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The genus Uvaria Juss. is distinguished other genus of Annonaceae especially: Stellate or caespitose hairs, flowers bisexual opposite to leaves, flower are solitary or cymose. Sepal 3, valvate,… Uvaria clementis (Merr.) Attan., I.M. Turn&R.M.K Saunders distributed from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei to Thailan, Campuchia,… The specimen which collected at Dongnai province and saved at The Hebarium National Instiute of Medicinal Materialis is newly recorded for the flora of Vietnam. This study, we are described, illustrated and notes on taxonomy of Uvaria clementis Teaching and scientific research are two main.

(1) Background: Hedera nepalensis (Araliaceae) is a recognized medicinal plant founded in Asia that has been reported to work in antioxidant, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antitumor capacities. (2) Methods: The subcritical fluid extraction of saponin from Hedera nepalensis leaves and the optimum of the extraction process based on yield of saponin contents (by calculating the hederacoside C contents in dried Hedera nepalensis leaves) are examined by response surface methodology (RSM). Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of the extract is tested for potential drug applications in the future. (3) Results: Based upon RSM data, the following parameters are optimal: extraction time of 3 min, extraction temperature of 150 °C, and a sample/solvent ratio of 1:55 g/mL. Under such circumstances, the achieved yield of saponin is 1.879%. Moreover, the extracts inhibit the growth of some bacterial strains (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenza) at a moderate to strong level with inhibition zone diameter values ranging from 12.63 to 19.50 mm. (4) Conclusions: The development of such a model provides a robust experimental process for optimizing the extraction factors of saponin contents from Hedera nepalensis extract using subcritical fluid extraction and RSM. Moreover, the current work reveals that saponin extracts of Hedera nepalensis leaves exhibit a potential antimicrobial activity, which can be used as scientific evidence for further study.

Musa balbisiana (MB) fruits are widespread as an herbal medicine worldwide. This study aimed to screen phytochemicals, standardize raw materials and crude extract, and evaluate antioxidant property of MB fruit extracts. Standardization was performed using purity content and chemical characterizations, total polyphenol (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents to assess the quality. The phytochemicals were determined by chemical reactions. DPPH quenching, ABTS cation decolorization, and reducing power assays were selected to investigate antioxidant ability. Results indicated that physicochemical parameters for MB fruits were within prescribed Vietnamese Pharmacopoeia 5th limits. Phytochemical analysis of MB fruits disclosed the presence of volatile oils, lipids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, saponins, and triterpenoid. The TPC was 3.92 ± 0.27 mg GAE/g d. w. (dry weight) and 162.64 ± 3.39 mg GAE/g d. w. for the raw materials and crude extract respectively while the TFC was 0.138 ± 0.002 mg QE/g d. w. and 1.222 ± 0.007 mg QE/g d. w. Furthermore, crude extract and some of its fractions have a high radical scavenging activity. These initial studies play a pivotal role in the procurement of raw materials and evaluation of the quality of the crude extract, and show antioxidant potential of MB fruits.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common chronic neurodegenerative disease with well-defined pathophysiological mechanisms. Ilex kudingcha (IK) C.J. Tseng is commonly known as bitter tea or “Khom” tea in Vietnam. The present study was conducted to investigate the anti-dementia effect of IK using olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) mice. OBX mice were daily treated with IK extract (540 mg/kg) or reference drug, tacrine (2.5 mg/kg) 1 week before and continuously for 3 days after the OBX surgery. The object recognition test, modified Y maze test and fear conditioning test were employed to analyze non-spatial short-term, spatial short-term and long-term memories of the mice respectively. Administration of IK extract and tacrine attenuated these OBX-induced cognitive deficits in mice. The effects of IK and tacrine on spatial short-term memory impairment were reversed by scopolamine, a muscarinic receptor antagonist. The amyloid-beta (Aβ) production in adult transgenic Drosophila brain flies was also investigated by using Western blotting with APP-HA antibody. These results indicated that IK extract improves short-term and long-term memory disturbances in OBX mice and that muscarinic receptor may play a role on these actions. In addition, our result also showed that IK extract reduces the expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in brain of AD model using Drosophila melanogaster.

