT, COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and MS analysis). All the tested compounds 1–4 exhibited antituberculosis activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, with MIC values of 50 µg/mL for compounds 1–3, and 100 µg/mL for compound 4, whereas, the methanol extract exhibited antituberculosis activity of 625 µg/mL. This is the first report on the occurrence of isoflavonoids in this plant and their antituberculosis activity.

A new indole alkaloid, naucline (1) together with four known alkaloids, angustine (2), angustidine (3), nauclefine (4) and naucletine (5), were isolated from the bark of Nauclea officinalis. The structures of all isolated compounds were elucidated with various spectroscopic methods such as 1D- and 2D- NMR, IR, UV and LCMS-IT-TOF. In addition to that of alkaloid 1, the complete 13C-NMR data of naucletine (5) were also reported. Naucline (1) showed a moderate vasorelaxant activity (90% relaxation at 1 × 10−5 M) whereas, angustine (2), nauclefine (4), and naucletine (5) showed potent vasorelaxant activity (more than 90% relaxation at 1 × 10−5 M) on an isolated rat aorta.

A new indole alkaloid; neonaucline (1), along with six known compounds–Cadamine (2), naucledine (3), harmane, benzamide, cinnamide and blumenol A–were isolated from the leaves of Ochreinauclea maingayii (Rubiaceae). In addition to that of compound 1, 13C-NMR data of cadamine (2) and naucledine (3) were also reported. Structural elucidations of these alkaloids were performed using spectroscopic methods especially 1D- and 2D-NMR, IR, UV and LCMS-IT-TOF. The excellent vasorelaxant activity on isolated rat aorta was observed for the alkaloids 1–3 after injection of each sample at 1 × 10−5 M.

Our ongoing investigations on the stem bark of Mesua beccariana afforded a novel cyclodione coumarin, beccamarin, together with two known xanthones, mesuarianone, mesuasinone, two anthraquinones, 4-methoxy-1,3,5-trihydroxy-anthraquinone and 2,5-dihydroxy-1,3,4-trimethoxyanthraquinone and one coumarin, mammea A/AB. The structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR and MS techniques.

A new neolignan, 3,4-dimethoxy-3′,4′-methylenedioxy-2,9-epoxy-6,7-cyclo-1,8-neolign-11-en-5(5H)-one, which has been named (+)-kunstlerone (1), together with six known alkaloids: (+)-norboldine (2), (+)-N-methylisococlaurine (3), (+)-cassythicine (4), (+)-laurotetanine (5), (+)-boldine (6) and (-)-pallidine (7), were isolated from the leaves of Beilschmiedia kunstleri. The structures were established through various spectroscopic methods notably 1D- and 2D-NMR, UV, IR and LCMS-IT-TOF. (+)- Kunstlerone (1) showed a strong antioxidant activity, with an SC50 of 20.0 µg/mL.

Two new heteroyohimbine-type oxindole alkaloids, rauniticine-allo-oxindole B and rauniticinic-allo acid B, have been successfully isolated from the stems extract of Malaysian Uncaria longiflora var. pteropoda. The structures of the two new alkaloids were determined by spectroscopic analysis.

The n-butyramido, isobutyramido, benzamido, and furancarboxamido functions profoundly modulate the electronics of the stilbene olefinic and NH groups and the corresponding radical cations in ways that influence the efficiency of the cyclization due presumably to conformational and stereoelectronic factors. For example, isobutyramido- stilbene undergoes FeCl3 promoted cyclization to produce only indoline, while n-butyramidostilbene, under the same conditions, produces both indoline and bisindoline.

Seven known Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, Papraline 1, (+)-norcinnamolaurine 2, (+)-codamine 3, (+)-6-methoxy-1-(3'-methoxybenzyl)-N-methyl-7-isoquinolinol 4, (+)-reticuline N-oxide 5, (+)-reticuline 6 and (-)-N-methylisococlaurine 7 were isolated from bark of Cryptocarya rugulosa. A combination of 1D-NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT, NOE), 2D-NMR (COSY, NOESY, HMQC, HMBC), MS (HRESI+, FAB+ and EI) spectroscopy used to elucidate the structure.

