New isosteroidal alkaloids with tracheal relaxant effect from the bulbs of Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk

Biochemometric-guided isolation of new Isosteroidal alkaloids from Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don (Liliaceae, syn. Fritillaria roylei Hook) as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Globally, Alzheimer's disease is an urgent public health concern with the ageing population in developing nations. Recent studies have identified isosteroidal alkaloids as promising therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's treatment. Fritillaria species are well-known rich sources of steroidal and isosteroidal alkaloids. In this context, the current study focuses on the biochemometric-guided isolation of three previously undescribed and two known isosteroidal alkaloids as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors from the bulbs of Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don. The isolated molecules were characterized by NMR, HR-ESI-MS, FT-IR, and DP4+ analysis. Subsequently, all isolates were evaluated for AChE inhibitory activity using Ellman's method. Among the evaluated molecules, 1 (IC50: 33.0 ± 4.4 μM) and 5 (IC50: 24.7 ± 4.5 μM) showed promising AChE inhibition in vitro. Enzyme kinetic studies of isolated molecules revealed mixed inhibition kinetics with Ki varying from 1.3 to 24.4 μM. Moreover, the in silico studies showed excellent binding affinities of isolated molecules with the target protein and good drug-like ADMET properties. The present study identified new isosteroidal alkaloids as promising AChE inhibitors from F. cirrhosa bulbs via a biochemometric approach and advocated their further exploration for treating neurodegenerative disorders.

Microbial Community of Wilted Fritillaria ussuriensis and Biocontrol Effects of Bacillus tequilensis and Trichoderma koningiopsis

The cultivation of Fritillaria ussuriensis faces challenges due to the prevalent Fritillaria wilt disease, hindering large-scale production. To address this, we aimed to understand the disease's characteristics and develop effective prevention measures. Microbial communities of diseased F. ussuriensis plants were analyzed, pathogenic and antagonistic strains were screened, and biocontrol feasibility was tested. We identified Botryotinia predominance in aboveground parts and variations in Mrakia, Humicola, llyonectria, and Fusarium in underground parts. The pathogens Fusarium oxysporum IFM-1 and Fusarium solani IFM-52 isolated from diseased F. ussuriensis not only caused severe Fritillaria wilt but were also pathogenic to Lilium lancifolium and Allium cepa var. aggregatum in Liliaceae. The antagonistic Bacillus tequilensis LFM-30 and Trichoderma koningiopsis IFM-47 isolated from diseased plants significantly alleviated plant wilt and showed promise in preventing wilt disease caused by Fusarium in Liliaceae plants. Our study highlights distinct microbial differences between healthy and diseased F. ussuriensis and underscores the pathogenicity of Fusarium. Using T. koningiopsis and B. tequilensis either singly or in combination could offer effective biocontrol against F. solani and F. oxysporum, benefiting F. ussuriensis and related Liliaceae plants.

Fascinating Furanosteroids and Their Pharmacological Profile

This review article delves into the realm of furanosteroids and related isoprenoid lipids derived from diverse terrestrial and marine sources, exploring their wide array of biological activities and potential pharmacological applications. Fungi, fungal endophytes, plants, and various marine organisms, including sponges, corals, molluscs, and other invertebrates, have proven to be abundant reservoirs of these compounds. The biological activities exhibited by furanosteroids and related lipids encompass anticancer, cytotoxic effects against various cancer cell lines, antiviral, and antifungal effects. Notably, the discovery of exceptional compounds such as nakiterpiosin, malabaricol, dysideasterols, and cortistatins has revealed their potent anti-tuberculosis, antibacterial, and anti-hepatitis C attributes. These compounds also exhibit activity in inhibiting protein kinase C, phospholipase A2, and eliciting cytotoxicity against cancer cells. This comprehensive study emphasizes the significance of furanosteroids and related lipids as valuable natural products with promising therapeutic potential. The remarkable biodiversity found in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems offers an extensive resource for unearthing novel biologically active compounds, paving the way for future drug development and advancements in biomedical research. This review presents a compilation of data obtained from various studies conducted by different authors who employed the PASS software 9.1 to evaluate the biological activity of natural furanosteroids and compounds closely related to them. The utilization of the PASS software in this context offers valuable advantages, such as screening large chemical libraries, identifying compounds for subsequent experimental investigations, and gaining insights into potential biological activities based on their structural features. Nevertheless, it is crucial to emphasize that experimental validation remains indispensable for confirming the predicted activities.

