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Vincetoxicum gongshanense Wen B. Xu & J. Y. Shen (Apocynaceae), a new species from Gongshan County, Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is similar to V. silvestre (Tsiang) Meve & Liede, V. kerrii (Craib) A. Kidyoo and V. biondioides (W. T. Wang) C. Y. Wu & D. Z. Li, but can be distinguished by the leathery leaves, five basal veins, ovate-triangular sepals, yellow corolla, lanceolate corolla lobes, wide triangular corona and reniform pollinia. Photographs, line drawing, distribution, comparison with related species, and a parallel conservation assessment are provided for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional plants have huge demand as medicines to treat a wide range of illnesses. Tylophora is an important genus of medicinal plant in India, used to treat asthma and other ailments. The plants of this genus have been studied in vivo and in vitro for various pharmacological properties. In this article, we have given information regarding ethnomedicinal importance, phytochemistry and pharmacological uses of 18 species of Tylophora. Comprehensive information regarding different species of Tylophora were collected using different keywords in various electronic databases such as ACS, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, SciFinder, Web of Science, Springer Link, library search, J gate, Wiley, Semantic Scholar and ResearchGate since 1960 to 2023. Additionally, data was collected from some textbooks and chapters like Flora of India and Indian medicinal plants. This article highlights the traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of the few studied taxa of Tylophora that would serve as a reference for pharmaceutical research. More than 100 compounds have been isolated from selected species of the genus Tylophora. Among them, phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids have received the most attention and are the most abundant active constituents of the plant. Other types of active components of genus Tylophora include C21 glycosides, secoiridoids, triterpenes, and furano alkaloids. These compounds have shown a variety of therapeutic activities like antiasthmatic, antitumour, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and antiallergic properties. This review can be an important scientific resource for further research.

An updated phylogeny of the genus Vincetoxicum s.l. based on DNA sequences of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and three plastid markers is presented. In total, 21 accessions newly sequenced from Thailand were added to the dataset of the homologous sequences of 75 other Vincetoxicum taxa downloaded from GenBank. In our analysis, the relationships between the well-supported clades largely correspond to those revealed in previous studies. With some exceptions, the phylogenetic positions of the Thai taxa in relation to other conspecifics and congeners generally reflect the geographic distributions of taxa. Moreover, recent extensive sampling throughout Thailand and in-depth investigation have revealed V. kerrii, a slender twiner widespread from South China to Indo-China, to be a species complex. A combination of molecular, morphological, anatomical, ultrastructural and ecological evidence allowed us to reveal a new cryptic species hidden within V. kerrii, described here under the name V. simplex. A comprehensive description, illustrations, photographs, and comparison with the morphologically similar species are provided. Although V. simplex and V. kerrii s.s. resemble one another in various aspects of vegetative and reproductive structures, the latter is phylogenetically closely related to V. irrawadense, which is much less similar morphologically to both V. simplex and V. kerrii s.s. than the latter two are to each other. In addition to the new cryptic species recognized in the present study, a new record for Thailand, V. microstachys, is also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unknown Vincetoxicum species has recently been discovered in eastern Thailand. It is a twiner that resembles in its morphology Vincetoxicum flexuosum s.l., a variable taxon widely occurring from tropical Asia to Australia. Morphological examination showed that despite similarities in growth habit, leaf shape, gross appearance of inflorescence structure and flower colour, these two elements exhibit substantial differences in both vegetative and floral characters that clearly distinguish one from the other, particularly shape of the flower bud and indumentum on the corolla lobes. In addition, we also evaluated phylogenetic relationships based on DNA sequence data for ITS, trnT-L, trnL and trnL-F markers of this new Vincetoxicum sp. with congeners (including, inter alia, new sequences of the two varieties recognized in Thailand of V. flexuosum s.l., i.e. var. flexuosum and var. tenue). The analyses demonstrated that the new Vincetoxicum sp. is not closely related to the taxa recognized in V. flexuosum s.l. Instead, it was retrieved as sister to a clade containing the African taxa, Vincetoxicum caffrum, Vincetoxicum lycioides and Vincetoxicum fleckii. Therefore, integrated analyses of morphology and molecular phylogeny revealed the new Vincetoxicum sp. to be a well-defined species clearly distinct from V. flexuosum s.l., as well as from all other known congeners. The morphological similarity between the new Vincetoxicum sp. and V. flexuosum s.l. likely resulted from convergence, leading to various taxonomic complications. We here describe it as a new species, Vincetoxicum sangyojarniae, sp. nov., and provide a detailed description, illustration and photographs. Moreover, as phylogenetic relationships revealed that V. flexuosum s.l. is not