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. Plant Physiol Biochem. 2023 Oct 25;204:108142. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.108142. Online ahead of print. Two O-methyltransferases are responsible for multiple O-methylation steps in the biosynthesis of furanocoumarins from Angelicadecursiva. He Y(1), Zhang J(2), He Y(3), Liu H(1), Wang C(1), Guan G(1), Zhao Y(4), Tian Y(5), Zhong X(6), Lu X(7). Author information: (1)College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. (2)College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. (3)College of Environment and Ecology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. (4)School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China. (5)College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. Electronic address: tianyun@hunau.edu.cn. (6)College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. Electronic address: xh-zhong@163.com. (7)College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. Electronic address: xiangyangcn@163.com. Angelica decursiva, an important traditional medicinal plant, possesses a unique pharmacological activity. Its principal active ingredients are coumarins, including scopoletin, bergapten, and imperatorin. However, the enzymes catalyzing the critical step of coumarins biosynthesis pathway remain unidentified. This study initially screened 14 candidate O-methyltransferases (OMTs) through transcriptomics and metabolic determination. Combined with gene expression profile and biochemical assays, two OMTs (AdOMT1 and AdOMT2) were identified to be responsible for the O-methylation of coumarins in A. decursiva. AdOMT1 showed higher catalytic efficiency for bergaptol (Kcat/Km = 3123.70), while AdOMT2 exhibited higher substrate and catalytic promiscuity, allowing it to catalyze the methylation of various coumarins, phenylpropanes, and flavonoids. Based on molecular docking and site-specific mutagenesis determined that His126/Asn132, Phe171/Phe177, Trp261/Trp267, and Asn312/Ile317 were the key catalytic residues of AdOMT1 and AdOMT2 for the O-methylation of bergaptol and xanthotoxol. Further phylogenetic analysis confirmed the reasons for the catalytic functional differentiation of AdOMT1 and AdOMT2. This study provides a basis for exploring the coumarins O-methylation mechanism and plays a critical role in diversifying the structures used in coumarins drug discovery. Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.108142 PMID: 39492167 Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. 2. Planta. 2024 Oct 18;260(5):119. doi: 10.1007/s00425-024-04552-6. Histochemical and molecular analyses reveal an insight into the scent volatiles synthesis and emission in ephemeral flowers of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack. Datta S(#)(1), Paul S(#)(1), Ballabh L(1), Mitra A(2). Author information: (1)Natural Product Biotechnology Group, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721 302, India. (2)Natural Product Biotechnology Group, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721 302, India. adin@iitkgp.ac.in. (#)Contributed equally Temporal histolocalization of floral volatiles in the petal epidermis of Murraya paniculata was found to be linked with the coordinated expression of candidate genes and successive accumulation of an internal pool of volatiles. Murraya paniculata (Rutaceae) is known for its highly fragrant ephemeral flowers that emit volatiles to attract nocturnal pollinators. To unfold the patterns of volatile emission in relation to floral life-span, we studied time-course accumulation and emission rate of scent volatiles at six timepoints of floral maturation, at an interval of 4 h starting from the bud stage to the senescence stage on the next day. This study revealed the maximum emission rate of scent volatiles at the anthesis stage at 18:00 h. This finding correlates well with the maximum accumulation of volatiles in the internal pool of the flowers at this stage. The key volatiles detected in both emitted and internal pools were benzaldehyde, benzeneacetaldehyde, linalool, caryophyllene, germacrene-D and α-farnesene. In addition, the internal pool also contained substantial amounts of indole, scopoletin, caffeine and osthole. To histochemically localize the temporal accumulation of major volatile groups in the epidermal cells, petal cross sections were stained with NaDi and ferric chloride to visualize terpenes and phenolics, respectively, under light microscope. Histolocalization studies showed a higher accumulation of terpenes at 14:00 h and 18:00 h, which subsequently was reduced as senescence approached. Significant phenolics in the abaxial and adaxial layers of the petal epidermis accumulated at 18:00 h and at the early senescence (06:00 h) stages. Furthermore, temporal localization of active shikimate dehydrogenase (SKDH) protein through in-gel activity assay demonstrated higher enzymatic activities at anthesis (18:00 h) and fully bloomed (02:00 h) stages, supporting the findings of higher accumulation of phenolic volatiles at 18:00 h and 06:00 h stages. Expression analysis of major candidate genes of floral scent volatiles pathway supported the hypothesis that the emission rate of floral fragrance reached its maximum at the anthesis (18:00 h) stage. In contrast, biosynthesis of scent compounds started at the bud (14:00 h) stage itself as indicated by the RT-PCR semi-quantitative estimation. As flowers of M. paniculata attract multiple pollinator species, this study could also serve as a springboard for pollination biology in Rutaceae, which includes important fruit crops. © 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. DOI: 10.1007/s00425-024-04552-6 PMID: 39422757 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 3. Plant Physiol. 2024 Oct 4:kiae527. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiae527. Online ahead of print. New wine in old skins: Scopoletin biosynthesis in Cotton. Straube H(1)(2). Author information: (1)Assistant Features Editor, Plant Physiology, American Society of Plant Biologists, Rockville, USA. (2)Faculty of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Plant Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark. DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae527 PMID: 39365023 4. Front Pharmacol. 2024 Sep 16;15:1423480. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1423480. eCollection 2024. A comprehensive review on the potential of coumarin and related derivatives as multi-target therapeutic agents in the management of gynecological cancers. Şeker Karatoprak G(1), Dumlupınar B(2), Celep E(3), Kurt Celep I(4), Küpeli Akkol E(5), Sobarzo-Sánchez E(6)(7). Author information: (1)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye. (2)Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Okan University, İstanbul, Türkiye. (3)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Atasehir, Istanbul, Türkiye. (4)Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul Okan University, Istanbul, Türkiye. (5)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Ankara, Türkiye. (6)Instituto de Investigación y Postgrado Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Universidad Central de Chile, Santiago, Chile. (7)Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Current treatments for gynecological cancers include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, these treatments often have significant side effects. Phytochemicals, natural compounds derived from plants, offer promising anticancer properties. Coumarins, a class of benzopyrone compounds found in various plants like tonka beans, exhibit notable antitumor effects. These compounds induce cell apoptosis, target PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways, inhibit carbonic anhydrase, and disrupt microtubules. Additionally, they inhibit tumor multidrug resistance and angiogenesis and regulate reactive oxygen species. Specific coumarin derivatives, such as auraptene, praeruptorin, osthole, and scopoletin, show anti-invasive, anti-migratory, and antiproliferative activities by arresting the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. They also inhibit metalloproteinases-2 and -9, reducing tumor cell migration, invasion, and metastasis. These compounds can sensitize tumor cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Synthetic coumarin derivatives also demonstrate potent antitumor and anticancer activities with minimal side effects. Given their diverse mechanisms of action and minimal side effects, coumarin-class phytochemicals hold significant potential as therapeutic agents in gynecological cancers, potentially improving treatment outcomes and reducing side effects. This review will aid in the synthesis and development of novel coumarin-based drugs for these cancers. Copyright © 2024 Şeker Karatoprak, Dumlupınar, Celep, Kurt Celep, Küpeli Akkol and Sobarzo-Sánchez. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1423480 PMCID: PMC11447453 PMID: 39364049 Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision. 5. Front Microbiol. 2024 Sep 16;15:1436476. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1436476. eCollection 2024. Maple compounds prevent biofilm formation in Listeria monocytogenes via sortase inhibition. Elbakush AM(1), Trunschke O(1), Shafeeq S(2), Römling U(2), Gomelsky M(1). Author information: (1)Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States. (2)Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. The Pss exopolysaccharide (EPS) enhances the ability of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to colonize and persist on surfaces of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eradicating listeria within EPS-rich biofilms is challenging due to their increased tolerance to disinfectants, desiccation, and other stressors. Recently, we discovered that extracts of maple wood, including maple sap, are a potent source of antibiofilm agents. Maple lignans, such as nortrachelogenin-8'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and lariciresinol, were found to inhibit the formation of, and promote the dispersion of pre-formed L. monocytogenes EPS biofilms. However, the mechanism remained unknown. Here, we report that these lignans do not affect Pss EPS synthesis or degradation. Instead, they promote EPS detachment, likely by interfering with an unidentified lectin that keeps EPS attached to the cell surfaces. Furthermore, the maple lignans inhibit the activity of L. monocytogenes sortase A (SrtA) in vitro. SrtA is a transpeptidase that covalently anchors surface proteins, including the Pss-specific lectin, to the cell wall peptidoglycan. Consistent with this, deletion of the srtA gene results in Pss EPS detachment from listerial cells. We also identified several additional maple compounds, including epicatechin gallate, isoscopoletin, scopoletin, and abscisic acid, which inhibit L. monocytogenes SrtA activity in vitro and prevent biofilm formation. Molecular modelling indicates that, despite their structural diversity, these compounds preferentially bind to the SrtA active site. Since maple products are abundant and safe for consumption, our finding that they prevent biofilm formation in L. monocytogenes offers a viable source for protecting fresh produce from this foodborne pathogen. Copyright © 2024 Elbakush, Trunschke, Shafeeq, Römling and Gomelsky. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1436476 PMCID: PMC11439720 PMID: 39351304 Conflict of interest statement: AE and MG are listed as inventors on patent applications filed by the University of Wyoming on the use of maple products for the prevention of biofilms via sortase inhibition. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.