Antiplasmodial activity of the bulbs of Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don (Syn: Fritillaria roylei Hook.): UPLC-IM-Q-TOF-MS/MS-based biochemometric approach for the identification of marker compounds

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don (Syn: Fritillaria roylei Hook.) (Hindi name: Kshirakakoli) is a critically endangered Himalayan medicinal plant, well documented in Ayurveda for its therapeutic uses against various disorders such as jvara (fever), kasa (respiratory tract disease) etc. Its bulbs are also used as Szechuan-Pei-Mu for their antipyretic properties in the traditional Chinese medicine. However, despite its ethnomedicinal usage, the therapeutic use of F. cirrhosa bulbs for jvara (fever) related conditions such as malaria has remained unexplored. Hence in the context of increasing global concerns about drug-resistant malaria, it is important to investigate the antiplasmodial activity of F. cirrhosa bulbs for novel antimalarial agents.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To investigate the antiplasmodial effects of the extracts/fractions of F. cirrhosa bulbs by the biochemometric approach and to rationalize its ethnopharmacological usage for jvara (fever) related conditions such as malaria.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This study involves the UHPLC-MS-based plant material selection, preparation, quantification, and assessment of F. cirrhosa bulb extracts against CQ-sensitive Pf 3D7 & CQ-resistant Pf INDO strains. Further, UPLC-IM-Q-TOF-MS-based biochemometric approach has been applied for the identification of marker compounds responsible for the observed antiplasmodial effects. The identified marker compounds were also assessed for their in silico ADMET properties and binding efficacy with the drug transporter Pf CRT.

RESULTS

Different F. cirrhosa bulb extracts/fractions showed promising antiplasmodial activity with IC₅₀ values 2.71-19.77 μg/mL for CQ-resistant Pf INDO strain and 1.76-21.52 μg/mL for CQ-sensitive Pf 3D7 strain. UPLC-IM-Q-TOF-MS/MS-based biochemometric analysis revealed four marker compounds i.e., peimine (m/z 432.3448), peimisine (m/z 428.3504), puqiedinone (m/z 414.3379), and puqiedine (m/z 416.3509) responsible for the observed antiplasmodial activity. The identified marker compounds showed excellent binding efficacy with Pf CRT and suitable drug-like properties in silico.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated promising antiplasmodial activity of the chloroform and alkaloid enriched fractions of F. cirrhosa bulbs and further identified the four marker compounds responsible for the promising antiplasmodial activity. These marker compounds i.e., peimine, peimisine, puqiedinone and puqiedine were identified by the biochemometric analysis as the putative antiplasmodial constituents of the F. cirrhosa bulbs. Further, in silico studies indicated the good binding affinity of the marker compounds with Pf CRT along with suitable ADMET properties. Overall, the study elucidates the antiplasmodial activity of F. cirrhosa bulbs from the western Himalayan region and provides nascent scientific evidence for their ethnopharmacological usage in jvara (fever) related conditions such as malaria.

Unusual ring B-seco isosteroidal alkaloid, yibeiglycoalkaloids A-E from Fritillaria pallidiflora schrenk

Five previously undescribed steroidal glycoalkaloids(SGAs)and a rare ring B-seco isosteroidal alkaloid, were isolated from Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk, along with six known alkaloids. The structures of these alkaloids were established by comprehensive analyses of the 1D, 2D-NMR and HR-ESI-MS data. Configurations of sugar moieties were resolved by chemical derivations. The isolated compounds showed nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activities in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced RAW264.7 cells, and yibeinone exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects among them. This study revealed that the alkaloids from F. pallidiflora might have significant anti-inflammatory potentials.

Chemistry and bioactivities of natural steroidal alkaloids

Steroidal alkaloids possess the basic steroidal skeleton with a nitrogen atom in rings or side chains incorporated as an integral part of the molecule. They have demonstrated a wide range of biological activities, and some of them have even been developed as therapeutic drugs, such as abiraterone acetate (Zytiga®), a blockbuster drug, which has been used for the treatment of prostate cancer. Structurally diverse natural steroidal alkaloids present a wide spectrum of biological activities, which are attractive for natural product chemistry and medicinal chemistry communities. This review comprehensively covers the structural classification, isolation and various biological activities of 697 natural steroidal alkaloids discovered from 1926 to October 2021, with 363 references being cited.

