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. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Feb 28;25(5):2776. doi: 10.3390/ijms25052776. Use of 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonic acid 7-phosphate Synthase (DAHP Synthase) to Enhance the Heterologous Biosynthesis of Diosmetin and Chrysoeriol in an Engineered Strain of Streptomyces albidoflavus. Pérez-Valero Á(1)(2)(3), Serna-Diestro J(1)(2)(3), Villar CJ(1)(2)(3), Lombó F(1)(2)(3). Author information: (1)Research Group BIONUC (Biotechnology of Nutraceuticals and Bioactive Compounds), Departamento de Biología Funcional, Área de Microbiología, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain. (2)IUOPA (Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias), 33006 Oviedo, Spain. (3)ISPA (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias), 33011 Oviedo, Spain. Flavonoids are a large family of polyphenolic compounds with important agro-industrial, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications. Among the structural diversity found in the flavonoid family, methylated flavonoids show interesting characteristics such as greater stability and improved oral bioavailability. This work is focused on the reconstruction of the entire biosynthetic pathway of the methylated flavones diosmetin and chrysoeriol in Streptomyces albidoflavus. A total of eight different genes (TAL, 4CL, CHS, CHI, FNS1, F3'H/CPR, 3'-OMT, 4'-OMT) are necessary for the heterologous biosynthesis of these two flavonoids, and all of them have been integrated along the chromosome of the bacterial host. The biosynthesis of diosmetin and chrysoeriol has been achieved, reaching titers of 2.44 mg/L and 2.34 mg/L, respectively. Furthermore, an additional compound, putatively identified as luteolin 3',4'-dimethyl ether, was produced in both diosmetin and chrysoeriol-producing strains. With the purpose of increasing flavonoid titers, a 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonic acid 7-phosphate synthase (DAHP synthase) from an antibiotic biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) from Amycolatopsis balhimycina was heterologously expressed in S. albidoflavus, enhancing diosmetin and chrysoeriol production titers of 4.03 mg/L and 3.13 mg/L, which is an increase of 65% and 34%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the de novo biosynthesis of diosmetin and chrysoeriol in a heterologous host. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052776 PMCID: PMC10931780 PMID: 38474023 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. 2. J Adv Res. 2020 Jan 3;24:273-279. doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2020.01.002. eCollection 2020 Jul. Major flavonoids from Psiadia punctulata produce vasodilation via activation of endothelial dependent NO signaling. Abdallah HM(1)(2), Hassan NA(3), El-Halawany AM(2), Mohamed GA(1)(4), Safo MK(5), El-Bassossy HM(3). Author information: (1)Department of Natural Products and Alternative Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. (2)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt. (3)Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt. (4)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assuit Branch, Assuit 71524, Egypt. (5)Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, VA 23219, USA. Vasodilators are important pharmacologic agents for managing and/or treating hypertension. Medicinal plants are considered as valuable source of bioactive compounds. We used a bioguided approach to isolate, identify, and investigate the possible vasodilation activities and mechanism(s) of the prepared methanol extract from aerial parts of Psiadia punctulata (MAPP), its bioactive fraction and active compounds. Vascular effects of MAPP were studied using isolated artery technique in the presence or absence of specific candidate pathways inhibitors, and found to produce a significant vasodilation of phenylephrine preconstricted rat aortae. The bioactive chloroform fraction yielded five methoxylated flavonoids: umuhengerin (1), gardenin A (2), gardenin B (3), luteolin-3',4' -dimethyl ether (4), and 5,3'-dihydroxy-6,7,4',5'-tetramethoxyflavone (5). Metabolites 1, 4, and 5 produced a significant vasodilation. Removal of the endothelium significantly inhibited MAPP vasodilation. Nitric oxide synthase inhibition and not prostacycline inhibition or K+ channel blocking, was found to cause the observed vasodilation inhibition. Both guanylate cyclase and adenylate cyclase inhibitions markedly inhibited MAPP vasodilation. In conclusion MAPP possesses vasodilation activities that is mediated through endothelial nitric oxide pathway, calcium dependent endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation, and interference with the depolarization process through calcium channel blocking activity. © 2020 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Cairo University. DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2020.01.002 PMCID: PMC7200196 PMID: 32382447 Conflict of interest statement: The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest. 3. PLoS One. 2019 Sep 6;14(9):e0222101. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222101. eCollection 2019. Psiadia punctulata major flavonoids alleviate exaggerated vasoconstriction produced by advanced glycation end products. Abdallah HM(1)(2), Zakaria EM(3), El-Halawany AM(2), Mohamed GA(1)(4), Safo MK(5), El-Bassossy HM(3). Author information: (1)Department of Natural Products and Alternative Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (2)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. (3)Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt. (4)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assuit Branch, Assuit, Egypt. (5)Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America. Exaggerated vasoconstriction plays important roles in vascular complication in aging and many diseases like diabetes. Here, we investigated the protective effect of Psiadia punctulata (PP) on advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced aggravated vasoconstriction. The effect of total methanol extract of PP leaves (PPT) on AGE-induced vascular injury was studied through bioassay-guided fractionation procedures in order to find the bioactive fraction and isolate the bioactive compounds. Vascular reactivity was studied using the isolated artery technique by adding cumulative concentrations of phenylephrine (PE) or acetyl choline (ACh). In addition, the antiglycating effect, as well as the effect on AGEs intermediates dityrosine and N`-formylkynurenine and their radical scavenging activity were measured. The results showed that PPT alleviated the AGEs-induced aggravated vasoconstriction in a concentration-dependent manner. The bioassay guided fractionation procedures suggested the chloroform fraction (Fr I) to be responsible for the activity. Chemical investigation of this fraction resulted in isolation of four major bioactive compounds that were identified as: umuhengerin (1), gardenin (2), luteolin-3`,4`-dimethyl ether (3), and 5,3`-dihydroxy-6,7,4`,5`-tetramethoxyflavone (4). The four compounds alleviated the exaggerated vasoconstriction in a dose dependent manner. In search for their mechanism of action, we observed that PPT, Fr. I and the isolated compounds did not improve the impaired vasodilation associated with AGEs exposure. PPT, Fr. I and the isolated compounds 1-4 inhibited AGEs formation and their protein oxidation intermediates. Furthermore, PPT, Fr. I and the isolated compounds 1-4 showed weak radical scavenging activity with compound 4 as the most potent. In conclusion, PPT appears to protect against AGEs-induced exaggerated vasoconstriction through antiglycation and radical scavenging activities. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222101 PMCID: PMC6730914 PMID: 31491007 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. 4. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 2016;64(3):276-81. doi: 10.1248/cpb.c15-00780. DNA Topoisomerase Inhibitory Activity of Constituents from the Flowers of Inula japonica. Piao D(1), Kim T, Zhang HY, Choi HG, Lee CS, Choi HJ, Chang HW, Woo MH, Son JK. Author information: (1)College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University. Fourteen compounds were isolated from the flowers of Inula japonica THUNB. (Asteraceae), including two new compounds, (1S,2S,4S,5S,8S,10R)-2-acetoxy-4,3-dihydroxy-pseudoguai-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (1) and (1S,2S,4S,5S,8S,10R)-2,4,13-trihydroxy-pseudoguai-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (2), and twelve known compounds, budlein B (3), 6β-hydroxytomentosin (4), 6-deacetoxybritanin (5), 4-epipulchellin (6), britanin (7), tomentosin (8), (+)-dihydroquercetin (9), (-)-syringaresinol (10), quercetagetin 3,4'-dimethyl ether (11), luteolin (12), britanin G (13) and inuchinenolide C (14). Structures of 1 and 2 were determined based on one and two dimensional (1D)- and (2D)-NMR data and Mosher's esterification method. Compounds 9 and 12 showed inhibitory activities toward DNA topoisomerase I with IC50 values of 55.7 and 37.0 µM, respectively, compared to camptothecin (CPT) with an IC50 of 24.5 µM. Compounds 7-9 and 11-14 exhibited more potent inhibitory activity against topoisomerases II with IC50 values of 6.9, 3.8, 3.0, 6.9, 10.0, 14.7 and 13.8 µM, respectively, than that of etoposide (VP-16) with an IC50 of 26.9 µM. Compounds 4-7 and 10-14 exhibited weak cytotoxicities to the selected cancer cell lines. DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c15-00780 PMID: 26936053 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 5. Nat Prod Commun. 2014 Feb;9(2):163-4. Further characterization of foliar flavonoids in Crossostephium chinense and their geographic variation. Uehara A, Kitajima J, Kokubugata G, Iwashina T. Foliar flavonoids of Crossostephium chinense in Japan and Taiwan were isolated and further characterized. Eighteen flavonoid aglycones, luteolin, apigenin, hispidulin, chrysoeriol, 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6,3',5'-trimethoxyflavone, jaceosidin, cilsimaritin, quercetin 3-methyl ether, axillarin, chrysosplenol-D, cirsiliol, apometzgerin, 5,7,3'-trihydroxy-6,4',5'-trimethoxyflavone, luteolin 3',4'-dimethyl ether, cirsilineol, eupatilin, nepetin and 5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-6,5'-dimethoxyflavone, were identified by UV, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic, LC-MS and HPLC comparisons w ith authentic samples. The compounds existed on the leaf surface. Four flavonoid glycosides, quercetin 3,7-di-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, luteolin 7-O-glucoside and apigenin 7-O-rutinoside, were also isolated as the intracellular flavonoids. It was shown by HPLC survey that variation of the species' flavonoids occurs among the collection sites. PMID: 24689280 [Indexed for MEDLINE]