Metabolic profiles of neotuberostemonine and tuberostemonine in rats by high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Characteristic alkaloids from Stemona sessilifolia with lung protective effects

In the research on lung protective effects from the roots of Stemona sessilifolia, twenty-five Stemona alkaloids have been isolated, including four undescribed components (1, 3-5), a new natural product (2) and 20 known alkaloids (6-25). Their structures were analyzed by NMR spectra, high-resolution mass spectrum data, and other chemical methods. UPLC-QTOF/MS method was used to identify the Stemona alkaloids and summarize the fragmentation patterns of mass spectrometry. The lung-protective effects of these compounds were evaluated using MLE-12 cells induced by NNK and nm SiO2. The results showed that compounds 3, 5, 8, 10-11, 17-21 and 23 exhibited protective effects on NNK-induced cell injury. Compounds 2, 8-11, 14, 17-19 and 22 showed improvement in nm SiO2-induced lung epithelial cell injury. Compound 10 (tuberostemonine D), a representative alkaloid with a high content in Stemona sessilifolia, significantly protected C57BL/6 lung injury mice induced by nm SiO2, suggesting it a key component of Stemona alkaloids that play a protective role in lung injury. The results of in vivo activity showed that compound 10 could improve the lung injury of mice, reduce ROS content, and recover the levels of SOD and MDA in serum. Its protective effect on lung injury might be related to Nrf2 activation.

Tuberostemonine alleviates high-fat diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis by increasing energy consumption

Obesity is of public concern worldwide, and it increases the probability of developing a number of comorbid diseases, including NAFLD. Recent research on obesity drugs and health demands have shown the potential of natural plant extracts for preventing and treating obesity and their lack of toxicity and treatment-related side effects. We have demonstrated that tuberostemonine (TS), an alkaloid extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Stemona tuberosa Lour can inhibit intracellular fat deposition, reduce oxidative stress, increase cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and increase mitochondrial membrane potential. It effectively reduced weight gain and fat accumulation caused by a high-fat diet, and regulated liver function and blood lipid levels. Moreover, it regulate glucose metabolism and improved energy metabolism in mice. TS also decreased high-fat diet-induced obesity and improved lipid and glucose metabolism disorders in mice, with no significant side effects. In conclusion, TS was shown to be a safe alternative for obese patients and might be developed as an antiobesity and anti-nonalcoholic fatty liver drug.