A new alkaloid with cytotoxic activity from Fritillaria thunbergii Miq

A new alkaloid named zhebeisine (1), together with four known compounds, eduardine (2), zhebeirine (3), isoverticine (4), and verticine (5), was isolated from the bulbs of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. The structure of the new compound was elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods and the in vitro biological activities of it were evaluated as well. Compound 1 features a veratramine skeleton with a rare 6/6/5/6/6/6 fused-ring system, representing the first reported veratramine-type alkaloid with a new oxazinane ring (ring-F) in Fritillaria genus. The cytotoxic activities study revealed that compound 1 inhibited the cell proliferation of HT29 and DLD1 (IC₅₀ values of 25.1 and 48.8 µM, respectively) and also induced apoptosis of the above-mentioned two cancer cell lines.

Natural drug sources for respiratory diseases from Fritillaria: chemical and biological analyses

Fritillaria naturally grows in the temperate region of Northern Hemisphere and mainly distributes in Central Asia, Mediterranean region, and North America. The dried bulbs from a dozen species of this genus have been usually used as herbal medicine, named Beimu in China. Beimu had rich sources of phytochemicals and have extensively applied to respiratory diseases including coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Fritillaria species have alkaloids that act as the main active components that contribute multiple biological activities, including anti-tussive, expectorant, and anti-asthmatic effects, especially against certain respiratory diseases. Other compounds (terpenoids, steroidal saponins, and phenylpropanoids) have also been identified in species of Fritillaria. In this review, readers will discover a brief summary of traditional uses and a comprehensive description of the chemical profiles, biological properties, and analytical techniques used for quality control. In general, the detailed summary reveals 293 specialized metabolites that have been isolated and analyzed in Fritillaria species. This review may provide a scientific basis for the chemical ecology and metabolomics in which compound identification of certain species remains a limiting step.

Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. (Zhe Beimu): A review on its traditional uses, phytochemical profile and pharmacological properties

Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. (Zhe beimu) ranked as oldest known homeopathic traditional folk medicine in China. The bulbs are medicinally important curing cough, inflammation, gastric ulcers, hypertension, diarrhea, and bronchitis. The aim of this review is to enlighten the deeper knowledge about F. thunbergii giving a comprehensive overview on its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology for future investigation of plant-based drugs and therapeutic applications. Total 48 medicinally important species of Fritillaria were described; total 122 compounds have been identified as results only 72 chemical constituents were described with proper chemical and biological details. F. thunbergii and its bulbs mainly constitute alkaloids, essential oils, diterpenoids, carbohydrates, sterols, amino acids, nucleosides, fatty acids, and lignans. The pharmacological studies demonstrate that F. thunbergii and its bulbs displays a wide range of bioactivities e.g., anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antitussive, expectorant, anti-ulcer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-thyroid, regulation of blood rheology, anti-diarrhea, neuroprotection, and analgesic effects. Although promising reports on the various chemical bioactive constituents and biological properties of F. thunbergii have been published, very few reviews are related specifically to the traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological applications. Further, various other studies on these plants should deserve our more attention for future investigation for drug development and its therapeutic applications.

Steroidal alkaloids from the bulbs of Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk and their anti-inflammatory activity

Steroidal alkaloids (1-11), including one new 24-hydroxylated cevanine-type steroidal alkaloid, named yibeinone F (1), were isolated from the bulbs of Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk. Their structures were elucidated by analyses of extensive spectroscopic data and comparison of the NMR data with those reported previously, and the structures of compounds 1, 7 and 11 were further confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction analyses. The anti-inflammatory effects of all the isolated alkaloids were evaluated in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. Among them, compounds 9 (stenanzine) and 10 (hapepunine) showed significant inhibitory effects against LPS-induced NO production with IC₅₀ values of 8.04 μM and 20.85 μM, respectively. Furthermore, compound 9 effectively inhibited the release of cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE₂), and suppressed the protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Further experiments revealed the underlying mechanism that 9 blocked LPS-induced phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitor-α of nuclear transcription factor κB (IκBα) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in RAW264.7 cells. Taken together, compound 9 may be a valuable candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Diagnostic fragmentation-assisted mass spectral networking coupled with in silico dereplication for deep annotation of steroidal alkaloids in medicinal Fritillariae Bulbus

