Pharmacological activities of iridoids biosynthesized by route II

A Review of Ethnoveterinary Knowledge, Biological Activities and Secondary Metabolites of Medicinal Woody Plants Used for Managing Animal Health in South Africa

Globally, the use of ethnoveterinary medicine as remedies for animal health among different ethnic groups justify the need for a systematic exploration to enhance their potential. In addition, the increasing popularity and utilisation of woody plants remain common in traditional medicine, which may be attributed to their inherent benefits. The current review was aimed at analysing ethnoveterinary surveys, biological activities, and secondary metabolites/phytochemical profiles of the woody plants of South Africa. Eligible literature (period: 2000 to 2020) were retrieved from different databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Sabinet, and Science Direct. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 ethnoveterinary surveys were eligible and were subjected to further analysis. We identified 104 woody plant species from 44 plant families that are used in the treatment of different diseases in animals, particularly cattle (70%) and goats (20%). The most mentioned (with six citations) woody plants were Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC and Ziziphus mucronata Willd., which were followed by plants with five (Cussonia spicata Thunb., Pterocarpus angolensis DC and Vachellia karroo (Hayne) Banfi & Galasso) or four (Acokanthera oppositifolia (Lam.) Codd, Cassia abbreviata Oliv., and Strychnos henningsii Gilg) individual mentions. The most dominant families were Fabaceae (19%), Apocynaceae (5.8%), Rubiaceae (5.8%), Anacardiaceae (4.8%), Combretaceae (4.8%), Euphorbiaceae (4.8%), Malvaceae (4.8%), Rhamnaceae (4.8%), and Celastraceae (3.8%). Bark (33%), leaves (29%), and roots (19%) were the plant parts dominantly used to prepare remedies for ethnoveterinary medicine. An estimated 20% of woody plants have been screened for antimicrobial, anthelmintic, antioxidant, and cytotoxicity effects. Phytochemical profiles established a rich pool of valuable secondary metabolites (phenolic, flavonoids and condensed tannins) that may be responsible for the exerted biological activities. Overall, the significant portion of woody plants lacking empirical evidence on their biological effects indicates a major knowledge gap that requires more research efforts.

Phenolic and lipophilic metabolite adjustments in Olea europaea (olive) trees during drought stress and recovery

The frequency of combined stress events is increasing due to climate change and represents a new threat to olive (Olea europaea) culture. How olive plants modulate their profile of metabolites under multiple stressing agents remains to unveil, although several metabolites affect plants' resilience, and olive production and quality. Young olive plants were exposed to a water deficit (WD) for 30 days and then exposed to a shock of heat and high UVB-radiation (WD^HS+UVB treatment) for 2 days. Then, plants were re-watered and grown under optimal conditions (recovery) for 30 days. Leaves were collected after stress and recovery, analysed by liquid and gas chromatography, and the lipophilic and phenolic profiles were characterized. Except for the oleuropein derivatives, the qualitative metabolite profile was similar during stress and recovery. Metabolite increases or decreases in response to stress were stronger when WD was followed by WD^HS+UVB treatment. Phenolic compounds (luteolin-7-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, chrysoeriol-7-O-glucoside, kaempferol derivatives, oleuropein, and lucidumoside C) were the most involved after WD and WD^HS+UVB, possibly acting as reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers. Lipophilic compounds were more relevant during the recovery period. The catabolism of fatty acids and carbohydrates may provide the necessary energy for plant performance reestablishment, and sterols, long-chain alkanes, and terpenes metabolic pathways may be shifted for the production of compounds with a more important stress protection role. This work highlights for the first time that tolerance mechanisms activated by WD in olive plants are related to metabolite changes, that are adjusted when other stressors are overlapped (WD^HS+UVB), and also help the plants recover. This metabolites' plasticity represents an essential contribution to understanding how dry-farming olive orchards may deal with drought combined with high UV-B or heat.

Fructus Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis) phytochemistry, pharmacology of cardiovascular, and safety with the perspective of new drugs development

The phytochemistry, cardiovascular pharmacology, toxicology, side effect, and further development prospects of Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis (GJE) and its main constituents crocins and iridoid glycosides were studied. Numerous studies have confirmed that crocins and iridoid glycosides had effects of antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-ischemic brain injuries, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-hyperglycemia, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-hypertension, and so on. Some of them might be related to several attractive pharmacodynamic actions of GJE such as promoting endothelium growth, protecting neurons, and inducing their differentiation. Both of them make it possible for GJE to prevent and cure thromboembolism and cardiovascular diseases well. From our own basic pharmacological research of GJE extract on several rat models, it has been known that GJE extract markedly prolonged bleeding time and inhibited platelet aggregation and thrombosis. It has significant proliferation effect on both endothelial cells and endothelial progenitor cells as well. As the mechanisms of GJE on those diseases were discussed and summarized, questions about its genetoxicity and hepatotoxicity were also discussed during its safety study to make the foundation for long-term medication and clinical research in the near future.