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The aim of this study was to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, cytotoxicity, and antiprotozoal activities of the Algerian plant Cytisus villosus Pourr. (Syn. Cytisus triflorus L'Hérit.). Additionally, the radioligand displacement affinity on opioid and cannabinoid receptors was assessed for the extracts and isolated pure compounds. The hydro alcoholic extract of the aerial part of C. villosus was partitioned with chloroform (CHCl 3 ), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and n -butanol ( n -BuOH). The phenolic content of the C. villosus extracts was evaluated using a modified Folin-Ciocalteau method. The total flavonoid content was measured spectrometrically using the aluminum chloride colorimetric assay. The known flavonoids genistein ( 1 ), chrysin ( 2 ), chrysin-7- O -β-d-glucopyranoside ( 3 ), and 2″- O -α-l-rhamnosylorientin ( 4 ) were isolated. The antioxidant activities of the extracts and isolated compounds were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DDPH) and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays. The plant extracts showed moderate antioxidant activity. EtOAc and n -BuOH extracts showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) with IC 50 values of 48 and 90 µg/mL, respectively. The isolated pure compounds 1 and 3 showed good inhibition of Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) with IC 50 values of 9 and 20 µg/mL, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited lower inhibition of Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) with IC 50 values of 28 and 38 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the extracts and isolated pure compounds have been shown to exhibit low affinity for cannabinoid and opioid receptors. Finally, n -BuOH extract was a potent inhibitor of Trypanosoma brucei with IC 50 value of 7.99 µg/mL and IC 90 value of 12.61 µg/mL. The extracts and isolated compounds showed no antimicrobial, antimalarial nor antileishmanial activities. No cytotoxic effect was observed on cancer cell lines. The results highlight this species as a promising source of anti-inflammatory and antitrypanosomal agents.

Chemical analysis of the chloroform extract of the aerial parts of the Algerian plant Pulicaria undulata exhibiting anti-inflammatory activity resulted in the isolation of 10 new humulene sesquiterpenoids, 1-10, belonging to the asteriscunolide family of compounds. The structure and relative configuration have been defined by NMR data, whereas the absolute configuration has been established by ECD analysis. Compounds 1-10 include enantiomers of the known asteriscunolides A-D and tetrahydroasteriscunolide previously reported from the genera Asteriscus and Nauplius. Compounds 1 and 10 showed in vitro anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting heat-induced albumin denaturation with IC 50 values of 23.76 and 220.42 μM.

The aim of this study was to isolate the phytoconstituents and evaluate the biological activities of Berberis hispanica. Three phenolic compounds (tamarixetin, caffeic acid and rutin) were isolated from B. hispanica. The structures of the pure compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses, including 1D-, 2D-NMR, and HPLC-TOF/MS. In addition, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant and anti-proliferative effects of the extracts, some fractions and isolated compounds were evaluated. The extracts of B. hispanica were evaluated against six bacterial strains and exhibited the highest activity against Klebsiella pneumonia (15 mm at 100 mg/mL). Fraction T36 (IC50<5 μg/ mL) from the n-butanol extract displayed higher radical scavenging activity than butylated hydroxytoluene. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-proliferative effects against human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cell line by real time cell analyzer assay and tamarixetin exhibited the remarkable effect (IC50<50 μg/mL) on HeLa cells. This study supports the documented medicinal effects of B. hispanica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new phloroglucinol derivative, identified as 3-benzoyl-3-hydroxy-5-(3-methylbut-2-en-1- yl)cyclopentane-1,2,4-trione (1), together with eight previously reported compounds, quercetin, myricitrin, hypericin, biapeginin, pseudohypericin, myricetin, 1,3,5,6-tetrahydroxyxanthone, and β-sitosterol were isolated from the chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol extracts of the aerial part of Hypericum afrum (Lam.). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, including 1D-, 2D-NMR and HRESIMS. The EtOAc extract showed moderate MAO-A inhibition with an IC50 value of 3.35 μg/mL. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the EtOAc extract resulted in the isolation of quercetin as the active component exhibiting MAO-A inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 1.25 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]