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 Agric Food Chem. 2024 Oct 4;72(41):22776-97. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c05435. Online ahead of print. Assessment of the Interaction of Acetylcholinesterase Binding with Bioactive Compounds from Coffee and Coffee Fractions Digested In Vitro in the Gastrointestinal Tract. Grzelczyk J(1), Pérez-Sánchez H(2), Carmena-Bargueño M(2), Rodríguez-Martínez A(2), Budryn G(1). Author information: (1)Institute of Food Technology and Analysis, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Lodz University of Technology, Lodz 90-537, Poland. (2)Structural Bioinformatics and High-Performance Computing Research Group (BIO-HPC), Computer Engineering Department, Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM), Guadalupe, Murcia 30107, Spain. The aim of the study was to evaluate the degree of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition by green and light- and dark-roasted coffee extracts and their fractions after digestion in a simulated gastrointestinal tract. The analysis was carried out using isothermal titration calorimetry, molecular docking, and dynamics simulations. The results showed that 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid binds strongly to AChE through hydrogen interactions with the amino acids ARG289A, HIS440A, and PHE288A and hydrophobic interactions with TYR121A in the active site of the enzyme. The Robusta green coffee extract (ΔG = -35.87 kJ/mol) and dichlorogenic acid fraction (ΔG = -19-29 kJ/mol) showed the highest affinity. Dichlorogenic acids (3,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 3,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid) have high affinity for AChE as single compounds (ΔG(ITC) = -48.99-55.36 kJ/mol, ΔG(LF/AD) = -43.38-45.38 kJ/mol). The concentration necessary to reduce AChE activity by 50% amounted to 0.22 μmol/μmol chlorogenic acids to the enzyme. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c05435 PMCID: PMC11487712 PMID: 39365899 Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing financial interest. 2. Food Res Int. 2024 Oct;194:114918. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114918. Epub 2024 Aug 11. Gastrointestinal digestion of yerba mate, rosemary and green tea extracts and their subsequent colonic fermentation by human, pig or rat inocula. Correa VG(1), Garcia-Manieri JAA(1), Dias MI(2), Pereira C(2), Mandim F(2), Barros L(2), Ferreira ICFR(2), Peralta RM(3), Bracht A(1). Author information: (1)Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. (2)Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal; Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal. (3)Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: rmperalta@uem.br. Polyphenolic compounds are common constituents of human and animal diets and undergo extensive metabolism by the gut microbiota before entering circulation. In order to compare the transformations of polyphenols from yerba mate, rosemary, and green tea extracts in the gastrointestinal tract, simulated gastrointestinal digestion coupled with colonic fermentation were used. For enhancing the comparative character of the investigation, colonic fermentation was performed with human, pig and rat intestinal microbiota. Chemical analysis was performed using a HPLC system coupled to a diode-array detector and mass spectrometer. Gastrointestinal digestion diminished the total amount of phenolics in the rosemary and green tea extracts by 27.5 and 59.2 %, respectively. These reductions occurred mainly at the expense of the major constituents of these extracts, namely rosmarinic acid (-45.7 %) and epigalocatechin gallate (-60.6 %). The yerba mate extract was practically not affected in terms of total phenolics, but several conversions and isomerizations occurred (e.g., 30 % of trans-3-O-caffeoylquinic acid was converted into the cis form). The polyphenolics of the yerba mate extract were also the least decomposed by the microbiota of all three species, especially in the case of the human one (-10.8 %). In contrast, the human microbiota transformed the polyphenolics of the rosemary and green extracts by 95.9 and 88.2 %, respectively. The yerba mate-extract had its contents in cis 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid diminished by 78 % by the human microbiota relative to the gastrointestinal digestion, but the content of 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (also a chlorogenic acid), was increased by 22.2 %. The latter phenomenon did not occur with the rat and pig microbiota. The pronounced interspecies differences indicate the need for considerable caution when translating the results of experiments on the effects of polyphenolics performed in rats, or even pigs, to humans. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114918 PMID: 39232538 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 3. Genomics. 2024 Sep;116(5):110883. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2024.110883. Epub 2024 Jun 8. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal chlorogenic acid accumulation in pigmented potatoes at different altitudes. Dong QJ(1), Xu XY(1), Fan CX(1), Xiao JP(2). Author information: (1)College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, No.95 Jinhei Road, Panlong District, Kunming City, Yunnan 650201, China. (2)College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, No.95 Jinhei Road, Panlong District, Kunming City, Yunnan 650201, China. Electronic address: xiaojiping82@126.com. Pigmented potato tubers are abundant in chlorogenic acids (CGAs), a metabolite with pharmacological activity. This article comprehensively analyzed the transcriptome and metabolome of pigmented potato Huaxingyangyu and Jianchuanhong at four altitudes of 1800 m, 2300 m, 2800 m, and 3300 m. A total of 20 CGAs and intermediate CGA compounds were identified, including 3-o-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-o-caffeoylquinic acid, and 5-o-caffeoylquinic acid. CGA contents in Huaxinyangyu and Jianchuanhong reached its maximum at an altitude of 2800 m and slightly decreased at 3300 m. 48 candidate genes related to the biosynthesis pathway of CGAs were screened through transcriptome analysis. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified that the structural genes of phenylalanine deaminase (PAL), coumarate-3 hydroxylase (C3H), cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H) and the transcription factors of MYB and bHLH co-regulate CGA biosynthesis. The results of this study provide valuable information to reveal the changes in CGA components in pigmented potato at different altitudes. Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2024.110883 PMID: 38857813 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this section. 4. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Apr 5;25(7):4063. doi: 10.3390/ijms25074063. Eucommia ulmoides Leaves Alleviate Cognitive Dysfunction in Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-Induced Colitis Mice through Regulating JNK/TLR4 Signaling Pathway. Lee HS(1), Kim JM(1), Lee HL(1), Go MJ(1), Lee DY(2), Kim CW(3), Kim HJ(1), Heo HJ(1). Author information: (1)Division of Applied Life Science (BK21), Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea. (2)Research & Development Team, Gyeongnam Anti-Aging Research Institute, Sancheong 52215, Republic of Korea. (3)Division of special Forest Resources, Department of Forest Bio-Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Republic of Korea. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that is characterized by systemic immune system activation. This study was performed to assess the alleviative effect of administering an aqueous extract of Eucommia ulmoides leaves (AEEL) on cognitive dysfunction in mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. The major bioactive compounds of AEEL were identified as a quinic acid derivative, caffeic acid-O-hexoside, and 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid using UPLC Q-TOF/MSE. AEEL administration alleviated colitis symptoms, which are bodyweight change and colon shortening. Moreover, AEEL administration protected intestinal barrier integrity by increasing the tight junction protein expression levels in colon tissues. Likewise, AEEL improved behavioral dysfunction in the Y-maze, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze tests. Additionally, AEEL improved short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content in the feces of DSS-induced mice. In addition, AEEL improved damaged cholinergic systems in brain tissue and damaged mitochondrial and antioxidant functions in colon and brain tissues caused by DSS. Also, AEEL protected against DSS-induced cytotoxicity and inflammation in colon and brain tissues by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway. Therefore, these results suggest that AEEL is a natural material that alleviates DSS-induced cognitive dysfunction with the modulation of gut-brain interaction. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25074063 PMCID: PMC11012925 PMID: 38612870 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. 5. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 2024;72(1):93-97. doi: 10.1248/cpb.c23-00670. Chromatographic Evaluation and Characterization of Constituents of Sunflower Seed Extract Used as Food Additives. Amakura Y(1), Uchikura T(1), Yoshimura M(1), Masumoto N(2), Nishizaki Y(2), Sugimoto N(2). Author information: (1)Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Matsuyama University. (2)National Institute of Health Sciences. Sunflower seed extract, an antioxidant agent registered on the List of Existing Food Additives in Japan, was evaluated using HPLC, and three common constituents were detected. These peaks were identified as monocaffeoylquinic acids (3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid [chlorogenic acid]). Upon scrutinizing other components, dicaffeoylquinic acids (isochlorogenic acids; 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic, and 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acids) were also identified. Structures of two newly isolated compounds were determined to be 3-O-(3S-2-oxo-3-hydroxy-indole-3-acetyl)-5-O-caffeoylquinic and 4-O-(3S-2-oxo-3-hydroxy-indole-3-acetyl)-5-O-caffeoylquinic acids. To identify the components that contribute to the antioxidant activity of sunflower seed extract, we fractionated the food additive sample solution and examined the active fractions for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Monocaffeoylquinic and dicaffeoylquinic acids showed high DPPH activity, including their contribution to the antioxidant activity of this food additive. DPPH radical scavenging activity of the new compounds showed almost the same value as that of the positive control, Trolox. Therefore, the contribution of these compounds was also considered. DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c23-00670 PMID: 38233137 [Indexed for MEDLINE]