Using various chromatographic methods, two new sucrose esters, karensucrose A (1) and karensucrose B (2), one new xanthone, karenxanthone (7) along with eight known compounds, 3-(E)-3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamoyl-6′-benzoylsucrose (3), tricornose B (4), glomeratose C (5), tenuifoliside C (6), 1,7-dihydroxyxanthone (8), 1-methoxy-7-hydroxyxanthone (9), 1,7-dimethoxy-6-hydroxyxanthone (10), and wubangziside B (11) were isolated from the roots of Polygala karensium Kurz (Polygalaceae). Their chemical structures were elucidated using spectroscopic and chemical methods and compared with the reported literature. All isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against two human cancer cell lines, human breast cancer (MCF7) and human prostate cancer (PC3) using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Mitoxantrone was used as a positive control with IC50 values of 9.7 ± 1.2 μM (MCF7) and 7.4 ± 1.3 μM (PC3). As the results, compound 8 showed cytotoxic activity on MCF7 and PC3 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 26.2 ± 2.1 and 22.1 ± 1.7 μM, respectively.

In our previous research on Vietnamese medicinal plants, we found that the ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis exhibited cytotoxic effects in vitro in the MCF-7 human cancer cell line. Here, we used combined chromatographic separations to isolate six compounds including a new steroid glycoside, paripoloside A (3), and five known compounds, from the butanol extract of the aerial parts of P. polyphylla. We unambiguously elucidated their structures based on spectroscopic data (proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance, heteronuclear single quantum coherence, heteronuclear multiple bond correlation, correlation spectroscopy, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy data), and chemical reactions. Among the isolated compounds, paris saponin II (PSII) had the strongest cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Interestingly, PSII significantly increased the expression of p53, p21, p27, and Bax protein levels and significantly suppressed the expression of cyclin D1 and retinoblastoma protein. These data suggest that PSII may induce G1/S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis pathway development in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the MCF-7 breast cancer cells mechanism of PSII was also investigated using molecular docking. Together, our results demonstrate that isolated compounds from P. polyphylla are promising candidates as breast cancer inhibitors.

Four new triterpenoid saponins (gouaniasides VII-IX [

Objective/Background The Hypericum hookerianum is widely distributed in Asian countries and prevalently used in traditional herbal medicines for its significant antioxidant, antipyretic, and anticancer properties. To date, very limited reports are available regarding the phytochemical profile, and there are no reports that have studied the neuroprotective potentials of this plant. Experimental Methods The aerial parts of H. hookerianum were collected from the Sapa mountainous district, Lao Cai province of Vietnam. The extracts were prepared using methanol, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, and chloroform and fractionated by normal-phase silica gel column chromatography to isolate compounds. The purity of the isolated compounds was analyzed by liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. The structures were studied using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. All the isolates were evaluated for their neuroprotective activity against the neurotoxicity induced by glutamate in HT-22 hippocampal cells and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The fluorescent dye calcein-AM image assay was used to measure the cell viability. Results Bioassay-guided fractionation of the aerial parts of H. hookerianum led to the isolation of 20 previously reported compounds (1-20), including 3 flavonoids (1-3), 2 xanthones (4 and 5), 1 chalcone (6), 4 lignans (7-0), 1 chromone-C-glycoside (11), 1 cinnamic acid derivative (12), 7 phloroglucinols (13-9), and 1 stilbene (20). The structures of the compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods and compared with the reported data. The extracts and isolated compounds showed neuroprotection in both cell models. The compounds 4-hydroxy-2,6,4′-trimethoxydihydrochalcone (6, EC50 = 1.48 µM) and sesamin (10, EC50 = 2.85 µM) exhibited significant neuroprotective effects in HT-22 and SH-SY5Y cells, respectively. Conclusion This is the first report on the neuroprotection of extracts and isolated compounds from H. hookerianum. The results provide information for further studies to develop products for the prevention and treatment of neurological disorders.

