Sustainable Syntheses of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen from Biorenewable β-pinene

A story of falsification and authentication: Authenticity control of phytopharmaceuticals and herbal remedies

Natural remedies and phytopharmaceuticals are gaining popularity among both consumers and patients who seek a healthier and more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Healthcare professionals are also increasingly incorporating phytopharmaceuticals into therapeutic practices, recognizing their potential benefits for overall health and well-being. This trend is further driven by a growing distrust of synthetic compounds and dissatisfaction with conventional medical treatments, prompting many patients to explore natural alternatives. As a result, the demand for phytopharmaceuticals, essential oils, and nutraceuticals continues to rise steadily. However, falsified natural remedies can pose serious risks to human health, making quality assurance a critical priority. Sophisticated and reliable analytical strategies are essential to ensure product authenticity and to protect consumers and patients from potentially harmful adulteration. This review provides an overview of documented cases of adulteration and the corresponding countermeasures developed to detect such incidents. Commonly used analytical techniques for authenticity verification of phytopharmaceuticals, essential oils, and other natural remedies are presented. The review discusses the application of spectroscopic methods, mass spectrometry, chromatographic separation techniques, and DNA-based profiling, with reference to current scientific literature. In addition, selected chemometric tools are introduced to illustrate how meaningful information can be extracted from complex analytical data. The potential of multidimensional data analysis, combining complementary insights from various analytical platforms, is also explored. Finally, key considerations for generating and analysing reliable data are highlighted.

Efficient Extraction, Chemical Characterization, and Bioactivity of Essential Oil From Pine Needles

INTRODUCTION

Pine needles are a rich source of bioactive compounds, and there are few reports on the extraction and identification of active substances in various types of pine needles.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study is to enhance the efficiency and yield of pine needle essential oil extraction by employing an innovative ultrasonic-assisted salt-out hydrodistillation technology. It also aims to establish a correlation between gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and electronic nose (E-nose) to distinguish essential oils from Cedrus deodara, Pinus thunbergii, Pinus massoniana, and Pinus koraiensis.

METHODS

Optimal extraction conditions will be determined through dynamic curve fitting and response surface analysis. Essential oils will be analyzed by E-nose and GC-MS coupled with chemometrics. Radical-scavenging effects on ·OH, DPPH·, ABTS+ radicals, and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus will be evaluated.

RESULTS

Optimal extraction conditions were 100 min of distillation, 7.762% sodium chloride, 9.596-mL/g liquid material ratio, and 170.155-W ultrasonic power. Essential oil yields were 0.144%, 0.214%, 0.425%, and 0.852% for C. deodara, P. thunbergii, P. massoniana, and P. koraiensis, respectively. GC-MS identified 74 volatile components. PLS-DA revealed nine key compounds, including α-Myrcene, α-Pinene, α-Phellandrene, Limonene, Caryophyllene, Bornyl acetate, β-Pinene, Germacrene D, and Camphene. PCA of E-nose and GC-MS data highlighted sample differences. All essential oils exhibited antioxidant and antibacterial activities, linked to α-pinene, β-Pinene, and Germacrene D.

CONCLUSION

This study introduces efficient methods for efficient extraction and characterization of pine needle essential oils, providing a foundation for bioactive applications and enhancing product quality and global innovation in the industry.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Phenyl-Substituted Naphthoic Acid Ethyl Ester Derivatives as Strigolactone Receptor Inhibitor

Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that regulate several key agronomic traits, including shoot branching, leaf senescence, and stress tolerance. The artificial regulation of SL biosynthesis and signaling has been considered as a potent strategy in regulating plant architecture and combatting the infection of parasitic weeds to help improve crop yield. DL1b is a previously reported SL receptor inhibitor molecule that significantly promotes shoot branching. Here, we synthesized 18 novel compounds based on the structure of DL1b. We performed rice tillering activity assay and selected a novel small molecule, C6, as a candidate SL receptor inhibitor. In vitro bioassays demonstrated that C6 possesses various regulatory functions as an SL inhibitor, including inhibiting germination of the root parasitic seeds Phelipanche aegyptiaca, delaying leaf senescence and promoting hypocotyl elongation of Arabidopsis. ITC analysis and molecular docking experiments further confirmed that C6 can interact with SL receptor proteins, thereby interfering with the binding of SL to its receptor. Therefore, C6 is considered a novel SL receptor inhibitor with potential applications in plant architecture control and prevention of root parasitic weed infestation.