Anthelmintic and antimycobacterial activity of fractions and compounds isolated from Cissampelos mucronata

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cissampelos mucronata A. Rich., a perennial climber belonging to the family Menispermaceae, has been used traditionally to treat parasites and tuberculosis-related symptoms. Co-infection of helminth parasites and tuberculosis-causing pathogens heightens the risk of developing active tuberculosis.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim was to isolate and characterize antimycobacterial compounds from Cissampelos mucronata and to investigate their antibiofilm and anthelmintic efficacy as well as cytotoxicity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The acetone extract of C. mucronata leaves and stems was fractionated by vacuum liquid chromatography using hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol:chloroform (3:7). Separation of the active ethyl acetate fraction by column and preparative thin layer chromatography led to the isolation and identification of five compounds using NMR and LC-MS, as well as GC-MS for non-polar compounds. The anthelmintic, antimycobacterial, antibiofilm, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well as cytotoxicity of the fractions and compounds were determined.

RESULTS

The ethyl acetate fraction had the best antimycobacterial activity (MIC = 0.015-0.08 mg/ml). The fractions were relatively non-toxic to Vero cells (0.03-0.79 mg/ml) and had good anti-inflammatory and antibiofilm effects. Five compounds were identified as stigmasterol, hentriacontane, simiarenol, nonacosene and carbonic acid. Nonacosene had moderate anthelmintic effects but poor antimycobacterial activity (MIC = 0.375 mg/ml). Nonacosene and hentriacontane had good biofilm inhibitory effect (90-100%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals that C. mucronata is a potential source of promising compounds with a range of useful bioactivities that support its use in traditional medicine. Development of plant-based remedies may assist in reducing the impact of co-infections with helminth parasites and tuberculosis-causing mycobacteria.

New e:b-Friedo-Hopane Type Triterpenoids from Euphorbia peplus with Simiarendiol Possessing Significant Cytostatic Activity against HeLa Cells by Induction of Apoptosis and S/G2 Cell Cycle Arrest

Seven rare e:b-friedo-hopane-type triterpenoids including four new (1–4) and three known (5–7) ones with 5 being first reported as a natural product, together with five other known triterpenoids (8–12), were isolated from the nonpolar fractions of the ethanolic extract of Euphorbia peplus. Structural assignments for these compounds were based on spectroscopic analyses and quantum chemical computation method. The structural variations for the C-21 isopropyl group, including dehydrogenation (1 and 3) and hydroxylation at C-22 (simiarendiol, 2), were the first cases among e:b-friedo-hopane-type triterpenoids. Simiarendiol (2) bearing a 22-OH showed significant cytostatic activity against HeLa and A549 human tumor cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 3.93 ± 0.10 and 7.90 ± 0.31 μM, respectively. The DAPI staining and flow cytometric analysis revealed that simiarendiol (2) effectively induced cell apoptosis and arrested cell cycle at the S/G2 phases in a dose-dependent manner in HeLa cells.

Batatasenol, a Major Triterpenol from Sweet Potato Skins

Sweet potatoes (the tuber of Ipomoea batatas) are a major food crop globally. The sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius elegantulus) is a serious pest of this important crop. The triterpenol, boehmerol, has previously been found in the skin of the tuber where, as its acetate ester, it has been shown to signal oviposition by the weevil. A new triterpenol, batatasenol, was identified in two varieties of sweet potatoes, 'Covington' and 'Purple Stokes'. In the 'Covington' variety, batatasenol was practically the only triterpenol present in the skins. In the 'Purple Stokes' variety, batatasenol was present along with boehmerol and several minor triterpenols. Based on the structures of the co-occurring compounds, it is proposed that their biosynthesis involves an epoxysqualene cyclase which can carry out both all-chair and B-boat cyclizations.