Using various chromatographic methods, four new phenolics, coroffesters A-D (1 − 4) were isolated from the fruit of Cornus officinalis (Cornaceae). Their structures (1 − 4) were elucidated unambiguously by spectroscopic methods such as one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (1 D- and 2 D-NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). The anti-inflammatory activity of the isolated compounds was also evaluated. All compounds (1 − 4) showed moderate inhibitory activity against NO production in a dose-dependent manner in RAW 264.7 cells.

The root of plant Polygala arillata has been used in the Oriental medicine as a tonic and for the treatment of certain diseases. Our current research on phytochemical profile of the roots of P. arillata led to the isolation of a new oligosaccharide ester (1, polygaloside), a new glucose ester (7, arillatoside), along with five known sucrose esters (2–6). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive chemical and spectroscopic methods as well as comparison with those reported in the literature. The occurence of various oligosaccharide esters in P. arillata including unique compounds plays taxonomical impact and suggests potential in medicinal uses of the title plant.

Using various chromatographic methods, four new phenolics, coroffesters A-D (

This study develops a high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for simultaneous quantification of hederacoside C and α-hederin in Hedera nepalensis K. Koch. The method proposed in this study was validated in terms of the analytical parameters such as high repeatability, high accuracy and good sensitivity. The method was used to determine the content of hederacoside C and α-hederin in Hedera nepalensis K. Koch, which had been collected in Ha Giang, Lao Cai and Lai Chau. The study results show that the content of hederacoside C and the content of α-hederin ranged from 0.40 to 4.01% and 0.21 – 0.54% based on absolute dry mass, respectively. Keywords Hedera nepalensis K. Koch, hederacoside C, α-hederin, HPLC-UV. References [1] L. Jafri, et al, In vitro assessment of antioxidant potential and determination of polyphenolic compounds of Hedera nepalensis K. Koch, Arabian Journal of Chemistry. 10 (2017) 3699-3706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2014.05.002.[2] S. Saleem, et al, Plants Fagonia cretica L, and Hedera nepalensis K. Koch contain natural compounds with potent dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitory activity, Journal of ethnopharmacology. 156 (2014) 26-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.08.017[3] D.H. Bich, Medicinal plants and animals for medicine in Vietnam, Vol 1, Science and Technics Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006 (in Vietnamese).[4] National Institute Of Medicinal Materials, List of medicinal plants in Vietnam, Science and Technics Publishing House, Hanoi, 2016 (in Vietnamese).[5] L. Jafri, et al, Hedera nepalensis K. Koch: A Novel Source of Natural Cancer Chemopreventive and Anticancerous Compounds, Phytotherapy research. 30(3) (2016) 447-453. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.5546. [6] S. Kanwal, et al, Antioxidant, antitumor activities and phytochemical investigation of Hedera nepalensis K. Koch, an important medicinal plant from Pakistan, Pakistan Journal of Botany. 43 (2011) 85-89. [7] G. Uddin, et al, Biological screening of ethyl acetate extract of Hedera nepalensis stem, African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 6(42) (2012) 2934-2937. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJPP12.828 [8] H. Kizu, et al, Studies on Nepalese Crude Drugs, III, On the Saponins of Hedera nepalensis K. Koch, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 33(8) (1985) 3324-3329. https://doi.org/0.1248/cpb.33.3324[9] X. Tong, et al, Extraction and GC-MS Analysis of Volatile Oil from Hedera nepalensis var sinensis, Fine Chemicals. 24(6) (2007) 559-561. [10] EDQM, European Pharmacopoeia, fifth ed., Council of Europe, France, 2015. [11] N.T.H. Mai, et al, Simultaneous Quantification of Hederacoside C and α-Hederin from the Leaves of Hedera helix L. by HPLC, Journal of Medicinal Material. 21(6) (2016). (in Vietnamese).[12] L. Havlíková, et al, Rapid Determination of α-Hederin and Hederacoside C in Extracts of Hedera helix Leaves Available in the Czech Republic and Poland, Natural product communications. 10(9) (2015). https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X1501000910[13] M. Yu, et al, Determination of Saponins and Flavonoids in Ivy Leaf Extracts Using HPLC-DAD, Journal of Chromatographic Science. 53(4) (2014) 478-483. https://doi.org/10.1093/chromsci/bmu068.[14] EMEA, Validation of analytical procedures: text and methodology Q2 (R1), in International conference on harmonization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2005. [15] W. Horwitz, Official methods of analysis, 12 ed., Vol 1, Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington DC, 1975.

