Structural characterization of prenylated compounds from Broussonetia kazinoki and their antiosteoclastogenic activity

Medicinal Potential of Broussonetia papyrifera: Chemical Composition and Biological Activity Analysis

Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'Hér. ex Vent., a dioecious tree species that belongs to the Moraceae family, is a perennial plant found extensively throughout China. Its leaves are rich in essential trace elements such as copper, molybdenum, manganese, and iron, as well as various biologically active compounds, including amino acids, polysaccharides, proteins, as well as flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, and other polyphenolic compounds. These compounds exhibit significant pharmacological effects, such as antioxidant, lipid-lowering, heat-clearing, detoxifying, blood-cooling, diuretic, and immunomodulatory activities. In recent years, B. papyrifera has gained attention for its medicinal potential; however, breeding efforts, especially those aimed at increasing the flavonoid content, have lagged. This study reviews the progress in research on the active medicinal ingredients of B. papyrifera, with a focus on identification methods, classification criteria, and enrichment technologies for its medicinal components. The biosynthesis of structural genes and transcription factors in flavonoids has been investigated in B. papyrifera. The pharmacological effects of the secondary metabolites of B. papyrifera were systematically examined, aiming to offer strategies for enhancing the flavonoid content and promoting its medicinal value.

Sucrosephenylpropanoid esters and isoflavonoids isolated from Belamcanda chinensis roots and their potential anti-osteoclastogenic activity

Repeated chromatography of the CH2Cl2 and EtOAc soluble fractions from the methanol extract of Belamcanda chinensis root yielded six new sucrosephenylpropanoid esters (1-6) and twenty-one known compounds (7-27). The structures of 1-6 were elucidated using diverse nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) data analysis, together with chemical methods. All the twenty-seven isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-osteoclastogenic activities. Preliminary screening results revealed that compounds 1 and 19 exhibited strong effects against RANKL-induced osteoclast formation in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the treatment of mouse bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) with compounds 1 and 19 significantly decreased RANKL-induced TRAP-positive multinucleated osteoclast formation in a concentration-dependent manner without affecting cell viability. Further bioassay investigation showed that compounds 1 and 19 inhibited the expression of some osteoclast-specific marker genes and the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) in response to RANKL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation of anti-osteoclastogenic activity for compounds isolated from B. chinensis.

Phytochemistry and pharmacology of natural prenylated flavonoids

Prenylated flavonoids are a special kind of flavonoid derivative possessing one or more prenyl groups in the parent nucleus of the flavonoid. The presence of the prenyl side chain enriched the structural diversity of flavonoids and increased their bioactivity and bioavailability. Prenylated flavonoids show a wide range of biological activities, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, cardioprotective effects, and anti-osteoclastogenic activities. In recent years, many compounds with significant activity have been discovered with the continuous excavation of the medicinal value of prenylated flavonoids, and have attracted the extensive attention of pharmacologists. This review summarizes recent progress on research into natural active prenylated flavonoids to promote new discoveries of their medicinal value.

Structures and antiosteoclastogenic activity of compounds isolated from edible lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) leaves and stems

One new 1,4-bis-phenyl-1,4-butanedione glycoside (14), one new eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoid (16), and 16 known compounds were isolated from the leaves and stems of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by interpretation of their 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic and HRESIMS data. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations and Electronic Circular Dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy was used to determine absolute configurations of the new eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoid (16). All the isolated compounds were examined for their antiosteoclastogenic activity. Preliminarily results of the TRAP staining on RAW 264.7 cells indicated that compounds 1 and 11 possess potential inhibitory effects on RANKL-induced osteoclast formation. Further bioassay investigation was carried out to reveal that compounds 1 and 11 suppressed RANKL-induced osteoclast formation in a concentration-dependent manner with the inhibition up to 55% and 78% at the concentration of 10 μM, respectively. In addition, the structure-activity relationship analysis showed that the 1,3-dioxole substitute and the double bond at C-6a/C-7 in the aporphine skeleton may be responsible for the antiosteoclastogenic activity. The findings provided valuable insights for the discovery and structural modification of aporphine alkaloids as the antiosteoclastogenic lead compounds.

The Genus Broussonetia: An Updated Review of Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Applications

The Broussonetia genus (Moraceae), recognized for its value in many Chinese traditional herbs, mainly includes Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér. ex Vent. (BP), Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold (BK), and Broussonetia luzonica (Blanco) Bureau (BL). Hitherto, researchers have found 338 compounds isolated from BP, BK, and BL, which included flavonoids, polyphenols, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, and others. Moreover, its active compounds and extracts have exhibited a variety of pharmacological effects such as antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, and its use against skin wrinkles. In this review, the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Broussonetia are updated systematically, after its applications are first summarized. In addition, this review also discusses the limitations of investigations and the potential direction of Broussonetia. This review can help to further understand the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and other applications of Broussonetia, which paves the way for future research.

Microbial Transformation and Biological Activities of the Prenylated Aromatic Compounds from Broussonetia kazinoki

Broussonetia kazinoki has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of burns and acne, and its extracts have been found to show tyrosinase inhibitory and anticancer activities. In this study, the tyrosinase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities of B. kazinoki were explored, leading to the isolation of kazinol C (1), kazinol E (2), kazinol F (3), broussonol N (4), and kazinol X (5), of which the compounds 4 and 5 have not been previously reported. Microbial transformation has been recognized as an efficient tool to generate more active metabolites. Microbial transformation of the major compounds 1 and 3 was conducted with Mucor hiemalis, where four glucosylated metabolites (6-9) were produced from 1, while one hydroxylated (10) and one glucosylated (11) metabolites were obtained from 3. Structures of the isolated metabolites were determined by extensive spectroscopic analyses. All compounds were evaluated for their tyrosinase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities. Compound 3 and its metabolites, kazinol Y (10) and kazinol F-4″-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (11), exhibited the most potent tyrosinase inhibitory activities with the IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.71 to 3.36 µM. Meanwhile, none of the metabolites, except for kazinol C-2',3″-di-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (7), showed moderate cytotoxic activities (IC₅₀ 17.80 to 24.22 µM) against A375P, B16F10 and B16F1 cell lines.