Exploration by molecular networking of Strychnos alkaloids reveals the unexpected occurrence of strychnine in seven Strychnos species.

Introduction: Plants of the Strychnos genus, which include about 200 species, are used for multiple traditional purposes as hunting poison, for example, and have shown interesting pharmacological properties, especially curarizing and tetanizing, but also against malaria. Many monoterpene indole alkaloids have already been isolated and identified. Among them, there is strychnine, a famous alkaloid that can cause death by asphyxiation.

Biological Activities of Some Isoquinoline Alkaloids from Soy. Will.

Soy. Will. is a species belonging to the Papaveraceae family, being widespread in East-Central and Southern Europe.

In vitro Antileishmanial, Antitrypanosomal, and Anti-inflammatory-like Activity of Terminalia mollis Root Bark.

This study aims at determining the antitrypanosomal, antileishmanial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory-like activities of root crude extracts. The antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial activities on (strain 427) and promastigotes of (MHOM/BZ/84/BEL46) were evaluated . The methanolic root bark extract and standards were profiled by HPLC-PDA, and the majority of compounds identified using literature data.

Flavonoid Analysis and Antioxidant Activities of the L. Aerial Parts.

L. is the only species found in Romanian flora, being known as a remedy for inflammatory pathologies or for its hepatoprotective and adaptogen activities. The present investigation studied the flavonoid composition and antioxidant activities of the aerial parts of this species.

Chenopodium ambrosioides induces an endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat isolated aorta.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the vasodilatory effect of Chenopodium ambrosioides on the isolated rat aorta, and to explore its mechanism of action.

Methods: The vasorelaxant effect and the mode of action of various extracts from the leaves of C. ambrosioides were evaluated on thoracic aortic rings isolated from Wistar rats.

Flavonoid composition, cellular antioxidant activity and (myelo)peroxidase inhibition of a Bryonia alba L. (Cucurbitaceae) leaves extract.

Objectives: The aim of the present study consisted in the isolation of flavonoids from the leaves of Bryonia alba L. and evaluation of their antioxidant activity and inhibition on peroxidase-catalysed reactions.

Methods: Flavonoids were isolated by preparative HPLC-DAD and their structures were elucidated by MS and NMR.

Antihypertensive and vasorelaxant effects of aqueous extract of Artemisia campestris L. from Eastern Morocco.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Artemisia campestris L. (Asteraceae) has many traditional uses, among which treatment of diabetes and hypertension.

Aim Of The Study: This study was conducted in order to confirm the antihypertensive and hypotensive effects of A.

Antiplasmodial activity of Mezoneuron benthamianum leaves and identification of its active constituents.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Decoctions of the leaves of M. benthamianum Baill. are used by traditional healers in Guinea to treat malaria and this use was validated by a preliminary clinical assay.

In vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial activity of three Rwandan medicinal plants and identification of their active compounds.

In our previous study, we reported the interesting in vitro antiplasmodial activity of some Rwandan plant extracts. This gave rise to the need for these extracts to also be evaluated in vivo and to identify the compounds responsible for their antiplasmodial activity. The aim of our study was, on the one hand, to evaluate the antiplasmodial activity in vivo and the safety of the selected Rwandan medicinal plants used in the treatment of malaria, with the objective of promoting the development of improved traditional medicines and, on the other hand, to identify the active ingredients in the plants.

Strychnobaillonine, an unsymmetrical bisindole alkaloid with an unprecedented skeleton from Strychnos icaja roots.

A reinvestigation of the roots of Strychnos icaja resulted in the isolation of a new bisindole alkaloid named strychnobaillonine (1) with original C-17-N-1' and C-23-C-17' junctions, in addition to sungucine, bisnordihydrotoxiferine, and strychnohexamine (2). Compound 1 showed potent activity against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro with an IC50 value of 1.1 μM.

[Corrigendum] Isostrychnopentamine, an indolomonoterpenic alkaloid from Strychnos usambarensis, with potential anti-tumor activity against apoptosis-resistant cancer cells.

After the publication of the article, the authors noted that they had made an error regarding certain data in their manuscript. The error relates to the statistical analysis performed for the data illustrated in Fig. 4A: On page 963 of our article, line 17 of the left-handed column, we identified an erroneous statistical result with respect to the data illustrated in Fig.

Unusual amino acids and monofluoroacetate from Dichapetalum michelsonii (Umutambasha), a toxic plant from Rwanda.

In the course of our investigations on Umutambasha in order to identify its convulsant principles, small quantities of monofluoroacetate were observed in stem bark, leaves, and fruits of this plant newly identified as Dichapetalum michelsonii Hauman. Conclusive evidence for a monofluoroacetate presence came from its isolation from the freeze-dried extract of stem bark. Three free unusual amino acids, named N-methyl-α-alanine, N-methyl-β-alanine, and 2,7-diaminooctan-1,8-dioic acid, described for the first time in a plant, and known trigonelline were also isolated from the stem bark of D.

