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Natural Product Communications
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This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1934-578X - ISSN (Online) 1555-9475
Published by Sage Publications

[1174 journals]

Four Clerodane Diterpenoids From Ptychopetalum Olacoides
- Authors: Miwa Kubo, Hisaka Tajima, Wanxia Tang, Kenichi Harada, Yoshiyasu Fukuyama
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  A phytochemical component investigation of the bark of Ptychopetalum olacoides led to the isolation of 4 new clerodane-type diterpenoids, namely, ptycholide V (1), 7α,20-dihydroxykolavelool (2), ptycholide VI (3), and ptycholide VII (4). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data and comparison of NMR data with that obtained for known compounds.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-20T04:14:38Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221108534
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Effects of Inhalation of Essential Oil From Pelargonium graveolens on the
Autonomic Nervous System of Awake Mice
- Authors: Tadaaki Satou, Asuka Kawata, Ayano Hasegawa, Nanako Matsushita, Tsukushi Inoue
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Autonomic nervous system disorders have many causes, and thus, no effective remedy for these disorders has been established. In this study, we conducted animal experiments with essential oil from Pelargonium graveolens (EOPG, geranium essential oil), which may regulate the autonomic nervous system. EOPG was administered to awake mice by inhalation. Heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed from the pulse wave of the mice on an elevated platform, and the ratio of sympathetic to parasympathetic nerve activity was determined. The results showed that inhalation of EOPG did not affect the heart rate but made activity of the parasympathetic nervous system dominant. This effect was thought to be due to linalool, a component of EOPG that was transferred into the brain and body.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-20T04:12:57Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221109419
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Molecular Docking and Dynamics of Phytochemicals From Chinese Herbs With
SARS-CoV-2 RdRp
- Authors: Jingyao Lu, Wenpeng Lu, Houli Jiang, Changshui Yang, Xiaoyun Dong
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  The novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Ancient Chinese herbal formulas are effective for diseases caused by viral infection, and their effects on COVID-19 are currently being examined. To directly evaluate the role of Chinese herbs in inhibiting replication of SARS-CoV-2, we investigated how the phytochemicals from Chinese herbs interact with the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP). Total 1025 compounds were screened, and then 181compounds were selected for molecular docking analysis. Four phytochemicals licorice glycoside E, diisooctyl phthalate, (-)-medicocarpin, and glycyroside showed good binding affinity with RdRp. The best complex licorice glycoside E/RdRp forms 3 hydrogen bonds, 4 hydrophobic interactions, 1 pair of Pi-cation/stacking, and 4 salt bridges. Furthermore, docking complexes licorice glycoside E/RdRp and diisooctyl phthalate/RdRp were optimized by molecular dynamics simulation to obtain the stable conformation. These studies indicate that they are promising as antivirals against SARS-CoV-2.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-17T02:51:11Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221105693
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Repellency and Toxicity of Selected Fractions, Identified Compounds and
Blends of Commiphora africana Resin Against Bedbugs
- Authors: Norman W. Wairagu, Benson M. Wachira, Joseph K. Githiomi, Nellie Oduor, Margaret M. Ng’ang’a
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Bedbugs are blood-feeding arthropods that cause anemia in humans upon heavy feeding. Control measures are unsuccessful due to resistance to development, environmental pollution, and cost. There is a need to explore natural herbal-based phytochemicals to combat bedbugs. In this study, compounds from Comiphora africana resin were sequentially extracted, fractionated, identified, and evaluated against bedbugs as individual compounds and in combinations. The chemical constituents of the most active fraction were identified using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Results showed that the dichloromethane crude extract had the highest mean repellency (98.5% with an LC50 of 4.96 mg/L after 24 and 72 h of exposure time, respectively), similar to the positive control (neocidol). Column chromatographic separation of the dichloromethane extract yielded 9 fractions where “FR7” (eluted with 60% n-hexane in ethyl acetate) demonstrated the highest mean repellency of 79.0% with an LC50 of 10.12 mg/L after 2 and 24 h exposure times, respectively. From the identified compounds of FR7, cedrol had significantly (P