Fully understanding the chemicals in an herbal medicine remains a challenging task. Molecular networking (MN) allows to organize tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) data in complex samples by mass spectral similarity, which yet suffers from low coverage and accuracy of compound annotation due to the size limitation of available databases and differentiation obstacle of similar chemical scaffolds. In this work, an enhanced MN-based strategy named diagnostic fragmentation-assisted molecular networking coupled with in silico dereplication (DFMN-ISD) was introduced to overcome these obstacles: the rule-based fragmentation patterns provide insights into similar chemical scaffolds, the generated in silico candidates based on metabolic reactions expand the available natural product databases, and the in silico annotation method facilitates the further dereplication of candidates by computing their fragmentation trees. As a case, this approach was applied to globally profile the steroidal alkaloids in Fritillariae bulbus, a commonly used antitussive and expectorant herbal medicine. Consequently, a total of 325 steroidal alkaloids were discovered, including 106 cis-D/E-cevanines, 142 trans-D/E-cevanines, 29 jervines, 23 veratramines, and 25 verazines. And 10 of them were confirmed by available reference standards. Approximately 70% of the putative steroidal alkaloids have never been reported in previous publications, demonstrating the benefit of DFMN-ISD approach for the comprehensive characterization of chemicals in a complex plant organism.

Untargeted metabolomics coupled with chemometric analysis reveals species-specific steroidal alkaloids for the authentication of medicinal Fritillariae Bulbus and relevant products

Authentication of original species is embedded in the quality control system of herbal medicines. In this work, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics coupled with chemometric analysis was utilized for the precise authentication of the Fritillaria species for both raw materials and commercial products. First, a stepwise difference-enlarging chemometric analysis strategy was proposed to analyze eight medicinal Fritillaria species. Subsequently, 21 species-specific markers were discovered and the specificity was investigated under different sample preparation methods. Finally, the obtained species-specific markers were successfully utilized to identify the Fritillaria species in commercially relevant products. This work is the first to report robust and specific markers for authentication of Fritillaria products, showing promise for tracking the supply chain of herbal suppliers.

A comparative assessment of acute oral toxicity and traditional pharmacological activities between extracts of Fritillaria cirrhosae Bulbus and Fritillaria pallidiflora Bulbus

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Fritillariae Bulbus ("Beimu" in Chinese) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine used to treat cough, expectoration and asthma for more than 2000 years, which belongs to the Fritillaria genus in Liliaceae family. Bulbs of Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don (BFC) and bulbs of Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk (BFP) are two important drugs of Beimu. Due to the significant similarities in their outward appearance characters and chemical profiles, BFC has often been adulterated with BFP in Chinese Traditional Medicine markets.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aims to compare the oral acute toxicity and the traditional pharmacological activities including antitussive, expectorant and anti-inflammatory effects between the extract of BFC and BFP, to clear and definite if the BFP can be used as a substitute of the BFC in the application of traditional medicine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The extracts were prepared through refluxing with 80% ethanol solvent. For the acute toxicity tests, graded doses of BFP extracts and the maximum dose of BFC extracts were administered orally to mice. The animals were observed for toxic symptoms and mortality daily for 14 days. For the pharmacological activities tests, graded doses of BFP and BFC extracts were administered orally to mice. To observe the effects relieving cough, expelling phlegm and lessening the ear swelling of BFC extracts and BFP extracts through ammonia liquor inducing cough, phenol red apophlegmating in mice and the xylene-induced auricular swelling of mouse, respectively.

RESULTS

In the acute toxicity study, the LD₅₀ value of BFP in mice was calculated to be 213.57 g/kg body weight, and the maximum feasible dose (MFD) value of BFC in mice was 452.14 g/kg. Histopathological analysis has shown inflammatory cells infiltration and cells edema in liver, multinucleated giant cell proliferation in spleen, perivascular exudate and hemorrhage in lung, glomerulus atrophy in kidney of mice after oral administrations of BFP extracts. But only liver cells edema was observed in BFC group. Both BFC extract and BFP extract significantly increased latent period of cough and inhibited cough frequency in mice induced by ammonia. Besides, the two extracts also obviously enhanced mice's tracheal phenol red output in expectorant assessment and inhibited the development of ear edema in anti-inflammatory evaluation assay.

CONCLUSION

To summarize, the BFP has the significant similarities in morphological characteristics, chemical profiles and traditional pharmacological activities compared with the BFC. The result of this study provide some valid scientific support for using BFP as a plant substitute of the BFC, but considering the toxicity of BFP is much higher than BFC, we don't recommend long-term oral administration of BFP or exceeding recommended dosage of Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015.