monophyletic in its actual circumscription, a taxonomic reconsideration of this taxon is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal plants are of great importance for the health of individuals and communities. Hemidesmus indicus and Tylophora indica are used as traditional medicines. These plants contain a lot of bioactive compounds. The present investigation is carried out in Hemidesmus indicus and Tylophora indica leaves. In the present study, the methanol extract of H. indicus and T. indica were subjected for preliminary phytochemical analysis through FT-IR spectral analysis and the bioactive compounds were identified. The Preliminary Phytochemical analysis of methanolic leaves extract of H.indicus and T.indica revealed the presence of secondary metabolites. FT-IR analysis of methanolic leaf extract of Hemidesmus indicus and Tylophora indica revealed 16 and 13 major compounds respectively. The H.indicus has higher bioactive compounds compared to T.indica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merr is a climbing perennial plant reported in Indian traditional system of medicine for its use in allergy and asthma. However, only few scientific studies have been performed in the past to validate its antiasthmatic potential., Objectives: The present study deals with investigation of airway smooth muscle relaxant and antiasthmatic potential of extract and subsequent fractions prepared from T. indica., Methods: The most active fraction of T. indica leaves selected through bio-guided activity was subjected to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis for chemical profiling. The binding affinity of identified compounds in fraction towards M 3 and H 1 receptors was determined by molecular docking study. F-2 (chloroform fraction prepared from methanolic extract of T. indica leaves) was examined for its smooth muscle relaxant properties using isolated trachea of guinea-pig. Further, F-2 was evaluated through in vivo studies employing ovalbumin-induced asthma model in guinea-pigs., Results: F-2 was found most effective in bioassay-guided fractionation. Characterization by LC-MS analysis revealed presence of five major bioactive compounds in F-2 that showed good docking interactions with M 3 and H 1 receptors. The ex vivo study demonstrated that F-2 could significantly relax tracheal rings via targeting multiple signalling pathways videlicet, namely, noncompetitive antagonism of the histamine and muscarinic receptors, β2-adrenergic stimulation and activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase. In in vivo studies, F-2 ameliorated airway hyperresponsiveness and decreased broncho alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) levels of inflammatory cytokines and immunoglobulin E (IgE)., Conclusion: These results confirm the traditional use of T. indica as an antiasthmatic agent which are evidenced through ex vivo, in silico and in vivo studies., (© 2023 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A new subspecies, Tylophora perakensis King & Gamble subsp. andamanica is described and illustrated from Little Andaman Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. A new combination, Tylophora hookeriana is proposed and the distributional status of T. indica Merr. var. intermedia M.A. Rahman & Wilcock is also discussed based on the fresh collections from Andaman Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most interesting areas in scientific research has been drug discovery. The discovery of antibiotics led to the improvement of the overall health status of the general population, but in the present scenario, its misuse has caused the development of microbial drug resistance. The focus has shifted toward the use of natural drugs as a source of treatment for various ailments to improve the health of individuals. A climber, identified as Tylophora indica, has been in use for a very long time for the treatment of ailments such as asthma and diarrhea. T. indica possesses compounds such as phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids and nonalkaloid components which may be responsible for its biological activity. T. indica is an endangered species, and its genetic preservation is a matter of concern. Literature reports that the different plant parts of T. indica, especially the leaves, possess a wide range of activities against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The experimental observations suggest that the methanolic extracts are more effective as compared to the aqueous extracts. Further studies are needed to explore the potential of T. indica extracts for its antimicrobial activities on various microbial pathogens including bacterial species, protozoal parasites, and viruses. This may further open an investigation into healthy and natural food preservation techniques. The article makes an attempt to review the antimicrobial activities of T. indica, its potential in the food and health sectors, and the future scope with emphasis on overcoming the limitations such as microbial contamination of food and use of synthetic preservatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. ex Schult. and Tylophora indica (Burm. F.) Merrill shoot cultures were treated with different concentrations of yeast extract (YE; 25-200 mg/L) and salicylic acid (SA; 50-200 µM), and their effect on lupeol production was assessed. The maximum dry weight (DW) biomass was recorded when H. indicus shoots were treated with SA (50 µM) and T. indica shoots with YE (200 mg/L). Highest lupeol yield (335.40 ± 0.04 µg/g DW) was obtained in H. indicus shoots after treatment with 50 µM of SA for 3 weeks. Whereas in T. indica , maximum lupeol content (584.26 ± 8.14 µg/g DW) was recorded by giving treatment with 25 μM of SA for 6 weeks.

