Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Food Chem. 2024 Oct 18;464(Pt 2):141683. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141683. 
Online ahead of print.

Geographic origin characterization of Brazilian green coffee beans via 
untargeted metabolomics.

Pimenta JVC(1), Dos Santos LB(1), Almeida MR(1), Augusti R(1), de Macedo AN(2).

Author information:
(1)Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio 
Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
(2)Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio 
Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Electronic address: 
adrianamacedo@qui.ufmg.br.

Coffee is a widely popular beverage worldwide, known for its distinct sensory 
properties which are greatly affected by geographical origin. Herein, we 
performed an untargeted metabolomic evaluation of green coffee beans (n = 40) 
from four different regions in Brazil: Cerrado Mineiro, Sul de Minas, Caparaó, 
and Mogiana Paulista; by using UHPLC-HRMS (ultra-high performance liquid 
chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry). The most 
significant metabolites responsible for coffee characterization were 
theobromine, zeatin, phenylacetaldehyde, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, chlorogenic 
acids, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid. Our 
findings demonstrate that the green coffee cultivated in Cerrado Mineiro, the 
most valuable among the four samples evaluated, exhibits a unique and typical 
metabolite profile, setting it apart from the coffee beans grown in other 
regions. Finally, the findings reported may be relevant for coffee producers in 
the Cerrado Mineiro area, as they contribute to establishing a certificate of 
origin for their high-quality product.

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141683
PMID: 39503088

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.


2. J Mycol Med. 2024 Oct 24;34(4):101513. doi: 10.1016/j.mycmed.2024.101513.
Online  ahead of print.

Rumex japonicus Houtt. Leaves: The chemical composition and anti-fungal 
activity.

Xiao D(1), Sun H(2), Li X(3), Meng F(4), Sun T(5), Shao X(6), Ding Y(7), Li 
Y(8).

Author information:
(1)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
20203892018@stu.ccucm.edu.cn.
(2)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
21203089220@stu.ccucm.edu.cn.
(3)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
22203089213@stu.ccucm.edu.cn.
(4)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
22203089214@stu.ccucm.edu.cn.
(5)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
22203089218@stu.ccucm.edu.cn.
(6)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
21203089212@stu.ccucm.edu.cn.
(7)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
dingyl@ccucm.edu.cn.
(8)Department of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of 
Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117 Jilin, PR China. Electronic address: 
liyong@ccucm.edu.cn.

BACKGROUND: Candida albicans is a pathogenic commensal fungus. Trichophyton 
mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum are the leading pathogens of 
dermatophysis. Rumex japonicus Houtt. has a miraculous effect on the treatment 
of tinea skin disease, but its mechanism has not been clarified.
PURPOSE: This paper investigated the anti-fungal ingredients of the leaves of 
Rumex japonicus Houtt. (RJH-L) and the mechanism of the anti-fungal 
(Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans).
METHOD: First, the chemical composition analysis of RJH-L was conducted by acid 
extraction and alcohol precipitation, high performance liquid chromatography 
(HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR); in vitro anti-fungal 
experiments were carried out, including the minimum inhibitory concentration 
(MIC) and the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) spore germination rate, 
germ tube production rate, nucleic acid and protein leakage rate, biofilm 
structure, PCR, etc., to study the mechanism of action of RJH-L anti-fungal and 
anti-biofilm activity.
RESULT: Seven monomer compounds were obtained: anthraquinones (rhein, emodin and 
aloe-emodin); polyphenols (ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid), and flavonoids (rutin 
and quercetin). The results of in vitro anti-fungal experiments showed that the 
extracts of RJH-L had strong inhibitory effect on both fungi (MIC: 1.96 
µg/mL-62.50 µg/mL), of which emodin had the strongest effect on Trichophyton 
mentagrophytes; and rhein had the strongest effect on Candida albicans and 
Trichophyton rubrum. The above active components can inhibit the germination of 
fungal spores and germ tube, change cell membrane permeability, prevent hyphal 
growth, destroy the biofilm structure, and down-regulate the expression of 
agglutinin-like sequencefamily1 of biofilm growth.
CONCLUSION: This study shows that RJH-L are rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, and 
anthraquinones, and play a fungicidal role.

Copyright © 2024 SFMM. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.mycmed.2024.101513
PMID: 39500231

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors 
have no conflict of interest to declare.


3. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024 Oct 31;24(1):379. doi:
10.1186/s12906-024-04669-x.