Dimeric bisindole alkaloids from the stem bark of Strychnos nux-vomica L.

Strychnos nux-vomica L. (Loganiaceae) is famous for its monomeric alkaloid content, such as strychnine, a convulsant poison. The stem bark of the tree is traditionally used to treat intermittent fever in South East Asia.

Anti-plasmodial activity of Dicoma tomentosa (Asteraceae) and identification of urospermal A-15-O-acetate as the main active compound.

Background: Natural products could play an important role in the challenge to discover new anti-malarial drugs. In a previous study, Dicoma tomentosa (Asteraceae) was selected for its promising anti-plasmodial activity after a preliminary screening of several plants traditionally used in Burkina Faso to treat malaria. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the anti-plasmodial properties of this plant and to isolate the active anti-plasmodial compounds.

Polyphenol content and modulatory activities of some tropical dietary plant extracts on the oxidant activities of neutrophils and myeloperoxidase.

Young leaves of Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae), Abelmoschus esculentus (Malvaceae), Hibiscus acetosella (Malvaceae) and Pteridium aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) are currently consumed as green vegetables by peoples in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Asia and their migrants living in Western Europe. Sub-Saharan peoples use Manihot, Abelmoschus and Hibiscus also in the folk medicine to alleviate fever and pain, in the treatment of conjunctivitis, rheumatism, hemorrhoid, abscesses, ..

Antioxidant and antiradical activities of Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae) leaves and other selected tropical green vegetables investigated on lipoperoxidation and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) activated monocytes.

Abelmoschus esculentus (Malvaceae), Hibiscus acetosella (Malvaceae), Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae) and Pteridium aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) leaves are currently consumed as vegetables by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Western Europe and by the people in the origin countries, where these plants are also used in the folk medicine. Manihot leaves are also eaten in Latin America and some Asian countries. This work investigated the capacity of aqueous extracts prepared from those vegetables to inhibit the peroxidation of a linoleic acid emulsion.

Antiplasmodial alkaloids from the stem bark of Strychnos malacoclados.

From the stem bark of Strychnos malacoclados, one new bisindole alkaloid, 3-hydroxylongicaudatine Y (1), was isolated along with the known alkaloids vomicine (2), bisnordihydrotoxiferine (3), divarine (4), longicaudatine (5), longicaudatine Y (6), and longicaudatine F (7). All the compounds were tested for their antimalarial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 and -resistant W2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Longicaudatine was the most active compound with IC₅₀ values of 0.

Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis and Passiflora alata) extracts on stimulated neutrophils and myeloperoxidase activity assays.

The antioxidant activity of methanol extracts from Passiflora edulis and Passiflora alata pulp, and P. edulis rinds, healthy or infected with the passion fruit woodiness virus (PWV), was investigated using the oxidant activities of the neutrophil and the neutrophil granule enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO), both playing key roles in inflammation. The reactive oxygen species produced by stimulated neutrophils were evaluated by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) and the activity of purified MPO was measured by SIEFED (Specific Immunological Extraction Followed by Enzymatic Detection), a technique for studying the direct interaction of a compound with the enzyme.

17-O-acetyl,10-hydroxycorynantheol, a selective antiplasmodial alkaloid isolated from Strychnos usambarensis leaves.

In the course of our investigations on Strychnos usambarensis leaves in order to isolate isostrychnopentamine, the main alkaloid responsible for the antiplasmodial activity of the plant, a new tertiary indolic alkaloid has been isolated: 17-O-acetyl,10-hydroxycorynantheol 1. Its structure was determined by means of spectroscopic and spectrometric methods such as UV, IR, CD, NMR, and ESI-MS. 17-O-acetyl,10-hydroxycorynantheol 1 is one of the most active monomeric indole alkaloids known to date showing an in vitro activity against Plasmodium falciparum close to 5 µM and a high selectivity.

Quality assessment of Polygonum cuspidatum and Polygonum multiflorum by 1H NMR metabolite fingerprinting and profiling analysis.

The quality assessment and control of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) nowadays receives a great deal of attention worldwide and particularly in Europe with its increasing local use. Polygonum cuspidatum Siebold & Zucc. and Polygonum multiflorum Thunb.

Isostrychnopentamine, an indolomonoterpenic alkaloid from Strychnos usambarensis, with potential anti-tumor activity against apoptosis-resistant cancer cells.

Isostrychnopentamine (ISP) is an indolomonoter-penic alkaloid that is present in the leaves of Strychnos usambarensis, an East African small tree. We have reported previously pro-apoptotic effects induced in vitro by ISP in the human HCT-116 colon cancer cell line, a model that displays relative sensitivity to apoptosis. In the present study, we observed that the in vitro growth inhibitory activities of ISP are similar in cancer cells that display sensitivity versus resistance to apoptosis.