Key message : This review provides an in-depth and comprehensive overview of the in vitro culture of Tylophora species, which have medicinal properties. Abstract: Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merr. is a climbing perennial vine with medicinal properties. The tissue culture and genetic transformation of T. indica, which has been extensively studied, is reviewed. Micropropagation using nodal explants has been reported in 25 % of all publications. Leaf explants from field-grown plants has been the explant of choice of independent research groups, which reported direct and callus-mediated organogenesis as well as callus-mediated somatic embryogenesis. Protoplast-mediated regeneration and callus-mediated shoot organogenesis has also been reported from stem explants, and to a lesser degree from root explants of micropropagated plants in vitro. Recent studies that used HPLC confirmed the potential of micropropagated plants to synthesize the major T. indica alkaloid tylophorine prior to and after transfer to field conditions. The genetic integrity of callus-regenerated plants was confirmed by RAPD in a few reports. Tissue culture is an essential base for genetic transformation studies. Hairy roots and transgenic T. indica plants have been shown to accumulate tylophorine suggesting that in vitro biology and transgenic methods are viable ways of clonally producing valuable germplasm and mass producing compounds of commercial value. Further studies that investigate the factors affecting the biosynthesis of Tylophora alkaloids and other secondary metabolites need to be conducted using non-transformed as well as transformed cell and organ cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tylophora indica is an important medicinal plant and is used against dysentery, diarrhoea, humoral and bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, cold and cough. The plant is also known for anticancer properties. Other species of Tylophora predominantly found in Goa is T. dalzelli. It has been reported as a local herb for the treatment of asthma. Hence the main objective of this study is to know the genetic relationship in these two species. To achieve this, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was performed. A total of six Tylophora variants were collected from various regions of Goa and analyzed using RAPD with OPF 1-10 primers. Genetic similarities were determined between and within the collected species through Jaccard's coefficient system. RAPD primers generated 39 amplification products, of which all 39 were polymorphic. Results from cluster analysis and linkage distance, indicate 38% genetic similarity at the interspecifc level between T. indica whereas 10% between two T. dalzelli variants. UPGMA cluster analysis revealed similar results.Our study indicated that T. indica collected from Valpoi was the most diverse one among all the samples.These results based on the molecular markers have shown high genetic diversity among thecollected species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of integrated Ri T-DNA rol genes during regeneration via indirect somatic embryogenesis and stability of its effect on morphology and tylophorine content of Ri-transformed plants have been studied in Tylophora indica. Integration and expression of Ri T-DNA genes in transformed embryogenic callus lines derived from transformed root lines, 300 Ri-transformed somatic embryos, and 23 Ri-transformed plant lines were analysed. Fifty root lines studied showed integration and expression of four rol genes of TL-DNA. Spontaneous regeneration via indirect somatic embryogenesis was obtained from root lines that were TL+/TR−. Stable integration and expression of rol genes were observed in root lines, embryogenic callus lines, and the spontaneously induced somatic embryos. Nineteen out of the 23 Ri-transformed plant lines and their clones showed phenotypic and genetic stability over the period of 3 years. Four Ri-transformed plants were morphologically similar to nontransformed plants but showed variation with the integration and expression of the rolA gene and absence of other rol genes. Variant Ri-transformed plant line A428#1-V showed highest tylophorine content (2.93±0.03 mg gDW−1) among plant lines studied. The effects of T-DNA genes on growth, morphology, and tylophorine content of the Ri-transformed plants were stable in the long term culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the floristic diversity, dominance, abundance and IVI of climbers and lianas species in the degraded