Uncovering the therapeutic potential of green pea waste in breast cancer: a 
multi-target approach utilizing LC-MS/MS metabolomics, molecular networking, and 
network pharmacology.

Khalil AM(1), Sabry OM(2)(3), El-Askary HI(2), El Zalabani SM(2), Eltanany 
BM(4), Pont L(5)(6), Benavente F(5), Mohamed AF(7)(8), Fayek NM(2).

Author information:
(1)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, 
11562, Egypt. asmaa.khalil@pharma.cu.edu.eg.
(2)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, 
11562, Egypt.
(3)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, 
Cairo, 4645241, Egypt.
(4)Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo 
University, Cairo, 11562, Egypt.
(5)Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, Institute for 
Research on Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA·UB), University of Barcelona, 
Barcelona, 08028, Spain.
(6)Serra Húnter Program, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, 08007, Spain.
(7)Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo 
University, Cairo, 11562, Egypt.
(8)Faculty of Pharmacy, King Salman International University (KSIU), Ras Sedr, 
46612, Egypt.

BACKGROUND PISUM SATIVUM: (PS) is a universal legume plant utilized for both 
human and animal consumption, particularly its seeds, known as green peas. The 
processing of PS in food industries and households produces a significant amount 
of waste that needs to be valorized.
METHODS: In this study, the metabolite profiles of the 70% ethanolic extracts of 
PS wastes, namely peels (PSP) and a combination of leaves and stems (PSLS), were 
investigated by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole 
time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) followed by 
molecular networking.
RESULTS: Different classes of metabolites were identified, being flavonoids and 
their derivatives, along with phenolic acids, the most abundant categories. 
Additionally, a comprehensive network pharmacology strategy was applied to 
elucidate potentially active metabolites, key targets, and the pathways involved 
in cytotoxic activity against breast cancer. This cytotoxic activity was 
investigated in MCF-7 and MCF-10a cell lines. Results revealed that PSLS extract 
exhibited a potent cytotoxic activity with a good selectivity index (IC50 = 
17.67 and selectivity index of 3.51), compared to the reference drug doxorubicin 
(IC50 = 2.69 µg/mL and selectivity index of 5.28). Whereas PSP extract appeared 
to be less potent and selective (IC50 = 32.92 µg/mL and selectivity index of 
1.62). A similar performance was also observed for several polyphenolics 
isolated from the PSLS extract, including methyl cis p-coumarate, trans 
p-coumaric acid, and liquiritigenin/ 7-methyl liquiritigenin mixture. Methyl cis 
p-coumarate showed the most potent cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cell line 
and the highest selectivity (IC50 = 1.18 µg/mL (6.91 µM) and selectivity index 
of 27.42). The network pharmacology study revealed that the isolated compounds 
could interact with several breast cancer-associated protein targets including 
carbonic anhydrases 1, 2, 4, 9, and 12, as well as aldo-keto reductase family 1 
member B1, adenosine A3 receptor, protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 
1, and estrogen receptor 2.
CONCLUSION: The uncovered therapeutic potential of PSLS and its metabolite 
constituents pave the way for an efficient and mindful PS waste valorization, 
calling for further in-vitro and in-vivo research.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04669-x
PMCID: PMC11526710
PMID: 39482666 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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


4. Dalton Trans. 2024 Oct 30. doi: 10.1039/d4dt02516d. Online ahead of print.

Copper-assisted anticancer activity of hydroxycinnamic acid terpyridine 
conjugates on triple-negative breast cancer.

Roy A(1), Khatun S(2), Dewale PD(1), Rengan AK(2), Chinta JP(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal, 
Telangana 506004, India. Jugun@nitw.ac.in.
(2)Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology 
Hyderabad, Hyderabad 5022854, India.

