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The gastroprotective effect of luteolin-7-O-glucoside (LUT7G) on different ulcer models using rats including the indomethacin model, the ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model and the Shay ulcer model was examined. The ethanol-induced ulcer group showed significant increases in MPO, NO, iNOS, MMP-2 , MMP-9 , caspase-3, apoptosis, IL-6 , TNF-α, IKK, NF-κB p65, and ICAM-1 and declines in PGE 2 , arginase, SOD, GSH, mucin, IL-10, eNOS, COX-1, HSP-70, and IκBα levels. However, LUT7G (25 mg/kg) pretreatment significantly reverted the pathophysiological levels of these biomarkers to near normal levels. The gastroprotective activity of LUT7G was abolished by pretreatment with SC560, rofecoxib, and L-NAME, demonstrating the participation of COX and NOS in LUT7G-facilitated gastroprotection against ethanol-induced ulcers. Convincingly, LUT7G (25 mg/kg) provided protective effects in the rat gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced gastric injury at least in part to antisecretory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiapoptotic activity, and augmentation of PGE 2 , mucin and HSP-70 synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camptothetin (CPT) is a quinoline alkaloid originally isolated from the Chinese tree, Camptotheca acuminata Decne. CPT was found to have anticancerous and antiviral properties. Derivatives of natural CPT, including topothecan and irinotecan are used clinically to treat a variety of cancers. Apart from Camptotheca acuminata Decne, CPT production was also found in the perennial plant Ophiorrhiza mungos. In this study we attempted the immobilization of the tissue culture grown callus of Ophiorrhiza mungos for the continuous production of a higher concentration of CPT. As evident from previous studies about the antiviral effects of CPT, we wanted to bioinformatically analyze the binding potential of CPT towards two important proteins of SARS-CoV-2, protease (Mpro) and RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Further docking analysis of the CPT against the exterior spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 was also done to determine their potential interaction. The immobilized callus of Ophiorrhiza mungos produced CPT at a concentration of 420 µg/l by the end of 12 days of growth. The HPLC analysis was done to determine the purity of the CPT synthesized by the immobilization technique. The bioinformatic analysis revealed a higher binding efficiency of CPT and its derivatives, toptecan and irinotecan against Mpro and RdRp. The docking analysis of CPT against the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 showed hydrogen bonding with the amino acids at K466 with a bond distance of 2.56A° and K355 with a bond distance of 2.40A°. This finding was of particular importance that other compounds including hydroxychloroquine sulphate, lopinavir and ivermectin could bind with the spike protein only by weak Vander wall bonds and no hydrogen bond formation was noticed. Our studies hence evaluate the efficiency of CPT against SARS-CoV-2, by potentially blocking the interaction of the spike glycoprotein with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor found on host cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To carry out the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of camptothecin, estimation of total phenolic compounds and evaluation of in vitro antioxidant activity and cytotoxic activity of Ophiorrhiza prostrata and Ophiorrhiza mungos. Methods: Direct Analysis in Real Time- Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) was employed for the detection of camptothecin in the Ophiorrhiza species, while high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) was used for the estimation of camptothecin. Total phenolic compounds were estimated by modified Folins-Ciocalteu''s reagent method. Antioxidant activity was evaluated through DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, superoxide radical scavenging assays and reducing power assay. The cytotoxicity evaluation was performed using MTT assay on MCF-7 cell lines. Results: The presence of camptothecin was confirmed in both the species by the [M++H] peak at 349 by DART-MS analysis. Camptothecin content was estimated as 1.47 μg/gm (dry wt) in O. prostrata and 188.60 μg/gm (dry wt) in O. mungos using HPTLC method. The moderate in vitro antioxidant activities of the methanol extracts corroborates with the low content of phenolic compounds in O. prostrata (9.88 GAE mg/g) and O. mungos (12.73 GAE mg/g). The methanol extract of O. prostrata exhibited remarkable cytotoxicity on human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7), with IC50 value 1.10μg/mL compared to O. mungos (3.48μg/mL) and standard camptothecin (3.51μg/mL). Conclusions: The application of DART-MS proved to be a simple and rapid technique for the detection of camptothecin in Ophiorrhiza species. The higher cytotoxicity for O. prostrata, despite the low content of camptothecin suggests the presence of other potential cytotoxic compounds in O. prostrata. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]