Background: Camellia sinensis is a plant whose leaves and buds are used to produce tea. With many medicinal activities already found, green tea has been consumed widely in the world. Methods: The subcritical water extraction (SWE) of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea leaves and the effect of the different extraction conditions are investigated by response surface methodology (RSM). Furthermore, the model of the extraction processes is reviewed for application at the industrial scale. Results: Based on the RSM data, the maximum yield of extraction is determined via optimizing different parameters of the extraction processes. Optimal conditions are as follows: extraction time of 6 min, extraction temperature at 120 &deg, C, and a sample/solvent ratio of 1:40 g/mL. Under such conditions, the best yield of EGCG is 4.665%. Moreover, the model of the extraction processes, which can be utilized for industry scale purpose, indicates a good correlation with the experimental data. Conclusions: Overall, SWE is competent and environmental-friendly, and it is also a highly selective and fast method. SWE is a promising method to take the place of organic solvents used in the extraction of weak polar and even non-polar natural compounds. Further studies on the scale-up of the extraction processes are ongoing.

Panax L. is a small genus in the Araliaceae family. In Vietnam, this genus is distributed in the high mountains in the North and in some high mountains in the Central Highlands. In traditional medicine, roots and rhizomes of all Panax species are of high utility. Recently, the finding of new distributions of some Panax species in Vietnam has caused much controversy and confusion. This study investigates 27 fresh specimens of 6 taxa of Panax genus that have been collected from 6 provinces of Vietnam. Based on the combined ITS-rDNA and matK dataset, a well-resolved phylogeny of Panax species/varieties distributed in Vietnam was constructed. Thereby, the study suggests identifying Tam that la xe as Panax stipuleanatus H.T.Tsai et K.M.Feng and Sam puxailaileng as Panax vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus K.Komatsu, S.Zhu & S.Q.Cai, which contributes a new distribution point of this variety in Vietnam. The study also shows that ITS-rDNA and matK genes are highly potential in identifying and distinguishing the taxa of Panax genus. Keywords Panax, ginseng, molecular phylogeny, taxonomy, ITS-rDNA, matK. References [1] Xiang, Q.B. & Lowry, P.P. Araliaceae, In: Wu, C.Y., Rawen, P.H. & Hong (2007).[2] Nguyen Tap, The species of Panax L. in Vietnam, Journal of Medicinal Material, 10 (3) (2005) 71-76 (in Vietnamese).[3] Phan Ke Long, Le Thanh Son, Phan Ke Loc, Vu Dinh Duy and Pham Van The, Lai Chau ginseng Panax vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus K. Komatsu, S. Zhu & S.Q. Cai.I. morphology, ecology, distribution and conservation status, Proceedings of the 2nd VAST – KAST workshop on biodiversity and bio-active compounds, Hanoi- Vietnam, October 28th – 29th (2013), pp. 65-73, Publishing house for science and technology. [4] Nong Van Duy, Le Ngoc Trieu, Nguyen Duy Chinh & Van Tien Tran, A new variety of Panax (Araliace) from Lam Vien Plateau, Vietnam and its molecular evidence, J. Phytotaxa 277(1) (2016) 047-058. http://dx.doi.org/10. 11646/ phytotaxa.277.1.4[5] Tran Ngoc Lan et al., Results of study on Sam Puxailaileng in high moutain, Nghe An province, Nghe An journal of Science and Technology 12 (2016) 7-11 (in Vietnamese). [6] Do Huy Bich et al., Medicinal plant and animal in Vietnam, ep. II (2004), Science & Technic Pub. pp. 1255 (in Vietnamese).