Chemical composition database establishment and metabolite profiling analysis of Yangyin qingfei decoction

The chemical fingerprinting and metabolite profile in a rat plasma sample after intragastric administration of Yangyin qingfei decoction (YYQFD, 14 g/kg) were investigated. First, YYQFD was analyzed by UPLC/Q-TOF MS to establish the chemical composition database by comparing their retention behavior, accurate molecular mass and MS² data with those of references or known compounds in the literature. In this database, 100 chemical constituents with information on retention time, molecular mass, molecular formula, MS² data and compound name were identified, which can provide compound information for further metabolite profiling studies. Furthermore, 64 compounds including 37 prototypes and 27 metabolites were detected in the dosed rat plasma sample, and the metabolic pathways of YYQFD were hydrolyzation, hydroxylation, dehydrogenation, glucuronidation, glucosylation, sulfation and mixed modes. Among the five component herbs in the YYQFD, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome and Fritillariae Thunbergii bulbs were actively metabolized, contributing 16 and 7 metabolites, respectively. It is suggested that chemical characterization and metabolite profiling studies are valuable to elucidate the material basis of herbal preparations.

Natural Products Research in China From 2015 to 2016

This review covers the literature published by chemists from China during the 2015-2016 on natural products (NPs), with 1,985 citations referring to 6,944 new compounds isolated from marine or terrestrial microorganisms, plants, and animals. The emphasis is on 730 new compounds with a novel skeleton or/and significant bioactivity, together with their source organism and country of origin.

Isosteroidal alkaloids as potent dual-binding site inhibitors of both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase from the bulbs of Fritillaria walujewii

Five new isosteroidal alkaloids, walujewine A (1), walujewine B (4), walujewine C (5), walujewine D (6), walujewine E (10) were isolated from the bulbs of Fritillaria walujewii together with seven known isosteroidal alkaloids (2, 3, 7-9, 11, 12). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of IR, ESI-MS, HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All the isolates were tested for ChE inhibiting activity by the Ellman's method. Compounds 3-5 and 8-10 were potent dual AChE-BChE inhibitors, and compound 1 showed highly selective AChE inhibition. The structure-activity relationship of compounds 1-12 was discussed in details. And kinetic analysis showed that compounds 1, 3-5, and 8-10 were mixed-type reversible inhibitors of AChE, simultaneously binding to the catalytic and peripheral anionic sites, which was verified by in silico docking studies. The docking simulation also showed that active compound 3 and 8 created many interactions with the CAS and PAS gorges of BChE, revealing their mixed-type inhibition. ADMET analysis further confirmed the therapeutic potential of some isosteroidal alkaloids based on their high BBB-penetration.

Rapid Quantification and Quantitation of Alkaloids in Xinjiang Fritillaria by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

The Fritillaria genus, including different kinds of medicinal and edible plants belonging to the Liliaceae family which have the function of treating and relieving a cough and eliminating phlegm, is widely planted in Xinjiang (China). There are few comprehensive studies reporting on the characterization of the chemical constituents of Fritillaria from Xinjiang, and to date, no work describing the quantitative differences between the components in Fritillaria from Xinjiang and related species. The purpose of this study was to develop qualitative and quantitative analytical methods by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) for the rapid quantification and quantitation of alkaloids in wild and cultivated Xinjiang Fritillaria, which could be used in the quality control of medicine based on this natural herb. Using the UPLC-QTOF-MS method, the chemical constituents of Xinjiang Fritillaria were identified by fragmentation information and retention behavior, and were compared to reference standards. Furthermore, a quantitative comparision of four major alkaloids in wild and cultivated Xinjiang Fritillaria was conducted by determining the content of Sipeimine-3β-d-glucoside, Sipeimine, Peimisine, and Yibeinoside A, respectively. A total of 89 characteristic peaks, including more than 40 alkaloids, were identified in the chromatographic results of Fritillaria. Four main alkaloids were quantified by using a validated method based on UPLC-QTOF-MS. The relative contents of Sipeimine-3β-d-glucoside, Sipeimine, Peimisine, and Yibeinoside A varied from 0.0013%~0.1357%, 0.0066%~0.1218%, 0.0033%~0.0437%, and 0.0019%~0.1398%, respectively. A rough separation of wild and cultivated Fritillaria could be achieved by the cluster analysis method.