vegetation in North Andaman forest . A total of 1098 climbing plants belonging to 65 species, 51 genera, and 23 families were identified. These consisted of 16 liana and 49 herbaceous climber species. Stem twinning was the most predominant (70.76%) climbing mechanism. The dominant species recorded from this forest were Tylophora capparidifolia (IVI-37.3), Argyreia wallichii ( IVI-20.47) and Hibiscus scandens (IVI-10.37) respectively. Most of the species were randomly distributed whereas some showed clumped distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tylophora indica (Asclepiadaceae) have long been used for the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, dysentery, rheumatic gouty pains and hydrophobia1. In the present study, an assessment of Alloxan induced Swiss albino mice is made by treating with oral administration of leaf extract of native (n) and in vitro propagated or micro-propagated (m) Tylophora indica. Extracts of both in-vitro and native plant are prepared in methanol (MLTLn and MLTLm) for investigation of blood glucose lowering affect and improvement in body weight in diabetic Swiss albino mice .The results obtained are evaluated with respect to known anti diabetic drug glyburide. It is observed that in vitro propagated T.indica shows better hypoglycaemic effect than native plant. Various factor are monitored e.g. blood glucose level, body weight, mortality rate in different groups. In this study, the anti diabetic activity of herbal drug for treatment of diabetes mellitus is clearly indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), representing the most aggressive form of breast cancer with currently no targeted therapy available, is characterized by an inflammatory and hypoxic tumor microenvironment. To date, a broad spectrum of anti-tumor activities has been reported for phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids (PAs), however, their mode of action in TNBC remains elusive. Thus, we investigated six naturally occurring PAs extracted from the plant Tylophora ovata : O -methyltylophorinidine ( 1 ) and its five derivatives tylophorinidine ( 2 ), tylophoridicine E ( 3 ), 2-demethoxytylophorine ( 4 ), tylophoridicine D ( 5 ), and anhydrodehydrotylophorinidine ( 6 ). In comparison to natural ( 1 ) and for more-in depth studies, we also utilized a sample of synthetic O -methyltylophorinidine ( 1s ). Our results indicate a remarkably effective blockade of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) within 2 h for compounds ( 1 ) and ( 1s ) (IC 50 = 17.1 ± 2.0 nM and 3.3 ± 0.2 nM) that is different from its effect on cell viability within 24 h (IC 50 = 13.6 ± 0.4 nM and 4.2 ± 1 nM). Furthermore, NFκB inhibition data for the additional five analogues indicate a structure-activity relationship (SAR). Mechanistically, NFκB is significantly blocked through the stabilization of its inhibitor protein kappa B alpha (IκBα) under normoxic as well as hypoxic conditions. To better mimic the TNBC microenvironment in vitro, we established a 3D co-culture by combining the human TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231 with primary murine cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and type I collagen. Compound ( 1 ) demonstrates superiority against the therapeutic gold standard paclitaxel by diminishing spheroid growth by 40% at 100 nM. The anti-proliferative effect of ( 1s ) is distinct from paclitaxel in that it arrests the cell cycle at the G0/G1 state, thereby mediating a time-dependent delay in cell cycle progression. Furthermore, ( 1s ) inhibited invasion of TNBC monoculture spheroids into a matrigel ® -based environment at 10 nM. In conclusion, PAs serve as promising agents with presumably multiple target sites to combat inflammatory and hypoxia-driven cancer, such as TNBC, with a different mode of action than the currently applied chemotherapeutic drugs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Medicinal properties of many Indian herbal plants are yet to be evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the phytochemical constituents, antibacterial activity, cytopathic and cytotoxicity effects of Tylophora indica, Curcuma amada and Urtica dioica. Various parts of the plants were collected and shade dried. The solvents used for extraction of plants were water, ethanol, methanol, petroleum ether and chloroform. In vitro antibacterial activity was performed by agar disc diffusion method. Normal and multi drug resistant bacterial strains of E.coli, P.aeruginosa were used. Curcuma amada was found to exhibit highest toxicity against both the bacterial strains. But none of the plant exhibited activity over multi drug resistant bacterial strains. Further in vitro cytopathic and cytotoxic effects were determined for Tylophora indica, Curcuma amada and Urtica dioica upon BHK-21 fibroblast cell lines. Cytotoxicity of the plant extracts were determined by calculating the IC50 values. The highest cytotoxicity was found in alcoholic extracts obtained from Tylophora indica with IC50 value ~20µg/ml respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

