Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Nutrients. 2024 Sep 1;16(17):2918. doi: 10.3390/nu16172918.

Bacteroides salyersiae Is a Candidate Probiotic Species with Potential 
Anti-Colitis Properties in the Human Colon: First Evidence from an In Vivo Mouse 
Model.

Dai W(1)(2), Lv Y(1), Quan M(1)(3), Ma M(1), Shang Q(1)(2)(3), Yu G(1)(2).

Author information:
(1)Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial 
Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycotechnology, School of Medicine and 
Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
(2)Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 
266237, China.
(3)Qingdao Marine Biomedical Research Institute, Qingdao 266071, China.

Previous studies have indicated a critical role of intestinal bacteria in the 
pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). B. salyersiae is a commensal species 
from the human gut microbiota. However, what effect it has on UC development has 
not been investigated. In the present study, we explored this issue and 
demonstrated for the first time that oral administration of B. salyersiae CSP6, 
a bacterium previously isolated from the fecal sample of a healthy individual, 
protected against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in C57BL/6J mice. 
In particular, B. salyersiae CSP6 improved mucosal damage and attenuated gut 
dysbiosis in the colon of DSS-fed mice. Specifically, B. salyersiae CSP6 
decreased the population of pathogenic Escherichia-Shigella spp. and increased 
the abundance of probiotic Dubosiella spp. and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum. 
Additionally, by reshaping the colonic microbiota, B. salyersiae CSP6 remarkably 
increased the fecal concentrations of equol, 8-deoxylactucin, and tiglic acid, 
three beneficial metabolites that have been well documented to exert strong 
anti-inflammatory effects. Altogether, our study provides novel evidence that B. 
salyersiae is a candidate probiotic species with potential anti-colitis 
properties in the human colon, which has applications for the development of 
next-generation probiotics.

DOI: 10.3390/nu16172918
PMCID: PMC11397318
PMID: 39275234 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. 
The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, 
or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision 
to publish the results.


2. Molecules. 2024 Jul 11;29(14):3289. doi: 10.3390/molecules29143289.

Inhibitory Effect of Selected Guaianolide and Germacranolide Sesquiterpene 
Lactones on Nitric Oxide Production.

Harmatha J(1), Zídek Z(2), Kmoníčková E(2)(3).

Author information:
(1)Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, 
166 10 Prague, Czech Republic.
(2)Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, 142 20 Prague, 
Czech Republic.
(3)Department of Pharmacology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 
150 00 Prague, Czech Republic.

Trilobolide and its analogues belong to the guaianolide type of sesquiterpene 
lactones, which are characteristic and widely distributed within the families 
Asteraceae and Apiaceae. Certain guaianolides are receiving continuously 
increasing attention for their promising sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 
(SERCA)-inhibitory activity. However, because of their alkylation capabilities, 
they are generally toxic. Therefore, the search for compounds with significant 
immunobiological properties but with decreased cytotoxicities suitable for use 
in immune-based pharmacotherapy is ongoing. Therefore, we extended our previous 
investigation of the immunobiological effects of trilobolide to a series of 
structurally related guaianolides and germacranolides. To evaluate the 
relationship, we tested a series of selected derivatives containing α-methyl 
lactone or exomethylene lactone ring. For a wider comparison, we also included 
some of their glycosidic derivatives. We assessed the in vitro immunobiological 
effects of the tested compounds on nitric oxide (NO) production, cytokine 
secretion, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release by mouse peritoneal cells, 
activated primarily by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and evaluated their viability. 
The inhibitory effects of the apparently most active substance, 8-deoxylactucin, 
seem to be the most promising.

DOI: 10.3390/molecules29143289
PMCID: PMC11279401
PMID: 39064869 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.


3. Fitoterapia. 2024 Sep;177:106106. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2024.106106. Epub 2024
 Jun 28.

Phytochemical analysis of Cichorium bottae root and anti-inflammatory potential 
assessment of isolates.

Elbermawi A(1), Zulfiqar F(2), Khan SI(2), Khan IA(2), Ali Z(3).

Author information:
(1)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, 35516 
Mansoura, Egypt; National Center for Natural Products Research, School of 
Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA. Electronic 
address: asbeder@mans.edu.eg.
(2)National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University 
of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA.
(3)National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University 
of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA. Electronic address: 
zulfiqar@olemiss.edu.

The Cichorium plants are particularly notable due to their remarkable 
therapeutic and medicinal properties, besides being used as food and 
conventional medication. Although Cichorium plants have been studied for their 
phytoconstituents and biological activities, there is limited knowledge about 
the constituents of the roots of C. bottae. A phytochemical study of the 90% 
MeOH extract of C. bottae roots resulted in the isolation of twelve compounds 
belonging to guaianolide sesquiterpene lactones, sesquiterpene lactone 
glucosides, and phenolic derivatives, of which two compounds designated as 
9α-hydroxycrepediaside B (1) and cichobotinal (2) were previously undescribed. 
The isolated compounds were assessed for their anti-inflammatory potential 
through the inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and resultant 
decrease in nitric oxide generation in LPS-induced macrophages. Among the 
isolates, compounds 2 and 11 (8-deoxylactucin) inhibited iNOS activity with IC50 
values of 21.0 ± 4 and 6.8 ± 0.1 μM, respectively. The methanolic extract of C. 
bottae inhibited iNOS with an IC50 of 10.5 ± 0.5 μg/mL.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2024.106106
PMID: 38945492 [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.


