Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. J Nat Prod. 2024 Aug 23;87(8):1914-1920. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c00304. Epub 2024 Jul 22. Identification of Granatane Alkaloids from Duboisia myoporoides (Solanaceae) using Molecular Networking and Semisynthesis. Dutertre Q(1)(2), Guy PA(1), Sutour S(3), Peitsch MC(1), Ivanov NV(1), Glauser G(3), von Reuss S(2)(3). Author information: (1)Philip Morris Product SA, Quai Jeanrenaud 3, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland. (2)Laboratory of Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland. (3)Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry (NPAC), University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland. The Solanaceae plant family contains at least 98 genera and over 2700 species. The Duboisia genus stands out for its ability to produce pyridine and tropane alkaloids, which are relatively poorly characterized at the phytochemical level. In this study, we analyzed dried leaves of Duboisia spp. using supercritical CO2 extraction and ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry, followed by feature-based molecular networking. Thirty-one known tropane alkaloids were putatively annotated, and the identity of six (atropine, scopolamine, anisodamine, aposcopolamine, apoatropine, and noratropine) were identified using reference standards. Two new granatane alkaloids connected in the molecular network were highlighted from Duboisia myoporoides, and their α-granatane tropate and α-granatane isovalerate structures were unambiguously established by semisynthesis. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c00304 PMCID: PMC11348422 PMID: 39038492 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing financial interest. 2. Pharm Biol. 2020 Dec;58(1):932-943. doi: 10.1080/13880209.2020.1817103. Integrated meta-analysis, network pharmacology, and molecular docking to investigate the efficacy and potential pharmacological mechanism of Kai-Xin-San on Alzheimer's disease. Yi P(1), Zhang Z(1)(2), Huang S(1), Huang J(3), Peng W(1), Yang J(4)(5). Author information: (1)Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China. (2)Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China. (3)Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China. (4)Teaching and Research Section of Clinical Nursing, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China. (5)Xiangya Nursing School, Central South University, Changsha, China. CONTEXT: Kai-Xin-San (KXS) has been used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) for thousands of years. However, no quantitative data regarding AD treatment using KXS are available. Moreover, its active compounds and mechanism of action for the treatment of AD remain largely unclear. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and the potential pharmacological mechanisms of KXS in AD treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic collection of KXS experiments was conducted from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang Data up to February, 2020. Review Manager 5 software was used for meta-analysis. In network pharmacology, components of KXS were screened, AD-related genes were then identified and the 'component-target-pathway' network constructed. Molecular docking was finally employed for in silico simulation matching between representative KXS compounds and their target genes. RESULTS: Meta-analysis revealed that KXS improves the cognitive benefits in AD models by reducing the time of escape latency (SMD = -16.84) as well as increasing the number of cross-platform (SMD = 2.56) and proportion of time in the target quadrant (SMD = 7.52). Network pharmacology identified 25 KXS active compounds and 44 genes targets. DRD2, MAOA, ACHE, ADRA2A and CHRM2 were core target proteins. Besides, 22 potential pathways of KXS were identified, like cholinergic synapses, the cGMP/PKG pathway and calcium signalling. Molecular docking showed that stigmasterol, aposcopolamine and inermin can closely bind three targets (ACHE, ADRA2A and CHRM2). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that KXS exerts effect on AD through multi-target, multi-component and multi-pathway mechanism. Future studies may explore the active components of KXS. DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2020.1817103 PMCID: PMC7534219 PMID: 32956608 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). 3. Drug Test Anal. 2018 Oct;10(10):1579-1589. doi: 10.1002/dta.2416. Epub 2018 Jun 29. Screening of drugs and homeopathic products from Atropa belladonna seed extracts: Tropane alkaloids determination and untargeted analysis. Marín-Sáez J(1), Romero-González R(1), Garrido Frenich A(1), Egea-González FJ(1). Author information: (1)Department of Chemistry and Physics, Analytical Chemistry Area, University of Almería, Research Centre for Agricultural and Food Biotechnology (BITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, Almería, Spain. Homeopathic products are still a controversial issue in modern medicine, understood as complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). In this particular case, homeopathic products prepared from Atropa belladonna extracts may present specific problems due to the effects derived from its components. This article applies a simple, rapid, reliable method to the analysis of different homeopathic products obtained from Atropa belladonna; drugs containing high concentration of plant extracts; and Atropa belladonna seeds. The method was based on a simple solid-phase preconcentration method followed by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry using Exactive-Orbitrap as an analyser. An in-house database was set and atropine and scopolamine were the compounds detected at highest concentrations in homeopathic products from Atropa belladonna extracts (4.57 and 2.56 μg/kg, respectively), in Belladonna ointment (4007 and 1139 μg/kg, respectively) and Belladonna seeds (338 and 32.1 mg/kg, respectively). Other tropane alkaloids such as tropine, apoatropine, aposcopolamine, tropinone, homatropine, and anisodamine were detected at lower concentrations (0.04-1.36 μg/kg). When untargeted analysis was performed, other tropane alkaloids were identified in the tested samples, such as ecgonine (0.003 μg/kg), benzoylecgonine (0.56 μg/kg), calystegines A (19.6 μg/kg), B (33.1 μg/kg), and C (1.01 μg/kg). Finally other compounds present in the homeopathic products, such as sugars (fructose, glucose, and lactose) or amino acids (valine, ornithine, leucine, and phenylalanine), were identified. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/dta.2416 PMID: 29808589 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 4. J Chromatogr A. 2017 Oct 6;1518:46-58. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2017.08.052. Epub 2017 Aug 25. Multi-analysis determination of tropane alkaloids in cereals and solanaceaes seeds by liquid chromatography coupled to single stage Exactive-Orbitrap. Marín-Sáez J(1), Romero-González R(1), Garrido Frenich A(2). Author information: (1)Department of Chemistry and Physics, Analytical Chemistry Area, University of Almería Research Centre for Agricultural Food Biotechnology (BITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, E-04120 Almería, Spain. (2)Department of Chemistry and Physics, Analytical Chemistry Area, University of Almería Research Centre for Agricultural Food Biotechnology (BITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, E-04120 Almería, Spain. Electronic address: agarrido@ual.es. Tropane alkaloids are a wide group of substances that comprises more than 200 compounds occurring especially in the Solanaceae family. The main aim of this study is the development of a method for the analysis of the principal tropane alkaloids as atropine, scopolamine, anisodamine, tropane, tropine, littorine, homatropine, apoatropine, aposcopolamine, scopoline, tropinone, physoperuvine, pseudotropine and cuscohygrine in cereals and related matrices. For that, a simple solid-liquid extraction was optimized and a liquid chromatographic method coupled to a single stage Exactive-Orbitrap was developed. The method was validated obtaining recoveries in the range of 60-109% (except for some compounds in soy), precision values (expressed as relative standard deviation) lower than 20% and detection and quantification limits equal to or lower than 2 and 3μg/kg respectively. Finally, the method was applied to the analysis of different types of samples as buckwheat, linseed, soy and millet, obtaining positives for anisodamine, scopolamine, atropine, littorine and tropinone in a millet flour sample above the quantification limits, whereas atropine and scopolamine were detected in a buckwheat sample, below the quantification limit. Contaminated samples with Solanaceaes seeds (Datura Stramonium and Brugmansia Arborea) were also analysed, detecting concentrations up to 693μg/kg (scopolamine) for contaminated samples with Brugmansia seeds and 1847μg/kg (atropine) when samples were contaminated with Stramonium seeds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2017.08.052 PMID: 28870544 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 5. Matrix Biol. 2012 Jul;31(6):360-7. doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2012.07.003. Epub 2012 Aug 6. Quantitative microtiter fibronectin fibrillogenesis assay: use in high throughput screening for identification of inhibitor compounds. Tomasini-Johansson BR(1), Johnson IA, Hoffmann FM, Mosher DF. Author information: (1)University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Biomolecular Chemistry and Medicine, Madison, WI 53706, United States. brtomasini@wisc.edu Fibronectin (FN) is a plasma glycoprotein that circulates in the near micromolar concentration range and is deposited along with locally produced FN in the extracellular matrices of many tissues. The control of FN deposition is tightly controlled by cells. Agents that modulate FN assembly may be useful therapeutically in conditions characterized by excessive FN deposition, such as fibrosis, inflammatory diseases, and malignancies. To identify such agents by high throughput screening (HTS), we developed a microtiter assay of FN deposition by human fibroblasts. The assay provides a robust read-out of FN assembly. Alexa 488-FN (A488-FN) was added to cell monolayers, and the total fluorescence intensity of deposited A488-FN was quantified. The fluorescence intensity of deposited A488-FN correlated with the presence of FN fibrils visualized by fluorescence microscopy. The assay Z' values were 0.67 or 0.54, respectively, when using background values of fluorescence either with no added A488-FN or with A488-FN added together with a known inhibitor of FN deposition. The assay was used to screen libraries comprising 4160 known bioactive compounds. Nine compounds were identified as non- or low-cytotoxic inhibitors of FN assembly. Four (ML-9, HA-100, tyrphostin and imatinib mesylate) are kinase inhibitors, a category of compounds known to inhibit FN assembly; two (piperlongumine and cantharidin) are promoters of cancer cell apoptosis; and three (maprotiline, CGS12066B, and aposcopolamine) are modulators of biogenic amine signaling. The latter six compounds have not been recognized heretofore as affecting FN assembly. The assay is straight-forward, adapts to 96- and 384-well formats, and should be useful for routine measurement of FN deposition and HTS. Screening of more diverse chemical libraries and identification of specific and efficient modulators of FN fibrillogenesis may result in therapeutics to control excessive connective tissue deposition. Copyright © 2012 International Society of Matrix Biology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2012.07.003 PMCID: PMC3508085 PMID: 22986508 [Indexed for MEDLINE]