A phytochemical study of the bark of Alseodaphne perakensis has yielded three aporphine alkaloids: the new compound N-cyanomethylnorboldine (1), and the two known alkaloids N-methyllaurotetanine (2) and norboldine (3). The isolation was achieved by chromatographic techniques and the structural elucidation was performed via spectral methods, notably 1D- and 2D-NMR, UV, IR, and HRFABMS. The vasorelaxation activity of compound 1 has been studied.

A new bisbenzylisoquinoline, lancifoliaine (1), together with seven known alkaloids – N-allyllaurolitsine (2), reticuline (3), actinodaphnine, norboldine, pallidine, cassythicine and boldine – were isolated from the stem bark of Litsea lancifolia (Lauraceae). In addition to that of lancifoliaine, complete 13C-NMR data of N-allyl-laurolitsine (2) was also reported. The alkaloidal structures were elucidated by means of high field 1D- and 2D-NMR IR, UV, and LCMS-IT-TOF spectral data. N-Allyllaurolitsine (2) showed a moderate vasorelaxant activity on isolated rat aorta.

Two tetranortriterpenoids, kokosanolide A (1) and C (2) were isolated from the seeds and three onoceranoid-type triterpenoids: kokosanolide B (3), 8,14-secogammacera-7,14-diene-3,21-dione (4) and a 1.5:0.5 mixture of 8,14-secogammacera-7,14(27)-diene-3,21-dione (5) and compound 4 were isolated from the bark of kokossan (Lansium domesticum). Complete 1H- and 13C-NMR data of the triterpenoids 1-5 are reported. The triterpenoids’ structures were elucidated primarily by means of high field 1D- and 2D-NMR, IR and HRMS spectral data. Triterpenoids 1-5 exhibited moderate to strong antifeedant activity against the fourth instar larvae of Epilachna vigintioctopunctata.

1’-(S)-1’-Acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) isolated from the Malaysian ethno-medicinal plant Alpinia conchigera Griff. was investigated for its potential as an anticancer drug. In this communication, we describe the cytotoxic and apoptotic properties of ACA on five human tumour cell lines. Data from MTT cell viability assays indicated that ACA induced both time- and dose-dependent cytotoxicity on all tumour cell lines tested and had no adverse cytotoxic effects on normal cells. Total mortality of the entire tumour cell population was achieved within 30 hrs when treated with ACA at 40.0 µM concentration. Flow cytometric analysis for annexin-V and PI dual staining demonstrated that cell death occurred via apoptosis, followed by secondary necrosis. The apoptotic effects of ACA were confirmed via the DNA fragmentation assay, in which consistent laddering of genomic DNA was observed for all tumour cell lines after a 24 hrs post-treatment period at the IC50 concentration of ACA. A cell cycle analysis using PI staining also demonstrated that ACA induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, corresponding to oral tumour cell lines. In conclusion, ACA exhibits enormous potential for future development as a chemotherapeutic drug against various malignancies.

Background: Pinnatane A from the bark of Walsura pinnata was investigated for its anti-cancer properties by analyzing the cytotoxic activities and cell cycle arrest mechanism induced in two different liver cancer cell lines. Methods: A 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to analyze the pinnatane A selectivity in inducing cell death in cancer and normal cells. Various biological assays were carried out to analyze the anti-cancer properties of pinnatane A, such as a live/dead assay for cell death microscopic visualization, cell cycle analysis using propidium iodide (PI) to identify the cell cycle arrest phase, annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (annexin V-FITC)/PI flow cytometry assay to measure percentage of cell populations at different stages of apoptosis and necrosis, and DNA fragmentation assay to verify the late stage of apoptosis. Results: The MTT assay identified pinnatane A prominent dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity effects in Hep3B and HepG2 cells, with minimal effect on normal cells. The live/dead assay showed significant cell death, while cell cycle analysis showed arrest at the G0/G1 phase in both cell lines. Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation assays identified apoptotic cell death in Hep3B and necrotic cell death in HepG2 cell lines. Conclusions: Pinnatane A has the potential for further development as a chemotherapeutic agent prominently against human liver cells.