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-14T06:07:58Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221106898
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Multiple Fingerprint Profiles and Chemometrics Analysis of Polysaccharides
From the Roots of Glehnia littoralis
- Authors: Yongshuai Jing, Hao Zhang, Ruijuan Zhang, Lei Su, Beibei Hu, Danshen Zhang, Yuguang Zheng, Lanfang Wu
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  The quality of polysaccharides from different regions was studied by using multiple fingerprint analysis and chemometric analysis. Polysaccharides from 10 batches of Glehnia littoralis were compared based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). According to the results, the 10 batches of polysaccharides from G littoralis had high similarity by analyzing HPLC, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and GPC fingerprints. Through cluster analysis, samples and adulterants in different regions could be classified. Three monosaccharides (galactose, glucose, and galacturonic acid), molecular weights (4.33 × 105-4.91 × 105, 4.04 × 104-4.71 × 104, and 5.02 × 103-5.83 × 103), and H-1 (4.99, 5.39, and 5.42 ppm) of α-glucose could be used as markers for quality control of medicinal materials of the roots of G littoralis.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-13T06:38:51Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221106902
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Oxyresveratrol Reduces the Migration of Human Osteosarcoma Cell U2OS via
Attenuating STAT3 Activation
- Authors: Tao Lv, Xiuzhang Ye, Zhen Jian, Zeyuan Zhong, Chongjing Zhang, Chengqing Yi, Baoqing Yu
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Objective: Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor with high metastatic properties that are associated with increased mortality and poor prognosis. Therefore, it is crucial to develop an effective treatment for metastatic osteosarcoma. Oxyresveratrol (ORES), derived from mulberry twigs and fruits, has antitumor effects. However, it remains unknown whether ORES inhibits osteosarcoma metastasis. In this study, we determined the inhibitory effect of ORES on osteosarcoma metastasis. Key Findings: ORES attenuated the migration of U2OS cells, dose-dependently increased E-cadherin expression, and reduced N-cadherin expression in U2OS cells, indicating that ORES can inhibit epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in osteosarcoma cells. Furthermore, ORES inhibited the expression of Twist, which is associated with the downregulation of STAT3 phosphorylation. IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation rescues the inhibitory effect of ORES on U2OS metastasis. Summary: Our results indicate that ORES is a potential therapeutic agent for metastatic osteosarcoma. ORES inhibits osteosarcoma cell migration by reducing EMT formation.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-13T06:38:12Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221102031
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
A New Liposomal Formulation of Hydrogenated Anacardic Acid to Improve
Activities Against Cancer Stem Cells
- Authors: Le Tri Vien, Nguyen Thi Nga, Phung Thi Kim Hue, Tran Hoang Bao Kha, Nguyen Hong Hoang, Pham Thi Hue, Pham Ngoc Thien, Chi-Ying F Huang, Phan Van Kiem, Do Thi Thao
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Anacardic acid (AA) is a natural active ingredient that accounts for 65% of the liquid extract from the shell of the cashew nut. Due to the stronger cytotoxic activity of hydrogenated AA (HAA) against NTERA-2 cancer stem cells (CSCs) than AA itself, HAA was co-conjugated with CD133 monoclonal antibody (mAb^CD133) into nanoliposomal particles (AMC). This nanoliposomal complex is expected to improved HAA activities against CSCs based on the targeting capacity of mAb^CD133 toward CD133, a typical CSCs’ surface marker. AMC was manufactured with a mean size of 100.9 nm, a zeta potential of −40.7 mV, and a PDI of 0.283. We report a 100% encapsulation efficiency of HAA into liposomes and a 90.7% conjugation efficiency with mAb^CD133. The penetration of AMC into NTERA-2 CSCs after 2 h was 83.7%. The AMC complex inhibited NTERA-2 growth with an IC50 (inhibition concentration at 50%) value of 75.83 ± 6.70 µM, showing the targeting ability and lower toxicity (IC50 > 100 µM) on healthy cells. The AMC nanoparticles also demonstrated significant potential apoptotic induction by activating caspase 3 activity by up to 2.57 and 2.06 folds compared to that of the negative control at 20 and 4 µM, respectively. This induction was significant improvement in comparison with that of unconjugated HAA (P