tRNALeu (UAA) (trnL) intron sequences have been used as a molecular marker for differentiating plant species and to assess phylogenetic relationships among three closely related Tylophora species. Mutation events were calculated based on the sequences generated. Nucleotide substitutions were 31% and indels, 69%. Transversions of G↔C were dominant as compared to A↔C and A↔G. AT repeats of variable length were observed in all the three species. Further three repeat clusters with a p value of 1.58x10-5 were observed in all the three species. cpDNA polymorphism can provide significant insight into the evolution of the species and its genetic structure [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Thar Desert" region of Rajasthan in north-west India is one of the most inhospitable landscapes on earth. The desert has sparse vegetation and the ground surface is exposed to sun, atmosphere and associated physical forces. Ever increasing human and livestock population have put heavy demands for plant products, resulting in over exploitation of well adapted plants. Plants like species of Ceropegia, Caralluma, Calotropis, Leptadenia, Tylophora, Pueraria, Mucuna, Vitex and Sarcostemma are valuable sources of fuel, fodder, timber, medicine, biofertilizer (Endophytic rizobia) and vegetables for sustaining life in the desert. These plants are well adapted to the environment and contribute to the productivity, and keep the system photosynthetically active under all seasons. Attempt has also been made beside tissue culture, to isolate and purify the rhizobacteria associated with important native legumes of this region. These studies are important for sustainable agriculture practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tylophorine, a representative phenanthroindolizidine alkaloid from Tylophora indica plants, exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous growth activities. However, the underlying mechanisms of its anti-cancer activity have not been elucidated and its effects on cell cycle remain ambiguous. Here, we reveal by asynchronizing and synchronizing approaches that tylophorine not only retards the S-phase progression but also dominantly arrests the cells at G1 phase in HepG2, HONE-1, and NUGC-3 carcinoma cells. Moreover, tylophorine treatment results in down regulated cyclin A2 expression and overexpressed cyclin A2 rescues the G1 arrest by tylophorine. Thus, we are the first to report that the downregulated cyclin A2 plays a vital role in G1 arrest by tylophorine in carcinoma cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polar phenanthrene-based tylophorine derivatives (PBTs) were designed, synthesized and evaluated as potential antitumor agents. These compounds contain a core phenanthrene structure and can be synthesized efficiently in excellent yield. The newly synthesized PBTs were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against the A549 human cancer cell line. Among them, N-(2,3-methylenedioxy-6-methoxy-phenanthr-9-ylmethyl)-l-2-piperidinemethanol (34) and N-(2,3-methylenedioxy-6-methoxy-phenanthr-9-ylmethyl)-5-aminopentanol (28) showed the highest potency with IC50 values of 0.16 and 0.27μM, respectively, which are comparable to those of currently used antitumor drugs. A structure–activity relationship (SAR) study was also explored to facilitate the further development of this new compound class. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Six new secondary metabolites, including two new nor-triterpenes ( 1 and 2 ), one new sesquiterpene ( 4 ), two new α -pyrone derivatives ( 6 and 7 ), and one new natural product ( 5 ) along with two known compounds ( 3 and 8 ) were isolated from an endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides obtained from a toxic medicinal plant Tylophora ovata . Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analyses, while their absolute configurations were determined by CD and X-ray diffraction analyses. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were evaluated.