Three new 3-benzylbenzofuran-2-one derivatives fromHomalium brachybotrys(Flacourtiaceae/Salicaceaes. l.)

Luteolin: A promising natural agent in management of pain in chronic conditions

Pain due to chronic conditions is a frequent and insufficiently addressed problem. Current drug options for pain management (either in cases of chronic inflammatory conditions or neuropathy) do not adequately treat pain. Moreover, they are associated with important adverse events in long term use. Luteolin is a flavonoid widely present in the plant kingdom and its sources have been assembled in a comprehensive list of this paper. Luteolin has shown in several research studies a range of pharmacological properties; anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, and analgesic. In this article, we summarize the effects and potential benefits from introducing luteolin as an adjuvant agent in established protocols for pain management. We review the most indicative in vivo and in vitro evidence of how luteolin can target the molecular pathways involved in pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain. The data reviewed strongly support luteolin's promising benefits in pain management and raise the need for further clinical trials that can establish its role in clinical practice.

Heliotropium ramosissimum metabolic profiling, in silico and in vitro evaluation with potent selective cytotoxicity against colorectal carcinoma

Heliotropium is a genus of the Boraginaceae family. Its members are used in many traditional and folklore medicines to treat several ailments. Despite this widespread usage, only a few evidence-based scientific studies investigated and identified its phytoconstituents. Herein, we documented the chemical profile of the Heliotropium ramosissimum methanolic extract using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS) and assessed its antioxidant and cytotoxic effects. The methanolic extract exhibited high phenolic content (179.74 ± 0.58 µg/mL) and high flavonoid content (53.18 ± 0.60 µg/mL). The GC–MS analysis of the lipoidal matter allowed us to identify 41 compounds with high percentages of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-methoxyethyl) ester (23.91%), and 6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one (18.74%). Thirty-two phytomolecules were tentatively identified from the methanolic extract of H. ramosissimum using LC–MS/MS. These compounds belonged to several phytochemical classes such as phenolic acids, alkaloids, coumarins, and flavonoids. Furthermore, we assessed the antioxidant activity of the methanolic extract by DPPH assay and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay, which yielded IC₅₀ values of 414.30 µg/mL and 170.03 ± 44.40 µM TE/equivalent, respectively. We also assessed the cytotoxicity of the methanolic extract on seven different cell lines; Colo-205, A-375, HeLa, HepG-2, H-460, and OEC showed that it selectively killed cancer cells with particularly potent cytotoxicity against Colo-205 without affecting normal cells. Further studies revealed that the extract induced apoptosis and/or necrosis on Colo-205 cell line at an IC₅₀ of 18.60 µg/mL. Finally, we conducted molecular docking on the LC–ESI–MS/MS-identified compounds against colon cancer antigen 10 to find potentially cytotoxic compounds. Binding score energy analysis showed that isochlorogenic acid and orientin had the highest affinity for the colon cancer antigen 10 protein, with binding scores of (− 13.2001) and (− 13.5655) kcal/mol, respectively. These findings suggest that Heliotropium ramosissimum contains potent therapeutic candidates for colorectal cancer treatment.