Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Plants (Basel). 2023 Sep 25;12(19):3369. doi: 10.3390/plants12193369.

Extractives from Artemisia afra with Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Fungal Properties.

Molokoane TL(1), Kemboi D(1)(2), Siwe-Noundou X(3), Famuyide IM(4), McGaw LJ(4), 
Tembu VJ(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Chemistry, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, 
Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
(2)Department of Chemistry, University of Kabianga, Kericho 2030, Kenya.
(3)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences 
University, Pretoria 0204, South Africa.
(4)Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, University of 
Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.

Secondary metabolites were isolated using chromatographic techniques after being 
extracted sequentially from the roots of Artemisia afra using organic solvents 
such as ethanol, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, and n-hexane. The isolated 
compounds were evaluated for anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and cytotoxicity 
activities. Spectroscopic techniques, including Nuclear Magnetic Resonance 
(NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and liquid chromatography-mass 
spectrometry (LC-MS), were used to elucidate the structures of the isolated 
compounds. The phytochemical investigation of A. afra led to the isolation of 
eight (A-H) compounds which were identified as 3β-taraxerol (A), 3β-taraxerol 
acetate (B), dodecyl-p-coumarate (C), ferulic acid (D), scopoletin (E), 
sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (F), 3,5-di-O-feruloylquinic acid (G) and 
Isofraxidin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (H) based on spectroscopic data. Compounds 
A, B, C, F, G, and H are known but were isolated for the first time from the 
roots of A. afra. The isolated compounds and extracts from A. afra exhibited 
good anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activity with dichloromethane and ethyl 
acetate crude extracts (0.078 mg/mL) and compound E (62.5 µg/mL) showed good 
activities against Escherichia coli. Compounds C and F also showed good activity 
against Enterococcus faecalis with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values 
of 62.5 and 31.25 µg/mL, respectively. Extracts and compounds (A-H) exhibited 
anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and showed no toxicity when tested on 
Vero monkey kidney (Vero) cells.

DOI: 10.3390/plants12193369
PMCID: PMC10574767
PMID: 37836110

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


2. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 17;24(6):5769. doi: 10.3390/ijms24065769.

De Novo Transcriptome Sequencing of Codonopsis lanceolata for Identification of 
Triterpene Synthase and Triterpene Acetyltransferase.

Choi HB(1), Shim S(2), Wang MH(1), Choi YE(1)(2).

Author information:
(1)Department of Bio-Health Convergence, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 
24341, Republic of Korea.
(2)Department of Forest Resources, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, 
Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea.

Codonopsis lanceolata (Campanulaceae) is a perennial plant commonly known as the 
bonnet bellflower. This species is widely used in traditional medicine and is 
considered to have multiple medicinal properties. In this study, we found that 
shoots and roots of C. lanceolata contained various types of free triterpenes 
(taraxerol, β-amyrin, α-amyrin, and friedelin) and triterpene acetates 
(taraxerol acetate, β-amyrin acetate, and α-amyrin acetate). The content of 
triterpenes and triterpene acetates by GC analysis was higher in the shoot than 
in the roots. To investigate the transcriptional activity of genes involved in 
triterpenes and triterpene acetate biosynthesis, we performed de novo 
transcriptome analysis of shoots and roots of C. lanceolata by sequencing using 
the Illumina platform. A total of 39,523 representative transcripts were 
obtained. After functional annotation of the transcripts, the differential 
expression of genes involved in triterpene biosynthetic pathways was 
investigated. Generally, the transcriptional activity of unigenes in the 
upstream region (MVA and MEP pathway) of triterpene biosynthetic pathways was 
higher in shoots than in roots. Various triterpene synthases (2,3-oxidosqualene 
cyclase, OSC) participate to produce triterpene skeletons by the cyclization of 
2,3-oxidosqualene. A total of fifteen contigs were obtained in annotated OSCs in 
the representative transcripts. Functional characterization of four OSC 
sequences by heterologous expression in yeast revealed that ClOSC1 was 
determined as taraxerol synthase, and ClOSC2 was a mixed-amyrin synthase 
producing α-amyrin and β-amyrin. Five putative contigs of triterpene 
acetyltransferases showed high homology to the lettuce triterpene 
acetyltransferases. Conclusively, this study provides the basis of molecular 
information, particularly for the biosynthesis of triterpenes and triterpene 
acetates in C. lanceolata.

DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065769
PMCID: PMC10056628
PMID: 36982844 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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


3. J Tradit Complement Med. 2022 Mar 22;12(5):477-487. doi: 
10.1016/j.jtcme.2022.03.003. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Formulation and evaluation of SGLT2 inhibitory effect of a polyherbal mixture 
inspired from Ayurvedic system of medicine.

Kumar A(1), Negi AS(2), Chauhan A(3), Semwal R(1), Kumar R(2), Semwal RB(4), 
Singh R(5)(6), Joshi T(7), Chandra S(8), Joshi SK(9), Semwal DK(10).

Author information:
(1)Research and Development Centre, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Uttarakhand 
Ayurved University, Harrawala, Dehradun, 248001, India.
(2)School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Sardar Bhagwan Singh 
University, Balawala, 248161, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India.
(3)Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Uttarakhand 
Ayurved University, Harrawala, Dehradun, 248001, India.
(4)Department of Chemistry, Pt. Lalit Mohan Sharma Government Postgraduate 
College, Rishikesh, 249201, Uttarakhand, India.
(5)Department of Pharmacology, M.M. College of Pharmacy, Maharishi Markandeshwar 
University, Mullana, Ambala, 133207, Haryana, India.
(6)Department of Pharmacology, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151401, 
Punjab, India.
(7)Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Bhimtal, Nainital, 263136, 
Uttarakhand, India.
(8)Computational Biology & Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Soban 
Singh Jeena University, Almora, 263601, Uttarakhand, India.
(9)Uttarakhand Ayurved University, Harrawala, Dehradun, 248001, India.
(10)Department of Phytochemistry, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Uttarakhand 
Ayurved University, Harrawala, Dehradun, 248001, India.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The ingredients viz., Artemisia roxburghiana, Cissampelos 
pareira, Stephania glabra, Drimia indica, Roylea cinerea, Tinospora sinensis and 
Curcuma longa of the present formulation are used to treat diabetes in the 
Indian traditional medical system. Adopting the concept of multiple herbal 
mixtures for better therapeutic effects from the ancient Ayurvedic text 
Sarangdhar Samhita, the present study aimed to develop a polyherbal formulation 
(PHF) of seven herbs and to evaluate its sodium-glucose cotransporter protein-2 
(SGLT2) inhibitory effect on type 2 diabetic rats.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE: Streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg) and nicotinamide (NAM) 
(120 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally administered to induce type 2 diabetes in 
Wistar rats. The animals were divided into 5 groups viz. normal control, 
diabetic control, positive control (dapagliflozin at 0.1 mg/kg) and two test 
groups (PHF at 250 and 500 mg/kg). Various parameters including blood glucose, 
serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamic-oxaloacetic 
transaminase (SGOT), bilirubin, triglycerides and creatinine were measured.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The treatment with PHF (250 and 500 mg/kg) showed a 
significant (p < 0.05) decrease in blood glucose levels by 56.37% and 58.17%, 
respectively. The levels of SGOT, SGPT and bilirubin were significantly reduced 
in PHF-fed diabetic rats. Histopathological examination revealed no major 
changes in the treated groups as compared to the normal control. The molecular 
docking study showed strong binding of β-sitosterol, insulanoline, warifteine, 
dehydrocorydalmine, taraxerol acetate, lupeol, corydalmine and luteolin to SGLT2 
protein. The present study concludes that PHF has promising antidiabetic 
activity via inhibiting SGLT2 protein without showing any adverse effects.

