Chemical Constituents from the Flowers of Wild Gardenia jasminoides J.Ellis

Two novel oxetane containing lignans and a new megastigmane from Paronychia arabica and in silico analysis of them as prospective SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors

The chemical characterization of the extract of the aerial parts of Paronychia arabica afforded two oxetane containing lignans, paronychiarabicine A (1) and B (2), and one new megastigmane, paronychiarabicastigmane A (3), alongside a known lignan (4), eight known phenolic compounds (5–12), one known elemene sesquiterpene (13) and one steroid glycoside (14). The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were constructed based upon the HRMS, 1D, and 2D-NMR results. The absolute configurations were established via NOESY experiments as well as experimental and TDDFT-calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Utilizing molecular docking, the binding scores and modes of compounds 1–3 towards the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^pro), papain-like protease (PL^pro), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) were revealed. Compound 3 exhibited a promising docking score (−9.8 kcal mol⁻¹) against SARS-CoV-2 M^pro by forming seven hydrogen bonds inside the active site with the key amino acids. The reactome pathway enrichment analysis revealed a correlation between the inhibition of GSK3 and GSK3B genes (identified as the main targets of megastigmane treatment) and significant inhibition of SARS-CoV-1 viral replication in infected Vero E6 cells. Our results manifest a novel understanding of genes, proteins and corresponding pathways against SARS-CoV-2 infection and could facilitate the identification and characterization of novel therapeutic targets as treatments of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The hydromethanolic extract of Paronychia arabica aerial parts afforded two oxetane containing lignans, paronychiarabicine A (1) and B (2), and one new megastigmane, paronychiarabicastigmane A (3), alongside a known secondary metabolites (4–14).

Recovery of Crocins From Floral Tissue of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis

In this research, a novel source of phytopigment crocins from fully open mature flowers of cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides) is introduced. Methanol and deionized water were appropriate solvents for pigment recovery with maximum yields of at least 17% from the floral tissue. Pigment separation by thin layer chromatography also confirmed the presence of the carotenoids, which dissolved well in these high-strength polar solvents, in fruit, flower, and leaf materials. The spectral patterns of the extracts from ultraviolet and nuclear magnetic resonance showed maximum absorption at ~420 nm and the chemical shift values were similar to those of crocetin aglycones (crocins) in the methanol extracts of a commercial source of yellow gardenia (fructus or fruit of Gardenia florida). Chemical compositions were then evaluated using aqueous-phase capillary electrophoresis of the methanol extracts. The methanolic extracts of the flowers and fruit had 11 principal ingredients in common. Among these, crocetin and crocin 2 belong to the crocin group and are known to be the major components of commercial yellow Gardenia. This research not only demonstrates a sustainable means of raw material utilization for natural product recovery, but also encourages a movement toward an edible landscape for the community.

Gardenia jasminoides Ellis: Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological and industrial applications of an important traditional Chinese medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Gardenia jasminoides Ellis is a popular shrub in the Rubiaceae family. The desiccative ripe fruits of this plant (called Zhizi in China) are well known and frequently used not only as an excellent natural colourant, but also as an important traditional medicine for the treatment of different diseases, such as reducing fire except vexed, clearing away heat evil, and cooling blood and eliminating stasis to activate blood circulation. It has also been declared as the first batch of dual-purpose plants used for food and medical functions in China.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review aims to provide a critical and systematic summary of the traditional uses, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and industrial applications of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis and briefly proposes several suggestions for future application prospects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The related information on Gardenia jasminoides Ellis was obtained from internationally recognized scientific databases through the Internet (PubMed, CNKI, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Web of Science, Medline Plus, ACS, Elsevier and Flora of China) and libraries.

