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. Nat Prod Res. 2024 Nov 6:1-11. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2425055. Online ahead of print. Systematic analysis of natural topoisomerase I inhibitors from Forsythiae Fructus by ultrafiltration-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS, pharmacophore modelling, and molecular dynamics simulation. Wang T(1), Tan N(1), Lu J(1), Li Z(1), Wang H(2), Hu J(3), Zhang S(1), Qi J(4), Wang X(1), Wang L(1). Author information: (1)Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, China. (2)College of Computer Science and Technology, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, China. (3)College of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, China. (4)Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Natural Products & Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry & Pharmacy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China. This study conducted a systematic analysis to explore natural DNA topoisomerase I (topo I) inhibitors from Forsythiae Fructus (FF). Crude extract of FF exhibited notable toxic and anti-proliferative effects on A549 cells. A total of 36 components were identified using bioaffinity ultrafiltration UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Pinoresinol, 1,8-dihydrox-yanthraquinone, quercetin, and lariciresinol were screened as topo I inhibitors. Their ESI fragmentation patterns were analysed. An obvious repair effect on damaged DNA strands was observed by topo I inhibitory binding assay. Moreover, a common feature-based pharmacophore model was constructed and another 7 topo I inhibitors were screened. Molecular docking indicated that hydrogen bond, π-anion, and π-alkyl interaction were major interactions. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed important residues determining the binding of amentoflavone, forsythoside B and topo I. The results improved current understanding of natural topo I inhibitors from FF. Moreover, the combination of multi-disciplinary approaches provided a new tool to investigate natural antitumor products. DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2425055 PMID: 39506523 2. Nat Prod Res. 2024 Nov 6:1-6. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2424397. Online ahead of print. Study the effect of Convolvulus pilosellifolius Desr. as antialzheimer and identification of its active compounds. Mohamed NH(1), Lotfy RA(2). Author information: (1)Desert Research Centre, Phytochemistry Unit, Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Depart, Cairo, Egypt. (2)Desert Research Centre, Natural Product Unit, Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Depart, Cairo, Egypt. The phenolic pattern of the plant using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. Three flavonoid and two phenolic compounds were isolated for first time from the alcoholic plant extract which identified as; Quercetin-3'-galactoside, Quercetin-7-glucoside, Quercetin -3-glucoside and two phenolic compounds identified as Methyl-trans-dihydroxy cinnamic acid and Methyl-cis-dihydroxy cinnamic acid, they were isolated and purified using classical and modern chromatographic methods; (PC, TLC, CC and HPLC); identified by Rf, UV,1H NMR,13C NMR and 2D NMR (HMQC) spectroscopy. The activity of total alcoholic extract of Convolvulus pilosellifolius as antialzheimer was investigated concerning its activity as acetylcholine esterase inhibitor. The recorded IC50 was 0.391 and 0.131 µg/mL for the extract and donepezil respectively. The activity of isolated compounds as acetylcholine esterase inhibitor were evaluated by Autodock Vina software to perform the docking protocol. This revealed that the most active compound was Quercetin-3Ì· galactoside. DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2424397 PMID: 39506508 3. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2024 Sep 20;44(9):1769-1775. doi: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2024.09.17. [Quercetin ameliorates diabetic kidney injury in rats by inhibiting the HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway]. [Article in Chinese] Jiang Y(1), Li X(2), Geng J(3), Chen Y(2), Tang B(2), Kang P(2)(4). Author information: (1)School of Clinical Medicine, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, China. (2)Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, China. (3)School of Psychiatric Medicine, School of Mental Health, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, China. (4)Key Laboratory of Preclinical and Clinical Research of Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular Diseases, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, China. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of quercetin on renal inflammation and cell apoptosis in diabetic rats and its possible mechanisms. METHODS: Twenty-four adult male SD rats were randomized equally into normal control group, high-glucose and high-fat feeding group, streptozotocin (STZ) -induced diabetic model group, and quercetin treatment (daily dose 100 mg/kg) group. Pathological changes of the renal tissues of the rats were observed with HE staining, serum inflammatory factor levels were determined with ELISA, and renal expression of NF‑κB was observed by immunohistochemistry. Fast blood glucose (FBG), serum levels of triglyceride (TG), BUN, and Scr, and 24-h urine protein content of the rats were measured, and renal expressions of HMGB1, RAGE, NF‑κB, Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 were detected with Western blotting. RESULTS: The diabetic rats showed significantly increased levels of FBG, TG, BUN, and Scr, renal hypertrophy index, 24-h urinary protein content, serum IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α levels and renal expressions HMGB1, RAGE, NF‑κB, Bax, and caspase-3 with decreased renal expression of Bcl-2. All these changes were significantly alleviated by quercetin treatment of the rats. CONCLUSION: Quercetin can ameliorate kidney injury in diabetic rats possibly by inhibiting the HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway to reduce renal inflammation and renal cell apoptosis. DOI: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2024.09.17 PMID: 39505345 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 4. Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Nov 4:137245. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137245. Online ahead of print. Study on the effects of endogenous polyphenols on the structure, physicochemical properties and in vitro digestive characteristics of Euryales Semen starch based on multi-spectroscopies, enzyme kinetics, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Yu M(1), Qu C(2), Li D(1), Jiang Z(3), Liu J(3), Yang F(1), Liu C(1), Yue W(4), Wu Q(5). Author information: (1)State Key Laboratory on Technologies for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Control and Intelligent Manufacture, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. (2)State Key Laboratory on Technologies for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Control and Intelligent Manufacture, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: qucheng@njucm.edu.cn. (3)School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. (4)School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: yuewei@njucm.edu.cn. (5)State Key Laboratory on Technologies for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Control and Intelligent Manufacture, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: wuqn@njucm.edu.cn. Euryales Semen (ES) is a highly nutritious food with low digestibility, which is closely associated with its endogenous phenolic compounds. In this study, five phenolic compounds (naringenin, isoquercitrin, gallic acid, epicatechin and quercetin) with high concentrations in ES were selected to prepare starch-polyphenol complexes. Subsequently, the effects of endogenous polyphenols on the structure, physicochemical properties and digestion characteristics of ES starch were studied using multiple techniques. The addition of phenolic compounds markedly reduced the in vitro digestibility, swelling power, gelatinization enthalpy, while increased the solubility of ES starch. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that phenolic compounds interacted with the starch through non-covalent bonds. Five phenolic compounds inhibited α-amylase activity through a mixed competitive inhibition mechanism, with the inhibition potency ranked as follows: quercetin > epicatechin > gallic acid > isoquercitrin > naringenin. The spectroscopic analysis and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that five phenolic compounds interacted with the amino acid residues of α-amylase through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, caused α-amylase static fluorescence quenching, and altered its conformation and microenvironment. This study provides a better understanding of the interaction mechanisms between ES starch and polyphenols, and supports the development of ES as a food that lowers sugar levels. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137245 PMID: 39505170 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. 5. Int Immunopharmacol. 2024 Nov 4;143(Pt 3):113565. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113565. Online ahead of print. Ehretia laevis mitigates paracetamol- induced hepatotoxicity by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation in rats. Singh H(1), Singh T(2), Singh V(3), Singh B(4), Kaur S(5), Ahmad SF(6), Al-Mazroua HA(7), Singh B(8). Author information: (1)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005, India; Khalsa College of Pharmacy, Amritsar 143005, India. Electronic address: hasanpharma.rsh@gndu.ac.in. (2)Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Electronic address: tanveersingh1988@gmail.com. (3)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda, Punjab, India. Electronic address: varinderjassal17@gmail.com. (4)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005, India. Electronic address: brahmkailay@gmail.com. (5)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005, India. Electronic address: sarabjit.pharma@gndu.ac.in. (6)Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: fashaikh@ksu.edu.sa. (7)Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: halmazroua@ksu.edu.sa. (8)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005, India. Electronic address: balbir.pharma@gndu.ac.in. Hepatotoxicity is caused due to intake of drug or any chemical above the therapeutic range or as overdose. Current therapies for the management of hepatotoxicity are associated with several side effects. The present study was envisaged to explore the hepatoprotective potential of Ehretia laevis (E. laevis) in paracetamol (PCM) induced hepatotoxicity. All the plant extracts and fractions were evaluated for antioxidant and antiproliferative potential using various in vitro assays. Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats using a standardized single oral dose of PCM (3 g/kg). The aqueous fraction of E. laevis (AFEL) exhibited significant antioxidant and antiproliferative activity as compared to methanol extract of E. laevis (MEEL) in vitro. Moreover, treatment with AFEL (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) decreased serum hepatic markers, attenuate the oxidative stress, inflammation and histopathological changes. LC-MS analysis of AFEL showed the presence of rutin, quercetin and kaempferol. Rutin was found to be in higher concentration, therefore it was docked on TNF-α. Its overall binding mode supports its capability to make complex with TNF-α. The finding of the study suggested significant antioxidant, antiproliferative, and hepatoprotective potential of E. laevis in paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity which could be attributed to the presence of various polyphenols. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113565 PMID: 39504859 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.