[7] X. Chen, B. Liao, J. Song, X. Pang, J. Han, S. Chen, A fast SNP identification and analysis of intraspecific variation in the medicinal Panax species based on DNA barcoding, Gene 530(1) (2013) 39-43. http://doi.org/10.1186/j.gene.2013.07.097[8] Jun Wen and Elizabeth A. Zimmer, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Panax L. (the Ginseng Genus, Araliaceae): Inferences from ITS Sequences of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 6(2) (1996) 167-177.[9] C. Lee, J. Wen, Phylogeny of Panax using chloroplast trnC–trnD intergenic region and the utility of trnC–trnD in interspecific studies of plants, Mol Phylogenet Evol 31(2004): 894-903, DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.009[10] Y. Zuo, Z. Chen, K. Kondo, T. Funamoto, J. Wen, S. Zhou, DNA barcoding of Panax species, Planta Med. 2011 Jan, 77(2) (2011):182-187. Doi: 0.1055/s-0030-1250166.[11] K. Komatsu, S. Zhu, S.Q. Cai, A new variety of the genus Panax from Southern Yunnan, China and its nucleotide sequences of 18S ribosomal RNA gene and matK gene, J. Jap. Bot 78(2) (2003) 86-94. [12] V. Manzanilla1, A. Kool, L. Nguyen Nhat, H. Nong Van, H. Le Thi Thu and H. J. de Boe, Phylogenomics and barcoding of Panax: toward the identification of ginseng species. BMC Evolutionary Biology (2018) 18-44. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-018-1160-y[13] Vu Huyen Trang, Hoang Dang Hieu, Chu Hoang Ha, Study on DNA barcode for identify Sam ngoc linh, National conference of biotechnology, Ep.2, (2013) 1100-1104.[14] Nguyen Thi Phuong Trang, Nguyen Thi Hong Mai, Zhuravlev Yury N, Reunova Galina D., rbcL and rpoB gene sequences of Panax vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus and Panax vietnamensis, the background for identification and comparison, Journal of Biology 39(1) (2016) 80-85. http://doi.org/10.15625/0866-7160/v39n1.7870[15] Phan Ke Long, Tran Thi Viet Thanh, Nguyen Thien Tao, Phan Ke Loc, Nguyen Tu Lenh, Nguyen Tien Lam, Dang Xuan Minh, Morphological and molecular characsteristics of Panax sp. (Araliaceae) from Phu Xai Lai Leng mountain, Nghe An province, Vietnam, Journal of Biology 36(4) (2014) 494-499. https://doi.org/ 10.15625/0866-7160/v36n4.5212[16] Phan Ke Long, Vu Dinh Duy, Phan Ke Loc, Nguyen Giang Son, Nguyen Thi Phuong Trang, Le Thi Mai Linh, Le Thanh Son, Phylogenetic relationships of the Panax samples collected in Lai Chau province based on matK and ITS-rDNA sequences, Journal of Biology 12(2) (2014) 327-337 (in Vietnamese).[17] Nguyen Thi Phuong Trang, Le Thanh Son, Nguyen Giang Son, Phan Ke Long, A new ginseng species Panax sp. (Araliaceae) in Vietnam, Journal of Pharmacology 10 (2011) 59-63. [18] Pham Thi Ngoc, Pham Thanh Huyen, Nguyen Quynh Nga, Nguyen Minh Khoi, Morphological characteristics of genus Panax L. (Araliaceae) in Vietnam, Journal of Medicinal Materials, 22(3) (2017) 315-322.

Six undescribed sesquiterpene glucosides, fissispallins A-F, and one known sesquiterpene glucoside, fissispallin, were discovered in the leaves of Fissistigma pallens (Finet & Gagnep.) Merr. The structures were determined using spectroscopic methods, including 1D, 2D NMR, and MS. All compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against three human cancer cell lines, HT-29, A-2058, and A-549. Fissispallin A showed potent activity with the IC50 values less than 1.5 μM against all tested human cancer cell lines. Fissispallin also showed potent activity with IC50 value of 0.4 ± 0.3 on the A-2058 cancer cell lines. Fissispallins B-D showed significant cytotoxic activity against all the tested cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 3.8 to 7.2 μM.