© 2022 Center for Food and Biomolecules, National Taiwan University. Production 
and hosting by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2022.03.003
PMCID: PMC9446025
PMID: 36081821

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


4. Mol Med Rep. 2021 Jun;23(6):461. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12100. Epub 2021 Apr
20.

[Retracted] Anticancer activity of taraxerol acetate in human glioblastoma cells 
and a mouse xenograft model via induction of autophagy and apoptotic cell death, 
cell cycle arrest and inhibition of cell migration.

Hong JF(1), Song YF(2), Liu Z(1), Zheng ZC(1), Chen HJ(1), Wang SS(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Neurosurgery, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military 
Command, Dongfang Hospital, Xiamen University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350025, P.R. 
China.
(2)Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital 
of Nanjing Military Command, Dongfang Hospital, Xiamen University,Fuzhou, Fujian 
350025, P.R. China.

Retraction of
    Mol Med Rep. 2016 Jun;13(6):4541-8. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2016.5105.

Following the publication of the above paper, a concerned reader drew to the 
Editor's attention that several figures (Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 10) contained 
apparent anomalies, including repeated patternings of data within the same 
figure panels. Furthermore, Fig. 3 contained data that bore striking 
similarities to data published in Fig. 6 in another paper published in Molecular 
Medicine Reports, which has now been retracted [Zhu Y‑Y, Huang H‑Y and Wu Y‑L: 
Anticancer and apoptotic activities of oleanolic acid are mediated through cell 
cycle arrest and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in HepG2 human 
hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Mol Med Rep 12: 5012‑5018, 2015]. After having 
conducted an independent investigation in the Editorial Office, the Editor of 
Molecular Medicine Reports has determined that the above paper should be 
retracted from the Journal on account of a lack of confidence concerning the 
originality and the authenticity of the data. The authors were asked for an 
explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office never 
received any reply. The Editor regrets any inconvenience that has been caused to 
the readership of the Journal. [the original article was published in Molecular 
Medicine Reports 13: 4541‑4548, 2016; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2016.5105].

DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12100
PMCID: PMC8072302
PMID: 33876628


5. Cell J. 2017 Oct;19(3):512-519. doi: 10.22074/cellj.2017.4543. Epub 2017 Aug
19.

Taraxerol Induces Cell Apoptosis through A Mitochondria-Mediated Pathway in HeLa 
Cells.

Yaoi X(1), Lu B(2), Lü C(1), Bai Q(1), Yan D(3), Xu H(4).

Author information:
(1)Department of Biology and Food Engineering, Bengbu University, Bengbu, China.
(2)School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
(3)School of Biology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic 
University, Wuhan, China.
(4)Department of Biology and Food Engineering, Bengbu University, Bengbu, China. 
Electronic address: leeyxy@gmail.com.

OBJECTIVES: Taraxerol acetate has potent anti-cancer effects via the induction 
of apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest, and inhibition of cell migration. 
However, whether taraxerol induced apoptosis and its underlying mechanisms of 
action is not clear. In the present study, we assess the effects of taraxerol on 
the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and determine the release of cytochrome c to 
the cytosol and activation of caspases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, we mainly investigated the 
effect of taraxerol on HeLa cells. We tested cell viability by the MTT assay and 
morphologic changes, analyzed apoptosis by DAPI staining and flow cytometry. We 
also determined reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane 
potential (MMP) using a Microplate Reader. In addition, the apoptotic proteins 
were tested by Western blot.
RESULTS: Taraxerol enhanced ROS levels and attenuated the MMP (Δψm) in HeLa 
cells. Taraxerol induced apoptosis mainly via the mitochondrial pathway 
including the release of cytochrome c to the cytosol and activation of caspases 
9 and 3, and anti-poly (ADPribose) polymerase (PARP). Taraxerol could induce the 
down-regulation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and up-regulation of 
pro-apoptotic protein Bax. It suppressed the PI3K/ Akt signaling pathway.
CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that taraxerol induced cell apoptosis 
through a mitochondria-mediated pathway in HeLa cells. Thus, taraxerol might be 
a potential anticervical cancer candidate.

Copyright© by Royan Institute. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2017.4543
PMCID: PMC5572297
PMID: 28836414

Conflict of interest statement: There is no conflict of interest in this study.