Sesquiterpene Coumarin Ethers with Selective Cytotoxic Activities from the Roots of Ferula huber-morathii Pesmen (Apiaceae) and Unequivocal Determination of the Absolute Stereochemistry of Samarcandin.

Ancient physicians frequently used the resin of Ferula species to treat cancer. Today, some folkloric recipes used for cancer treatment also contain the resin of Ferula species. The dichloromethane extract of the roots of Ferula huber-morathii exhibited cytotoxic activities against COLO 205 (colon), K-562 (lymphoblast), and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cell lines (IC50 = 52 µg/mL, 72 µg/mL, and 20 µg/mL, respectively). Fifteen sesquiterpene coumarin ethers with cytotoxic activity were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of the roots of F. huber-morathii using bioactivity-directed isolation studies. Extensive spectroscopic analyses and chemical transformations have elucidated the structures of these sesquiterpene coumarin ethers as conferone (1), conferol (2), feselol (3), badrakemone (4), mogoltadone (5), farnesiferol A (6), farnesiferol A acetate (7), gummosin (8), ferukrin (9), ferukrin acetate (10), deacetylkellerin (11), kellerin (12), samarcandone (13), samarcandin (14), and samarcandin acetate (15). The absolute configuration of samarcandin (14) was unequivocally determined by the X-ray crystallographic analysis of the semi-synthetic (R)-MTPA ester of samarcandin (24). Conferol (2) and mogoltadone (5) were found to be the most potent cytotoxic compounds against all three cancer cell lines; furthermore, these compounds exhibit low cytotoxic activity against the non-cancerous human umbilical vein epithelial cells (HUVEC) cell line. Investigation of the biological activity mechanisms of mogoltadone (5) revealed that while suppressing the levels of Bcl-XL and procaspase-3 in the COLO 205 cancer cell line, it did not have a significant effect on the Bcl-XL, caspase-3, and ß-catenin protein levels of the HUVEC cell line, which may explain the cytotoxic selectivity of mogoltadone (5) on cancer cell lines.

Phytochemical analysis and molecular docking studies of two endemic varieties of Salvia sericeotomentosa.

The use of medicinal plants for treating various diseases dates back thousands of years and has been a part of many cultures around the world. Various parts of plants, including roots, leaves, and flowers, and their extracts have been used to develop remedies to cure different ailments like fever, pain, inflammation, infections, among others. In this research, the aerial parts of both Salvia varieties were extracted with ethanol and water to obtain infusion and decoction, separately. S. sericeotomentosa var. hatayica Celep & Dogan (SH) and Salvia sericeotomentosa Rech. f. var. sericeotomentosa (ST) plants were chemically analyzed for polar compounds using LC-HRMS for the first time. All SH and ST extracts were found to be very rich in rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, hispidulin-7-O-glucoside, and caffeic acid. The study also investigated the antiinflammatory and carbonic anhydrase inhibition properties of the most abundant secondary metabolites extracted from SH and ST. In silico studies were conducted for the first time to explore the effects of these metabolites on TNF-α, iNOS, and human carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes (hCAI and hCAII). Salvianolic acid B should be considered a strong antiinflammatory agent and a carbonic anhydrase I and II inhibitors due to low binding energy scores with the tested enzymes (TNF-α: -12.391 kcal/mol), (iNOS: -7.547 kcal/mol), (hCAI: -7.877 kcal/mol), and (hCAII: -4.312 kcal/mol).

Antibacterial Activities of Pyrenylated Coumarins from the Roots of Prangos hulusii.

The dichloromethane extract of the roots of Prangos hulusii, a recently described endemic species from Turkey, has yielded nine known and one new prenylated coumarins. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and direct comparison with the reference compounds where available. The root extract and its prenylated coumarins exhibit antimicrobial activity against nine standard and six clinically isolated strains at a concentration between 5 and 125 µg/mL. In particular, the new coumarin, 4'-senecioiloxyosthol (1), displayed 5 µg/mL MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) value against Bacillus subtilis ATCC 9372, murraol (4) and auraptenol (5) showed 63 µg/mL MIC value against Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 4352 and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 9372, and isoimperatorin (9) exhibited 16 µg/mL MIC value.

Possible effects of Phillyrea latifolia on weight loss in rats fed a high-energy diet.

Context Phillyrea latifolia L. (Oleaceae), commonly found in the Mediterranean region in Turkey, is used as medicinal teas for weight loss and hyperglycaemia in folk medicine. Objective The study investigated the possible effects of P. latifolia leaves aqueous extract's on weight loss and biochemical-histological changes in the rats fed a high-energy diet (HED), also isolated and determined the main phenolic compounds. Materials and methods Twenty-four male Wistar albino rats were divided into four equal groups such as the HED group fed a HED, the PLE group given only the extract of P. latifolia leaves (220 mg/kg), the HED + PLE group administrated with the extract of leaves (220 mg/kg) after being fed with HED and a control group fed with standard pellet diet. Results PLE administration caused a remarkable decrement of body weight in the HED + PLE group (p < 0.05). PLE showed an improved effect on structural integrity and decreased leukocyte infiltration in liver and small intestinal tissues. The blood glucose (117.3 mmol/L), leptin (5.6 ng/mL), total cholesterol (61.8 mg/dL) and LDL (9.3 mmol/L) levels were significantly increased in the HED group. PLE administration in the HED group decreased these levels. The levels of HDL (26.8 mmol/L) in the HED + PLE group were higher than both control and HED groups. Chemical composition was investigated and luteolin 7-O-glucoside and chlorogenic acid were determined for the first time in Turkish sample from the EtOAc extract of leaves. Discussion and conclusion Phillyrea latifolia leaves may have beneficial effects on obesity related cellular problems and may become a good source of antidiabetic medication.