The root of plant

Four new lignans, patulinones A−D (1–4) and three new acetophenone derivatives, patulinones E−G (5–7) were isolated from the leaves of Melicope patulinervia. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of the interpretation of HR-ESIMS, NMR, CD data. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Of the isolates, compound 4 was found to exhibit the strongest inhibition against α-glucosidase with IC50 value of 6.02 ± 0.46 μM.

Glucose uptake into insulin-sensitive tissues is important for the regulation of blood glucose. This study has investigated whether the pentacyclic triterpenoids substituted with a carboxylic acid at the C-27 position isolated from Astilbe rivularis can enhance glucose uptake and subsequently to also examine their underlying molecular mechanisms. The structure of the new pentacyclic triterpenoid 1 was assigned by spectroscopic data interpretation. To evaluate the activity of compounds 1 and 2, glucose uptake and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation were measured in C2C12 myotubes. The C-27-carboxylated triterpenoids 1 and 2 significantly increased basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation to plasma membrane. Both compounds stimulated the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), protein kinase B (Akt), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2). Pretreatment with the Akt inhibitor triciribine or the Erk1/2 inhibitor U0126 decreased the ability of both compounds to enhance basal- and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and stimulate GLUT4 translocation. These results indicate that compounds 1 and 2 activated both the IRS-1/Akt and Erk1/2 pathways and subsequently stimulated GLUT4 translocation, leading to enhanced glucose uptake. Thus, these observations suggest that C-27-carboxylated-pentacyclic triterpenoids may serve as scaffolds for development as agents for the management of blood glucose levels in disease states such as diabetes.

Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz (Acanthaceae) is known as traditional medicine for the treatment of fungal and herpes virus infections. A new naphthoquinone racemate, rhinacasutone (1) together with seven known compounds, rhinacanthone (2), rhinacanthins C, D, N, Q, and E (3–7), and heliobuphthalmin (8) were isolated from root of R. nasutus. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D-, 2D-NMR and MS data. All the isolated compounds were tested for their antiviral activities against PR8, HRV1B, and CVB3-infected vero cells. Compounds 3–6 exhibited significant antiviral activities with the IC50 value ranging from 0.03 to 23.7 μM in all three infections.

BACKGROUND: Vitis heyneana is widely distributed in the north of Vietnam, it has been used in Vietnamese traditional medicine as an agent for treatment of arthritis, bronchitis, carbuncles and inflammatory conditions, and menstrual irregularities. However, this plant has not been investigated in phytochemical constituents and biological effects, especially in the anti-inflammatory property.RESULTS: Bioassay-guided fractionation of the EtOAc soluble fraction from the aerial part of Vitis heyneana resulted in the isolation of a series of oligostilbenoids as piceid (1), 2-r-viniferin (2), betulifol A (3), vitisinol C (4), (-)-trans-ε-viniferin (5), α-viniferin (6), shoreaketon (7), amurensin B (8), vitisinol B (9), and cis-vitisin B (10). Compound 5 showed the most potent inhibitory activities by suppressing LPS-induced COX-2 expression and PGE2 production. This compound exhibited significantly reduced LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) release in a dose-dependent manner. These effects are accompanied with the inhibition of transcription factor NF-κB activation.CONCLUSION: The results suggested that trans-ε-viniferin exerts anti-inflammatory effects via suppression the NF-κB activation in RAW 264.7 cells.

Our current research on phytochemical profile of the folk medicinal plant Anemone chapaensis Gagnep. led to the isolation of a new saponin, chapaenoside (1), along with 13 known compounds (2-14). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive chemical and spectroscopic methods (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance [NMR] spectroscopy and mass spectrometry) as well as comparison with the literature data. The isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxic activities against 9 cancer cell lines by MTT method. The result indicated that the major saponin prosapogenin CP6 (5) showed selectively strong activity against NCI-N87, RD, Panc-1, and MIA Paca-2 cells with the IC50 values of 5.4, 7.5, 7.5, and 2.7 μM, respectively. The results of phytochemical constituents and principal bioactive saponins from A. chapaensis contributed not only to its phytochemical profile associated with chemotaxonomy but also to biological evidence of the title plant.

