In silico discovery of acylated flavonol monorhamnosides from Eriobotrya japonica as natural, small-molecular weight inhibitors of XIAP BIR3.

Targeting the baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis proteins repeat (BIR) 3 of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (XIAP) represents an innovative strategy for the design of chemosensitizers. Acylated flavonol monorhamnosides (AFMR) from Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. (Rosaceae) were virtually predicted as ligands of the XIAP BIR3 domain by using a previously generated pharmacophore model.

Neoandrographolide from Andrographis paniculata as a potential natural chemosensitizer.

Extracts of the traditional medicinal herb Andrographis paniculata and its main constituents are described in the literature as showing anticancer activity. The aim of this study was to isolate the main constituents of a commercially available phytotherapeutic preparation of A. paniculata and to determine their chemosensitizing potential in a leukemia cell line.

11beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 inhibiting constituents from Eriobotrya japonica revealed by bioactivity-guided isolation and computational approaches.

The inhibition of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11beta-HSD1), which catalyzes the conversion of inactive 11-ketoglucocorticoids to active 11beta-hydroxyglucocorticoids, emerged as promising strategy to treat symptoms of the metabolic syndrome, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. In this study the leaves of the anti-diabetic medicinal plant loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) were phytochemically investigated following hints from a pharmacophore-based virtual screening and a bioactivity-guided approach. Determination of the 11beta-HSD1 and 11beta-HSD2 inhibitory activities in cell lysates revealed triterpenes from the ursane type as selective, low micro-molar inhibitors of 11beta-HSD1, that is, corosolic acid (1), 3-epicorosolic acid methyl ester (4), 2-alpha hydroxy-3-oxo urs-12-en-28-oic acid (6), tormentic acid methyl ester (8), and ursolic acid (9).