Genus Salsola: Chemistry, Biological Activities and Future Prospective-A Review.

The genus Salsola L. (Russian thistle, Saltwort) includes halophyte plants and is considered one of the largest genera in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus involves annual semi-dwarf to dwarf shrubs and woody tree. The genus Salsola is frequently overlooked, and few people are aware of its significance. The majority of studies focus on pollen morphology and species identification. Salsola has had little research on its phytochemical makeup or biological effects. Therefore, we present this review to cover all aspects of genus Salsola, including taxonomy, distribution, differences in the chemical constituents and representative examples of isolated compounds produced by various species of genus Salsola and in relation to their several reported biological activities for use in folk medicine worldwide.

Mirabolides A and B; New Cytotoxic Glycerides from the Red Sea Sponge Theonella mirabilis.

As a part of our continuing work to find out bioactive lead molecules from marine invertebrates, the CHCl3 fraction of the organic extract of the Red Sea sponge Theonella mirabilis showed cytotoxic activity in our primary screen. Bioassay-guided purification of the active fractions of the sponge's extract resulted in the isolation of two new glycerides, mirabolides A and B (1 and 2), together with the reported 4-methylene sterols, conicasterol (3) and swinhosterol B (4). The structures of the compounds were assigned by interpretation of their 1D (¹H, (13)C), 2D (COSY, HSQC, HMBC, ROESY) NMR spectral data and high-resolution mass determinations. Compounds 1-4 displayed marked cytotoxic activity against human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) with IC50 values of 16.4, 5.18, 6.23 and 3.0 µg/mL, respectively, compared to 5.4 µg/mL observed by doxorubicin as reference drug.

Plicosepalin A, a new antioxidant catechin-gallic acid derivative of inositol from the mistletoe Plicosepalus curviflorus.

Phytochemical investigation of the semi-parasitic plant, Plicosepalus curviflorus (Loranthaceae) growing in Saudi Arabia resulted in the isolation of a new catechin-gallic acid derivative of inositol, plicosepalin A (1) [(+) catechin-4'-O-(1″-O-galloyl-5″-O-methyl)-myo-inositol], along with seven known compounds: methyl gallate (2), catechin (3), quercetin (4), gallic acid (5), lupeol (6), ß-sitosterol (7), and ursolic acid (8). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, including HRESIMS, ESIMS, 1H and 13C NMR, HSQC, and HMBC, as well as comparison with reported data. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of 1 were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the disc diffusion assay, respectively. Compound 1 exhibited potent free radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 9.0 ± 0.27 µM. Moreover, significant activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were recorded.

Dragmacidoside: a new nucleoside from the Red Sea sponge Dragmacidon coccinea.

Chemical investigation of the Red Sea sponge Dragmacidon coccinea led to the isolation of a new nucleoside, dragmacidoside (1), along with eight known compounds: adenosine (2), inosine (3), deoxycytidine (4), methyl-α-d-glucopyranoside (5), clionasterol (6), stigmasterol (7), campesterol (8) and brassicasterol (9). The compounds were isolated from chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of the methanolic extract of the sponge, and their structures were established based on various spectroscopic data including MS, 1D and 2D NMR (COSY, HSQC and HMBC). Biological testing revealed that the chloroform fraction possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema in rats.