A new coumaronochromone derivative, boeravinone R (5,7-dihydroxy-3´-methoxy-coumaronochromone) (1), together with 4 known compounds: β-sitosterol (2), oleic acid (3), physcion (4), and glutinol (5)...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) Karst. (Ganodermataceae) is a mushroom which is used as a traditional remedy in the treatment of human diseases such as hepatitis, liver disorders, hypercholesterolemia, arthritis, bronchitis and tumorigenic diseases. This study targets the evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of ganodermanontriol, a sterol isolated from Ganoderma lucidum, and the investigation of its mechanism of action in Hepa1c1c7 and murine liver cells upon tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced inflammation. t-BHP was utilized to stimulate an anti-inflammatory reaction in the hepatic cell lines and murine hepatic tissue examined. Western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to estimate the expression of ganodermanontriol (GDT)-induced proteins, including heme oxidase-1 (HO-1) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as well as the corresponding mRNA. Luciferase assays were conducted to evaluate the interaction between NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf-2), the antioxidant response element (ARE), and the promoter region of the HO-1 gene and subsequent gene expression. Biochemical markers for hepatotoxicity were monitored to assess whether GDT protected the cells from the t-BHP-mediated oxidative stimuli. Results GDT induced HO-1 expression via the activation of Nrf-2 nuclear translocation and the subsequent transcription of the HO-1 gene in vitro and in vivo, which seemed to be regulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) and p38 signaling pathways. GDT exhibited in vitro and in vivo hepatoprotective activity as determined by the lowered levels of hepatic enzymes and malondialdehydes and the elevated glutathione levels. Conclusions This study validates the ethnopharmacological application of Ganoderma lucidum as a treatment for hepatic disorders. GDT induced in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity in t-BHP-damaged hepatic cells through the expression of HO-1, and in which PI3K/Akt and p38 kinases are involved. Our study motivates further research in the exploration of potent hepatoprotective agents from Ganoderma lucidum.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer with high mortality worldwide. Traditional chemotherapy for HCC is not widely accepted by clinical practitioners because of its toxic side effects. Thus, there is a need to identify chemotherapeutic drugs against HCC. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a biologic sensor for cellular energy status that acts a tumor suppressor and a potential cancer therapeutic target. The traditional Vietnamese medicinal plant Croton tonkinensis shows cytotoxicity in various cancer cells; however, its anticancer mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we determined whether the ent-kaurane diterpenoid ent-18-acetoxy-7β-hydroxy kaur-15-oxo-16-ene (CrT1) isolated from this plant plays a role as a chemotherapeutic drug targeting AMPK. CrT1 blocked proliferation in dose- and time-dependent manners in human hepatocellular carcinoma SK-HEP1 cells. CrT1 induced sub-G(1) arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis. CrT1 activated caspase-3, -7, -8, -9, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and its effect was inhibited by z-VAD-fmk suppressing caspase-3 cleavage. CrT1 induced increases in p53 and Bax levels but decreased Bcl(2) levels. In addition, CrT1 resulted in increased translocation of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. We showed that CrT1-activated AMPK activation was followed by modulating the mammalian target of rapamycin/p70S6K pathway and was inactivated by treating cells with compound C. Treatment with CrT1 and aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) synergistically activated AMPK. CrT1-induced AMPK activation regulated cell viability and apoptosis. These results suggest that CrT1 is a novel AMPK activator and that AMPK activation in SK-HEP1 cells is responsible for CrT1-induced anticancer activity including apoptosis.

► A new saponin and nine known compounds were isolated from Anemone rivularis. ► Structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. ► New saponin can be utilized as a chemical marker for the taxonomy of A. rivularis.