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-06T05:09:45Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221105696
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Effects of a Cordyceps militaris With Herba epimedii Complex on Chronic
Renal Failure Induced by Adenine in vivo
- Authors: Changyang Ma, Xuebiao Wang, Wenjing Shao, Qingchun Zhao, Jinfeng Wei, Zhenhua Liu, Changqin Li
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  In this paper, the relieving effects of Cordyceps militaris and Herba epimedii complex on chronic renal failure (CRF) induced by adenine were investigated. The CRF model with severe damage to kidney tissue and abnormality of physiological and biochemical indices was established by administrating Sprague Dawley male rats daily with adenine (250 mg/kg). After treatments with the complex, the levels of serum creatinine (P < .001), urea nitrogen (P < .001), uric acid (P < .001), and P3+ (P < .01) were significantly decreased, while the levels of estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone (P < .001), nitrite oxide (P < .001), and Ca2+ (P < .001) were significantly increased. The damage to kidney tissue of CRF rats was obviously ameliorated. All the treatment groups showed therapeutic effects of CRF induced by adenine. The Cordyceps militaris and Herba epimedii complex showed the best effect at the dose of 10.4 + 10.4 mg/kg/d.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-06T05:08:46Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221105373
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Comprehensive Analysis of the Herbal Mixture Made of Juniperus oxycedrus
L. Berries, Inner Bark of Betula pendula Roth., and Grains of Avena sativa
L.
- Authors: Ivana Zlatanović, Miroslava Stanković, Jovana Ickovski, Ivana Dimitrijević, Gordana Stojanović
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  This is the first report of the high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry profile of a herbal mixture (HM) made of Juniperus oxycedrus L. (redberry juniper) berries, inner bark of Betula pendula Roth. (silver birch), and grains of Avena sativa L. (oat), and its effect on the No. of micronuclei (MN) in human lymphocytes and toxicity toward Artemia salina. Constituents represented by over 1000 µg per g of methanol dry extract were gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, and amentoflavone. The methanol extract of the HM at a concentration of 2.0 μg/mL decreased MN frequency by 38.3%, which was more than 3 times greater than that of the radioprotectant amifostine. The essential oil isolated from the HM was composed mainly of β-myrcene (32%) and showed weaker toxicity toward Artemia salina than the positive control after both incubation periods (24 h and 48 h). These findings suggest that the examined HM, beside its ethnopharmacological relevance on the elimination of renal calculi, also significantly reduces the No. of MN in human lymphocytes.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-06T05:08:16Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221105689
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Isoegomaketone From Perilla frutescens Ameliorates Dextran Sodium
Sulfate-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice
- Authors: Ye-Ram Kim, Ah-Reum Han, Jin-Baek Kim, Shugeng Cao, Chang Hyun Jin
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a worldwide health problem. An effective treatment for IBD is unavailable, and potential therapeutic agents should be developed for treating colonic inflammation. In this study, we demonstrated that isoegomaketone (IK), an essential oil component of a mutant cultivar of Perilla frutescens produced through radiation breeding, reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and interleukin-12p40, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse primary macrophages. Furthermore, when 5 mg/kg IK was administered to mice with dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis, it ameliorated the severity of the disease as assessed by survival, body weight, and colonic damage. These results suggested that 5 mg/kg IK has a preventive effect in colitis and can be a novel alternative therapy for treating colitis.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-06T05:07:53Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221105694
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