4. J Agric Food Chem. 2023 Apr 10;71(15):6061-72. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c08959. 
Online ahead of print.

Lactucin Synthase Inactivation Boosts the Accumulation of Anti-inflammatory 
8-Deoxylactucin and Its Derivatives in Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.).

Cankar K(1), Hakkert JC(1), Sevenier R(2), Papastolopoulou C(1), Schipper B(1), 
Baixinho JP(3)(4), Fernández N(3), Matos MS(3)(4), Serra AT(3)(4), Santos 
CN(3)(4)(5), Vahabi K(6), Tissier A(6)(7), Bundock P(2), Bosch D(1).

Author information:
(1)Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University & Research, 
Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
(2)Keygene N.V., Agro Business Park 90, 6708PW Wageningen, Netherlands.
(3)Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (iBET), Av. República, Qta. 
Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
(4)Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova 
de Lisboa (ITQB NOVA), Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
(5)iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, 
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal.
(6)Department of Cell and Metabolic Biology, Leibniz Institute of Plant 
Biochemistry, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
(7)Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Institut für Pharmazie, 
Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.

For several sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) found in Asteraceae plants, very 
interesting biomedical activities have been demonstrated. Chicory roots 
accumulate the guaianolide STLs 8-deoxylactucin, lactucin, and lactucopicrin 
predominantly in oxalated forms in the latex. In this work, a supercritical 
fluid extract fraction of chicory STLs containing 8-deoxylactucin and 
11β,13-dihydro-8-deoxylactucin was shown to have anti-inflammatory activity in 
an inflamed intestinal mucosa model. To increase the accumulation of these two 
compounds in chicory taproots, the lactucin synthase that takes 8-deoxylactucin 
as the substrate for the regiospecific hydroxylation to generate lactucin needs 
to be inactivated. Three candidate cytochrome P450 enzymes of the CYP71 clan 
were identified in chicory. Their targeted inactivation using the CRISPR/Cas9 
approach identified CYP71DD33 to have lactucin synthase activity. The analysis 
of the terpene profile of the taproots of plants with edits in CYP71DD33 
revealed a nearly complete elimination of the endogenous chicory STLs lactucin 
and lactucopicrin and their corresponding oxalates. Indeed, in the same lines, 
the interruption of biosynthesis resulted in a strong increase of 
8-deoxylactucin and its derivatives. The enzyme activity of CYP71DD33 to convert 
8-deoxylactucin to lactucin was additionally demonstrated in vitro using yeast 
microsome assays. The identified chicory lactucin synthase gene is predominantly 
expressed in the chicory latex, indicating that the late steps in the STL 
biosynthesis take place in the latex. This study contributes to further 
elucidation of the STL pathway in chicory and shows that root chicory can be 
positioned as a crop from which different health products can be extracted.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c08959
PMCID: PMC10119987
PMID: 37036799

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing financial 
interest.


5. Front Plant Sci. 2022 Aug 29;13:940003. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.940003. 
eCollection 2022.

CRISPR/Cas9 targeted inactivation of the kauniolide synthase in chicory results 
in accumulation of costunolide and its conjugates in taproots.

Cankar K(1), Hakkert JC(1), Sevenier R(2), Campo E(1), Schipper B(1), 
Papastolopoulou C(1), Vahabi K(3), Tissier A(3), Bundock P(2), Bosch D(1).

Author information:
(1)Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, 
Netherlands.
(2)Keygene N.V., Wageningen, Netherlands.
(3)Department of Cell and Metabolic Biology, Leibniz Institute of Plant 
Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany.

Chicory taproots accumulate sesquiterpene lactones lactucin, lactucopicrin, and 
8-deoxylactucin, predominantly in their oxalated forms. The biosynthetic pathway 
for chicory sesquiterpene lactones has only partly been elucidated; the enzymes 
that convert farnesyl pyrophosphate to costunolide have been described. The next 
biosynthetic step of the conversion of costunolide to the tricyclic structure, 
guaianolide kauniolide, has so far not been elucidated in chicory. In this work 
three putative kauniolide synthase genes were identified in chicory named 
CiKLS1, CiKLS2, and CiKLS3. Their activity to convert costunolide to kauniolide 
was demonstrated in vitro using yeast microsome assays. Next, introduction of 
CRISPR/Cas9 reagents into chicory protoplasts was used to inactivate multiple 
chicory KLS genes and several chicory lines were successfully regenerated. The 
inactivation of the kauniolide synthase genes in chicory by the CRISPR/Cas9 
approach resulted in interruption of the sesquiterpene lactone biosynthesis in 
chicory leaves and taproots. In chicory taproots, but not in leaves, 
accumulation of costunolide and its conjugates was observed to high levels, 
namely 1.5 mg/g FW. These results confirmed that all three genes contribute to 
STL accumulation, albeit to different extent. These observations demonstrate 
that three genes oriented in tandem on the chicory genome encode kauniolide 
synthases that initiate the conversion of costunolide toward the sesquiterpene 
lactones in chicory.

Copyright © 2022 Cankar, Hakkert, Sevenier, Campo, Schipper, Papastolopoulou, 
Vahabi, Tissier, Bundock and Bosch.

DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.940003
PMCID: PMC9465254
PMID: 36105709

Conflict of interest statement: RS and PB were employed by Keygene N.V. The 
remaining 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.