Biological and phytochemical studies on Capparis decidua (Forssk) Edgew from Cholistan desert

The present work deals with the biological and phytochemical studies on Capparis decidua (Forssk) Edgew from Cholistan desert of Pakistan. Aerial and floral parts of C. decidua were collected and dried under shade. Powdered materials of each part of C. decidua were extracted with methanol separately, followed by phytochemical studies. Hexane fraction of aerial parts of the C. decidua obtained after solvent-solvent extraction was purified through repeated column chromatography by increasing order of polarity. Four compounds were purified and identified as simiarenol (1), lupeol (2), taraxerol (3) and β-sitosterol (4). Simiarenol and lupeol were isolated for the first time from genus Capparis. The structures of these compounds were established by comparing the spectroscopic data (¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR, UV & Mass spectrometry) reported in literature. The structure of 1 was further confirmed by XRD analysis. Anti-bacterial activities of crude methanolic extracts were determined against 13 bacterial strains (MIC 250-1000 μg/mL). α-Glucosidase and urease inhibitory activities of pure compounds were also determined. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 showed α-glucosidase inhibition with IC₅₀ at 96.12 ± 0.12, 65.28 ± 0.13 and 128.14 ± 0.17 μM, respectively.

Phytochemical profile of Euphorbia peplus L. collected in Central Italy and NMR semi-quantitative analysis of the diterpenoid fraction

In this work, the phytochemical profile of the ethanolic extract of Euphorbia peplus L. collected in Central Italy, was reported. This specimen had never been studied before and the analysis was accomplished by means of Column Chromatography for the separation procedure and by means of NMR Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry for the identification step. In particular, fourteen compounds were evidenced belonging to five different classes of natural compounds i.e. triterpenoids (pentacyclic and saponin), peculiar diterpenoids (jatrophanes and pepluanes), flavonoids (flavonols), caffeoyl-quinic acids and rare disaccharides. In addition to this, a semi-quantitative analysis on the diterpenoid fraction, by means of NMR Spectroscopy, was also performed in order to provide the real quantities of these compounds in the same fraction and in the total extract. Due to the pronounced chemo variability observed in Euphorbia spp., the availability of a reliable and quick analytical technique, such as that reported in the present study, could be a useful tool in the standardization of plant materials to be used in pharmacological studies or for ethnomedicinal purposes. The technical details for both the general phytochemical analysis and the specific quantitative one, were inserted in this paper. Moreover, the chemotaxonomic and ethnopharmacological relevance of these compounds was also discussed.

Biologically-guided isolation of leishmanicidal secondary metabolites from Euphorbia peplus L

Leishmaniasis is a worldwide health problem, highly endemic in developing countries. Moreover, the severe side effects and the reported drug resistance make it an urgent need to search for effective drugs that can replace or supplement those currently used. In a research program designed to investigate the antileishmanial activity of plants collected from the Egyptian flora, twenty extracts from fifteen plants growing in Egypt have been investigated for in vitro leishmanicidal activity against Leishmania donovani promastigotes. Among the tested extracts, the methanol extract of Euphorbia peplus aerial parts exhibited a significant antileishmanial activity as it produced 100% inhibition of growth with activity similar to amphotericin B. The total extract was subjected to liquid-liquid fractionation using solvents of different polarities, followed by testing the antileishmanial activity of the successive fractions. Phytochemical exploration of the active n-hexane fraction (which produced 75% inhibition of growth) led to isolation of four compounds: simiarenol (1), 1-hexacosanol (2), β-sitosterol (3), and β-sitosterol-3-O-glucoside (4) from the biologically active sub-fractions. Structure elucidation was aided by 1D and 2D NMR techniques. In conclusion, E. peplus plant has many non-polar secondary metabolites that can be used as drug leads for treatment of leishmaniasis.

On the origins of triterpenoid skeletal diversity

The triterpenoids are a large group of natural products derived from C(30) precursors. Nearly 200 different triterpene skeletons are known from natural sources or enzymatic reactions that are structurally consistent with being cyclization products of squalene, oxidosqualene, or bis-oxidosqualene. This review categorizes each of these structures and provides mechanisms for their formation.