The development of active therapeutic agents to treat highly metastatic cancer 
while minimizing damage to healthy cells is of utmost importance. Due to 
potential antioxidant properties, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (caffeic acid 
and p-coumaric acids) were found to inhibit highly metastatic breast cancer cell 
growth both in vitro and in vivo without much effect on normal cells. Especially 
due to the structure-activity relationships, ester and amide derivatives of 
hydroxycinnamic acids are reported to gain much higher radical scavenging 
ability than their naked hydroxycinnamic acid analogs like caffeic acid and 
p-coumaric acid. These results prompted us to design a set of ligands by 
incorporating an amide moiety on caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid to achieve the 
least toxicity towards healthy cell lines. Further, the Cu(II) complexes of 
amide-coupled caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid ligands have been explored for 
their therapeutic activity on triple-negative breast cancer and other cancer 
cells like colon, and prostate cancer. The Cu(II) complexes (4 & 5) were 
characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, and X-band EPR spectroscopy. The 
trigonal bipyramidal geometry of complexes was confirmed by the X-band EPR 
spectra recorded in solution state at liquid N2 temperature. The purity of the 
complexes was determined by elemental analysis and HPLC traces. Initially, Calf 
thymus DNA (ct-DNA) binding studies with the complexes were explored. The 
results suggested the complexes (4 & 5) bind majorly through an intercalative 
mode of binding with ct-DNA, whereas no significant binding was observed for the 
bare organic ligands (2 & 3). The intercalation binding modes of 4 and 5 were 
further supported by UV-visible spectroscopy, ct-DNA melting point analysis, and 
CD spectroscopy. Moreover, these complexes showed better activity towards 
cisplatin-resistant TNBC cell lines (4T1, a TNBC cell line derived from the 
mammary gland tissue of a mouse). The combination of antioxidants and Cu(II) as 
the metal center made the complexes more cytotoxic toward cancer cell lines 
(4T1) (IC50 ∼ 3.5 ± 2.5 μM) and the least toxic toward healthy cells (L929) 
(IC50 ∼ 15 ± 5 μM). Finally, the mechanism of cell death was studied using JC-1 
staining and a cell colony formation assay. These studies might help in 
designing safer anticancer drugs for treating more aggressive types of cancer.

DOI: 10.1039/d4dt02516d
PMID: 39479915


5. Antioxidants (Basel). 2024 Oct 3;13(10):1200. doi: 10.3390/antiox13101200.

DNA-Protective, Antioxidant and Anti-Carcinogenic Potential of Meadowsweet 
(Filipendula ulmaria) Dry Tincture.

Andonova T(1), Muhovski Y(2), Apostolova E(3), Naimov S(3), Mladenova S(4), 
Slavov I(5), Dincheva I(6), Georgiev V(7), Pavlov A(7)(8), Dimitrova-Dyulgerova 
I(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Botany and Biological Education, Faculty of Biology, University 
of Plovdiv "Paisii Hilendarski", 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
(2)Biological Engineering Unit; Life Sciences Department, Walloon Agricultural 
Research Centre, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium.
(3)Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv 
"Paisii Hilendarski", 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
(4)Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of 
Plovdiv "Paisii Hilendarski", 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
(5)Department of Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Varna, 9000 
Varna, Bulgaria.
(6)Department of Agrobiotechnologies, AgroBioInstitute, Agricultural Academy, 
1164 Sofia, Bulgaria.
(7)Laboratory of Cell Biosystems, Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy 
of Sciences, 139 Ruski Blvd., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
(8)Department of Analytical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry, Technological 
Faculty, University of Food Technologies, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Nowadays, interest in natural antioxidants (especially phenolics) for the 
prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases is increasing due to their fewer 
side effects and more potent activity than some of their synthetic analogues. 
New chemical and pharmacological studies of well-known herbal substances are 
among the current trends in medicinal plant research. Meadowsweet (Filipendula 
ulmaria) is a popular herb used in traditional medicine to treat various 
diseases (including rheumatic-, inflammatory- and tumor-related disease, etc.). 
The dry tincture of Filipendulae ulmariae herba, collected from the Bulgarian 
flora, was analyzed using the HPLC method and bioassayed for antioxidant, 
antiproliferative and DNA-protective activities against oxidative damage. The 
HPLC phenolic profile showed 12 phenolics, of which salicylic acid (18.84 mg/g 
dry extract), rutin (9.97 mg/g de), p-coumaric acid (6.80 mg/g de), quercetin 
(4.47 mg/g de), rosmarinic acid (4.01 mg/g de) and vanillic acid (3.82 mg/g de) 
were the major components. The high antioxidant potential of the species was 
confirmed by using four methods, best expressed by the results of the CUPRAC 
assay (10,605.91 μM TE/g de). The present study reports for the first time the 
highly protective activities of meadowsweet dry tincture against oxidative DNA 
damage and its antiproliferative effect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2 
cell line). Meadowsweet dry tincture possesses great potential to prevent 
diseases caused by oxidative stress.

DOI: 10.3390/antiox13101200
PMCID: PMC11504252
PMID: 39456454

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