Dichloromethane root extract of Rennellia elliptica Korth. showed strong inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum growth in vitro with an IC50 value of 4.04 µg/mL. A phytochemical study of the dichloromethane root extract has led to the isolation and characterization of a new anthraquinone, 1,2-dimethoxy-6-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone (1), and ten known anthraquinones: 1-hydroxy-2-methoxy-6-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone (2), nordamnacanthal (3), 2-formyl-3-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (4), damnacanthal (5), lucidin-ω-methyl ether (6), 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone (7), rubiadin (8), 3-hydroxy-2-methoxy-6-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone (9), rubiadin-1-methyl ether (10) and 3-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone (11). Structural elucidation of all compounds was accomplished by modern spectroscopic methods, notably 1D and 2D NMR, IR, UV and HREIMS. The new anthraquinone 1, 2-formyl-3-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (4) and 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone (7) possess strong antiplasmodial activity, with IC50 values of 1.10, 0.63 and 0.34 µM, respectively.

Isolation, identification and characterization of the compounds isolated from the bark of Cryptocarya ferrea yielded three known aphorpine alkaloids. They are (-)-O-methylisopiline 1, (+)-norlirioferine 2 and (+)-lirioferine 3. Structural elucidation was established through several spectroscopic methods, such as 1D-NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT, NOE), 2D-NMR (COSY, NOESY, HMQC, HMBC), UV, IR, and MS and comparison with the published data. Keywords: Cryptocarya ferrea; (-)-o-methylisopiline, (+)-norlirioferine, (+)-lirioferine

A phytochemical study of the bark of Fissistigma latifolium (Annonaceae) yielded a new aporphine alkaloid, (-)-N-methylguattescidine (1), and eight known alkaloids: liriodenine (2), oxoxylopine (3), (-)-asimilobine (4), dimethyltryptamine (5), (-)-remerine (6), (-)-anonaine (7), columbamine (8) and lysicamine (9). The compounds were isolated using various chromatographic methods and structural elucidation was accomplished by means of spectroscopic methods, notably 1D-NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT), 2D-NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC), UV, IR and MS.

The leaves of Beilschmiedia brevipes provided a new benzylisoquinoline alkaloid: (6,7-dimethoxy-4-methylisoquinolinyl)-(4’-methoxyphenyl)-methanone (1) and O,O-dimethylannocherin A (2), a new natural compound which has been synthesized before. Complete 1H- and 13C-NMR data of both compounds were reported. The structures were established through various spectroscopic methods notably 1D- and 2D-NMR, UV, IR and HRESIMS.

Onenewalkaloid; (+)-N-(2-hydroxypropyl)lindcarpine (1),together with four known aporphine alkaloids, (+)-boldine (2) (+)-norboldine (3), (+)-lindcarpine (4) and (+)-methyllindcarpine (5) were isolated from the stem bark of Actinodaphne pruinosa Nees (Lauraceae). (+)-N-(2-Hydroxypropyl)lindcarpine (1) exhibited cytotoxic activity against P-388 murine leukemia cells with an IC50 value of 3.9 μg/mL. Structural elucidation of all the compounds were performed by spectral methods such as 1D- and 2D- NMR, IR, UV, and HRESIMS.

The stem bark of Phoebe grandis afforded one new oxoproaporphine; (–)-grandine A (1), along with six known isoquinoline alkaloids: (–)-8,9-dihydrolinearisine (2), boldine, norboldine, lauformine, scortechiniine A and scortechiniine B. In addition to that of the new compound, complete 1H- and 13C-NMR data of the tetrahydroproaporphine (–)-8,9-dihydrolinearisine (2) is also reported. The alkaloids’ structures were elucidated primarily by means of high field 1D- and 2D-NMR and HRMS spectral data.

A novel N-benzyl-(3E,5E)-3,5-bis(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4-piperidone (3), was synthesized in good yield by a condensation reaction of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1) and N-benzyl-4-piperidone (2) under microwave irradiation in the presence of 10% NaOH solution. The chemical structure was assigned on the basis of UV-visible, IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectral data.

The title compound, 3,5-bis(2-hydroxybenzylidene)piperidin-4-one (3), was prepared via reaction of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1) and 4-piperidone (2) under microwave irradiation in the presence of 10% NaOH solution. The compound was fully characterized from its UV, IR, NMR and MS data.