Research Progress on the Chemical Constituents and Active Constituents of Cycas revolute Thunb / 中国药学杂志

Cycas revolute Thunb is a first class protected plant in China and has high medicinal value. As early as the Qing dynasty, it was recorded that Cycas was use to treat disease. Early research on Cycas mainly focused on classification, protection and breeding. In recent years, people began to study the main chemical constituents, chemical structure and pharmacological effects of Cycas, which laid a solid theoretical foundation for the further development and utilization of Cycas. At present, most of amentoflavone derivatives and hinokiflavone derivatives found in Cycas have the therapeutic effect on tumor. In addition to the antitumor activity, the extracts of Cycas also have antibacterial, antioxidant and immunological activities.

Effect of Annona muricata Leaves Extract on Colon Antioxidant Status and Ketone Bodies in Blood and Urine of Cycas-treated Rats

The effect of Annona muricatamethanol leaf extract (AMELE) on colon antioxidant status and ketone bodies in blood and urine of cycas treated rats was investigated. Seventy male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned into seven groups of ten experimental animals in a study that lasted for twenty-eight days. After 28 days, using standard methods, serum and urinary ketone bodies were assayed. Malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidants enzymes in the colon and histopathological analysis were assayed. The results showed ketogenic diet had significant (p<0.05) increase in serum and urinary ketone body levels compared to other groups on normal feed. Annona muricataextract enhanced cellular consumption and uptake of ketone bodies whereas cycas reduced cellular consumption of ketone bodies. Annona muricatagiven either with ketogenic diet or cycas or with both ketogenic diet and cycas led to higher tissue levels of antioxidant enzymes. Tissue MDA levels were significantly (p<0.05)increased in all cycas treated groups compared to the control group with the highest levels seen in the two groups placed on normal feed and cycas. Lactate dehydrogenase activities were significantly (p<0.05) increases in all the groups placed on ketogenic diet compared to the groups placed on normal feed. Histopathological analysis revealed normal rat colon tissues in all the groups except 43% of the group 2 animals. This therefore indicates that cycas-induced oxidative stress and tissue injury may be mitigated by the combined administration of Annona muricataextract and ketogenic diet.

Effects of total flavonoids from Cycas Revolute on expression of VEGF,bFGF,HIF-1α and NF-κB in model mice of Lewis lung cancer / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effects of total flavonoids from Cycas Revolute on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF),basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF),Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) in model mice of Lewis lung cancer.Methods: The expressions of VEGF,bFGF,HIF-1α and NF-κB in tumor tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.The expression of VEGF,VEGF and NF-κB in tumor tissues were detected by fluorescent quantitative PCR.BFGF,HIF-1α and NF-κB mRNA were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results: The results of immunohis-tochemistry,Western blot and Real-time PCR showed that the results were basically the same,compared with model group,the expression of VEGF,bFGF,HIF-1α,NF-κB mRNA and the expression of VEGF,bFGF,HIF-1α and NF-κB were decreased,the difference was highly significant (P<0.05).Conclusion: The mechanism of total flavonoids from Cycas Revolute in the treatment of lung cancer may be through inhibition of the expression of VEGF,bFGF,HIF-1α,NF-κB in invasion and metastasis,and further inhibit the expression of VEGF,bFGF,HIF-1α and NF-κB in invasion and metastasis-related proteins,thus play a role of anti-lung cancer invasion and metastasis.

Chemical constituents of Cycas aenigma.

Chemical investigation of Cycas aenigma, a plant endemic to the Philippines, led to the isolation of a rare neolignan, 2-[2-hydroxy-5-(3-hydroxypropyl)-3-methoxyphenyl]-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-diol (1), pinoresinol (2), and fatty alcohols (3) from the leaflets; and triglycerols (4), and a mixture of β-sitosterol (5a) and stigmasterol (5b) from the petiole and rachis. The structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, while those of 2-5b were identified by comparison of their 1H and/or 13C NMR data with literature data.

Chemical Constituents of Cycas sancti-lasallei.

Chemical investigation of the dichloromethane extracts of Cycas sancti-lasallei, a plant endemic to the Philippines, led to the isolation of squalene (1), β-sitosterol (2a), stigmasterol (2b), and triglycerides (3) from the sarcotesta; 2a, 2b, 3,and phytyl fatty acid esters (4) from the endotesta; 2a, 2b, 3,and β-sitosteryl fatty acid esters (5) from the sclerotesta; and 3 and 5 from the bark. The structures of 1-5 were identified by comparison of their 1H NMR and/or 13C NMR data with those reported in the literature.

Notes on insect diversity of Indian Cycas species.

The question of an analogue evolution of plant - insect interaction in gymnosperms has remained unanswered until recently, in spite of indications of insect pollination in the extant cycad genera. Earlier observations on insect pollination have now been verified by convincing experiments with several cycads in which anemophilous pollination was excluded. Insects have long been known to visit cycad cones and now it is established that in rest of the cycad species where both male and female reproductive organs are organized in compact cones, these insects help in the pollination. But Cycas is the only genus where female megasporophylls do not form a cone and its pollination mechanism has not been fully comprehended. The present investigation was carried out in the natural habitats of Cycasspecies from the Western Ghats, India. Five coleopteran insects were found abundantly in the male cones of Cycas and our observations on the role of these insects led us to believe that Cycas among cycads which appear to be true remnants of pteridospermous line have somehow has also maintained mutualism with the primitive plant chewing insects like coleopterans couldbe the results of an ancient co-evolution.