RESULTS

Approximately 162 chemical compounds have been isolated and identified from this herb. Among them, iridoid glycosides and yellow pigment are generally considered the main bioactive and characteristic ingredients. Various pharmacological properties, such as a beneficial effect on the nervous, cardiovascular and digestive systems, hepatoprotective activity, antidepressant activity, and anti-inflammatory activity, were also validated in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, geniposide and genipin are the most important iridoid compounds isolated from Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, and genipin is the aglycone of geniposide. As the predominant active ingredient with a distinct pharmacological activity, genipin is also an outstanding biological crosslinking agent. Gardenia yellow pigment has also been widely used as an excellent natural dye-stuff. Hence, Gardenia jasminoides Ellis has been applied to many other fields, including the food industry, textile industry and chemical industry, in addition to its predominant medicinal uses.

CONCLUSIONS

According to this review, Gardenia jasminoides Ellis is outstanding traditional medical plant used in medicine and food. Pharmacological investigations support the traditional use of this herb and may validate the folk medicinal use of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis to treat different diseases. Iridoid glycosides are potential medicines. Gardenia yellow pigment has been the most important source of a natural colourant for food, cloth and paint for thousands of years. This herb has made great contributions to human survival and development. Moreover, it has also achieved outstanding progress in human life and even in art. Although Gardenia jasminoides Ellis has extremely high and comprehensive utilization values, it is still far from being completely explored. Therefore, the comprehensive development of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis deserves further analysis.

Physicochemical and rheological characterization of pectin-rich polysaccharides from Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis flower

Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis) is regarded as an edible medicine plant in China. Here, gardenia flower polysaccharide fraction (GFPF) was extracted by water at 90°C and its chemical composition, rheological properties, and antioxidant activities of GFPF were investigated. The GFPF extraction yield was 18.04 ± 1.81% (W/W) and mainly comprised neutral sugars (46.83 ± 3.14%), uronic acid (35.21 ± 0.17%), protein (1.63 ± 0.34%), and total phenol (9.49 ± 0.08 mgGAE/g). Galacturonic acid (41.05 ± 0.59%) was the main monosaccharide, and galactose, glucose, arabinose, rhamnose, xylose, mannose, and glucuronic acid were also detected in GFPF. Its degree of esterification was 32.76 ± 1.52%. FT-IR spectra analysis showed a similar absorption pattern between GFPF and pectin from apple. The results suggested that GFPF was low methoxy pectin. Thermogravimetric analysis and zeta potential analysis indicated that the pectin was stable under high temperature and alkaline condition. Steady rheology showed that the GFPF dispersion was a shear thinned pseudoplastic fluid with high apparent viscosities at concentration above 2%. The degree of pseudoplasticity of the solutions increased with the concentrations increased and the temperatures decreased. DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assay indicated that GFPF had relatively high antioxidant activity. The results showed that gardenia flower was rich in pectin polysaccharides with low methoxy pectin. It had high apparent viscosities at concentration above 2% and had good antioxidant activity. The data suggested that GFPF can be a new resource of low methoxy pectin with potential application as thicker or gelling agents in food industry.

Iridoids: Research Advances in Their Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Pharmacokinetics

Iridoids are a class of active compounds that widely exist in the plant kingdom. In recent years, with advances in phytochemical research, many compounds with novel structure and outstanding activity have been identified. Iridoid compounds have been confirmed to mainly exist as the prototype and aglycone and Ι and II metabolites, by biological transformation. These metabolites have been shown to have neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic activities. This review summarizes the new structures and activities of iridoids identified locally and globally, and explains their pharmacokinetics from the aspects of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion according to the differences in their structures, thus providing a theoretical basis for further rational development and utilization of iridoids and their metabolites.

A Review on the Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics and Toxicology of Geniposide, a Natural Product

Iridoid glycosides are natural products occurring widely in many herbal plants. Geniposide (C17H24O10) is a well-known one, present in nearly 40 species belonging to various families, especially the Rubiaceae. Along with this herbal component, dozens of its natural derivatives have also been isolated and characterized by researchers. Furthermore, a large body of pharmacological evidence has proved the various biological activities of geniposide, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, cholagogic effects and so on. However, there have been some research articles on its toxicity in recent years. Therefore, this review paper aims to provide the researchers with a comprehensive profile of geniposide on its phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicology in order to highlight some present issues and future perspectives as well as to help us develop and utilize this iridoid glycoside more efficiently and safely.