New 1,4-Dihydropyrazolo[4,3-b]indoles Induce Antiproliferation of Acute
- Authors: Vo Ngoc Binh, Sabrina Adorisio, Domenico V. Delfino, Quoc Anh Ngo
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Research on multitargeting drugs is emerging, focusing on the discovery of agents that simultaneously act on more than one biological target. Here, a novel synthetic route to access the fused-heterocycles 1,4-dihydropyrazolo[4,3-b]indoles (4) from pyrazolo[4,3-c][2,1]benzothiazine 4,4-dioxide (3) via [H2O–SO2] elimination and an intramolecular ring-closing reaction is reported. Two lead compounds 3b and 4b were found to show significant inhibition of cell growth by suppressing cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 phases and inducing apoptosis of the acute myeloid leukemia OCI-AML3 cell line. Both compounds also significantly decreased tumor necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β (at all tested concentrations), whereas no effect was seen on other cytokines (interleukin-4, interferon-γ, interleukin-9, interleukin-12). Thus, these compounds are promising leads in the discovery of novel anticancer agents.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-06T05:07:45Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221105692
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
A Network Pharmacological Elucidation of the Systematic Treatment
Activities and Mechanisms of the Herbal Drug FDY003 Against Esophageal
Cancer
- Authors: Ho-Sung Lee, In-Hee Lee, Kyungrae Kang, Sang-In Park, Minho Jung, Seung Gu Yang, Tae-Wook Kwon, Dae-Yeon Lee
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Despite accumulating evidence for the value of herbal drugs for cancer treatment, the mechanisms underlying their effects have not been fully elucidated in a systematic manner. In this study, we performed a network pharmacological analysis to elucidate the anti-esophageal cancer (EC) properties of the herbal drug FDY003, a mixture of Artemisia capillaris Thunberg (AcT), Cordyceps militaris (Linnaeus) Link (Cm), and Lonicera japonica Thunberg (LjT). FDY003 reduced human EC cell viability and increased the pharmacological effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. There were 15 active pharmacological chemicals targeting 61 EC-associated genes and proteins in FDY003. The FDY003 targets were key regulators of major oncogenic EC-associated signaling pathways, such as phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), p53, Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT), erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog (ErbB), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappa B), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) cascades. These EC-associated genes, proteins, and pathways targeted by FDY003 determine the malignant behaviors of EC cells, including cell death, survival, division, proliferation, and growth. This network pharmacological analysis provides an integrative view of the mechanisms by which FDY003 contributes to EC treatment.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-06T05:04:48Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221105362
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)
Synthesis and Antitumor Activity of Staurosporine Derivatives
- Authors: Gang Li, Dan Wu, Yanchao Xu, Wenwen He, Dongyang Wang, Weiming Zhu, Liping Wang
  Abstract: Natural Product Communications, Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022.
  Twenty-four derivatives of staurosporine were synthesized by modification at the 3′-N, 3- and 7-positions. Of these compounds, 16 were synthesized for the first time and their structures were determined by NMR spectroscopy, ECD, and HRESIMS. Their inhibitory activities against seven tumor cell lines, MV4-11 (leukemia), MCF-7 (breast carcinoma), HCT-116 (colon cancer), TE-1 (esophageal carcinoma), PATU8988 T (pancreatic cancer), HOS (osteosarcoma) and GBC-SD (gallbladder cancer), and human normal liver cell L-02 were evaluated using a Cell Counting Kit-8. The IC50 values for 7-oxo-3′-N-benzoylstaurosporin (4) on MV4-11 and PATU8988 T cells were 0.078 and 0.666 μmol/L, and the selection indexes were 1254 and 147, respectively. The IC50 values of 7-oxo-3-chloro-3′-N-benzoylstaurosporine (5) and (7R)-7-hydroxy-3-bromo-3′-N-acetylstaurosporine (24) on MCF-7 cells were 0.029 and 0.021 μmol/L, and the selection indexes were 102 and 221, respectively. The above compounds have the potential to be developed further into antitumor drugs due to the advantages of high efficiency and low toxicity.
  Citation: Natural Product Communications
  PubDate: 2022-06-06T05:04:37Z
  DOI: 10.1177/1934578X221103036
  Issue No: Vol. 17, No. 6 (2022)