Search results for " Medicinal"
showing 10 items of 590 documents
Phytochemistry of Weigela x “kosteriana variegata” (Caprifoliaceae)
2018
One new triterpene glycoside 3- O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyloleanolic acid, was isolated from Weigela x “kosteriana variegata” (Caprifoliaceae), with three known ones. Their structures were characterized by a combination of mass spectrometry and 1D and 2D NMR spectrocopic techniques including 1H- and 13C NMR, COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, HSQC, and HMBC experiments. The toxicological properties of some glycosides were determined with a zebrafish-based assay. The results show that the most active compounds were toxic to the larvae in the range of 1 μM.
Two New Oleanane-type Saponins from Hydrocotyle multifida
2018
A phytochemical study of a Venezuelan species Hydrocotyle multifida led to the isolation of five oleanane-type glycosides: two previously undescribed and three known ones. Their structures were established by 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques and mass spectrometry as 3- O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β-D-glucuronopyranosyloleanolic acid and 3- O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucuronopyrano-syloleanolic acid. These results represent a significative contribution to the chemotaxonomy of the Hydrocotyle genus.
Toxicities by herbal medicines with emphasis to traditional Chinese medicine.
2011
It is estimated that three quarters of the world population rely on herbal and traditional medicine as a basis for primary health care. Therefore, it is one of the most important and challenging tasks for scientists working in drug research to investigate the efficacy of herbal medicine, to dissect favorable from adverse effects, to identify active principles in medicinal plants and to ban poisonous plants or contaminations from herbal mixtures. In the present review, some problems are critically discussed. Botanical misidentification or mislabeling of plant material can play a role for toxic reactions in humans. Some plant descriptions in traditional herbal medicine (e.g. traditional Chine…
Traditional use of medicinal agents: a valid source of evidence
2013
Traditional knowledge uncovered by serious historical research may help to identify new therapeutic agents. It also plays a part in safety evaluation and drug regulation. So far, however, this way of gaining knowledge is very much neglected in the concept of evidence based medicine, which is in no way contradictory to traditional use. Thus, the true meaning of the word 'tradition' is described, while reliable historical sources are quoted. It is then shown how research into the traditional use of medicinal plants is able to reveal knowledge about efficacy and safety of natural products. Several examples successfully leading to new therapeutic options are given. It is then referred to the co…
Cytotoxicity of Secondary Metabolites from Dracaena viridiflora Engl & Krause and their Semisynthetic Analogues
2017
The MeOH extract of Dracaena viridiflora was found to display significant cytotoxicity against some cancer cell lines. Systematic phytochemical investigation of this extract led to the isolation and structure elucidation of ten secondary metabolites including five spirostane (1-5) and one furostane (6) steroidal saponins. Furthermore, some acetylated spirostane analogues and three previously unreported derivatives with the 22,26-epoxycholesta-5,22-diene skeleton (15-17) were prepared from trillin (1), prosapogenin A of dioscin (2) and dioscin (4) by reaction with ZnCl 2/Ac 2O. Among the isolated and semisynthetic compounds, dioscin showed the most potent cytotoxicity against A549, Jurkat an…
Cytotoxicity of abietane diterpenoids from Salvia multicaulis towards multidrug-resistant cancer cells.
2018
Diterpenoids salvimulticanol (1) and salvimulticaoic acid (2) together with known diterpenoid (3-6) were isolated from Salvia multicaulis. Structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques including HRESIMS as well as 1D-, and 2D-NMR. In-vitro cytotoxicity was assayed against human cancer cell lines. As several metabolites exhibited activity against drug-resistance lines, compounds were screened against a panel of human drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer lines. A proposed biosynthetic pathway for these new diterpenoids (1-2) as well as the cytotoxic structure-activity relationship of all identified compounds were discussed. Compound 1 and 6 showed the most potent cytotoxicit…
A Review of the Phytochemistry, Traditional Uses and Biological Activities of the Essential Oils of Genus Teucrium
2020
AbstractThe genus Teucrium is a large and polymorphic genus of the Lamiaceae family distributed in mild climate zones, particularly in the Mediterranean basin and Central Asia. Studies of nonvolatile constituents of Teucrium species showed that they are a rich source of neo-clerodane diterpenoids, considered as chemotaxonomic markers of the genus. In addition to the nonvolatile metabolites, there has been a large interest in the essential oils of this genus. In this review, a complete survey of the chemical composition and biological properties of the essential oils isolated from Teucrium taxa is provided. In traditional medicine, since ancient times, species of this genus have been widely …
Anticancer activities of six selected natural compounds of some Cameroonian medicinal plants.
2011
BACKGROUND: Natural products are well recognized as sources of drugs in several human ailments. In the present work, we carried out a preliminary screening of six natural compounds, xanthone V(1) (1); 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone (2); physcion (3); bisvismiaquinone (4); vismiaquinone (5); 1,8-dihydroxy-3-geranyloxy-6-methylanthraquinone (6) against MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic and CCRF-CEM leukemia cells and their multidrug-resistant subline, CEM/ADR5000. Compounds 1 and 2 were then tested in several other cancer cells and their possible mode of action were investigated. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: The tested compounds were previously isolated from the Cameroonian medicinal plants Vismia laurentii (1,…
Osservazioni preliminari su biotipi spontanei di Salvia sclarea L. reperiti in Sicilia
2009
Salvia sclarea L., originaria del bacino del Mediterraneo, è una pianta erbacea appartenente alla famiglia delle Labiatae. Conosciuta fin dall’antichità come pianta medicinale, veniva utilizzata nella preparazione di decotti per la cura di infiammazioni cutanee e per disinfettare piaghe e ferite. In Sicilia, la specie, nota come muscatiddaru, si trova “su monti e colli” come riferito da Lo Jacono- Pojero, (1888). Nella tradizione dell’Isola, raccolta allo stato spontaneo, trovava applicazioni in medicina popolare e in pratiche rurali come l’aromatizzazione delle botti prima di accogliere il vino. La sua coltivazione su larga scala risale alla metà del XX secolo, sia in Europa, soprattutto i…
Piante medicinali in Sicilia: un’opportunità di sviluppo tra tradizione e innovazione
2012
L’area del Mediterraneo, caratterizzata da una estrema variabilità di ambienti naturali e quindi da un elevato grado di biodiversità vegetale, possiede un grande numero di specie dotate di proprietà medicinali; in Sicilia, molte di queste fanno parte da tempi remotissimi della tradizione popolare, che tuttora ne fa largo uso per l’automedicazione erboristica e in terapia veterinaria. In epoca recente, la crescente tendenza dell’industria e dei consumatori verso l’utilizzazione di prodotti “naturali” ha aperto la strada verso l’uso di piante medicinali anche in settori di mercato che, fino a qualche tempo fa, erano dominati dai prodotti di sintesi. In tale contesto, ci si interroga su come f…