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 Aug 18:1-5. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2392743. Online ahead of print. Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Lumnitzera racemosa Willd. Nguyen QT(1)(2), Thiet Nguyen MT(1)(2). Author information: (1)Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (2)Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Lumnitzera racemosa Willd is a medicinal species that supports the treatment of certain conditions. This is the first study on the chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil from Lumnitzera racemosa Willd bark. This essential oil was extracted by the hydrodistillation method and analysed by gas chromatography (GC), and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the essential oil contains twenty-four compounds, the main of which are palmitic acid, nonacosane, and heptacosane. The antimicrobial activities of the essential oil against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus had inhibition zones ranging from approximately 8.4-17.5 mm. This study has enhanced the understanding of the composition, and antimicrobial activities of L. racemosa and expanded its potential applications in the medical field. DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2392743 PMID: 39155510 2. Nat Prod Res. 2024 Jun 17:1-7. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2368274. Online ahead of print. Insecticidal activity of two organic extracts from Libidibia coriaria (Jacq.) Schltdl. fruits against Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith. Sánchez-Alonso I(1), Fonseca-González A(2), Olmedo-Juárez A(3), Olivares-Pérez J(4), González-Cortazar M(5), Monteon-Ojeda A(6), Rojas Hernández S(4). Author information: (1)Instituto Tecnológico de Cd. Altamirano, Guerrero, Mexico. (2)Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Chamilpa, Morelos, Mexico. (3)Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, INIFAP. Carretera Federal Cuernavaca-Cuautla. Col. Progreso. C.P, Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico. (4)Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Guerrero, Mexico. (5)Centro de Investigación Biomédica del Sur, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Xochitepec, Morelos, Mexico. (6)Maestría en Ciencias Agropecuarias y Gestión Local. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Ambientales. Carretera Iguala-Tuxpan, Guerrero, Mexico. This study describes the chemical characterisation of two extracts (ethyl acetate, EtOAc-E and hexanic, Hx-E) from Libidibia coriaria fruits and their insecticidal properties on Spodoptera frugiperda. The HPLC analysis in EtOAct-E revealed the presence of ellagic acid and phenolic compounds. The CG-MS analysis in Hx-E revealed the presence of Hexadecanoic acid, 11-Methylheptacosane, Dodecanoic acid and Nonacosane as major compounds. The application of both extracts was performed on the dorsal part of each larva via aspersion. The larval mortality, relative growth and emergence percentage of adults were evaluated. The Hx-E caused a 93.33% mortality at 100 mg/mL at 24 h post-application. A minor relative growth with both EtOAc-E (12.64 mg) and Hx-E (7.90 mg) was observed compared with their respective negative controls (methanol = 25.05 mg and tween20 = 24.53 mg). The lowest emergence percentage of adults with the Hx-E (25%) at 50 mg/mL was observed. Libidibia coriaria fruits exhibit insecticidal properties against S. frugiperda. DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2368274 PMID: 38885338 3. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2024 Mar;49(6):1564-1569. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20231208.201. [A new nor-neolignan compound identified from Itea yunnanensis]. [Article in Chinese] Jian JZ(1), Lang TQ(1), Zhang W(1), Feng YQ(1), Luo GY(1). Author information: (1)College of Pharmacy, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Guian 550025, China. Various separation methods in combination with spectral data analysis, X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis, and litera-ture data comparison were employed to clarify the chemical constituents of Itea yunnanensis. Seven compounds were obtained from I. yunnanensis, which were identified as(S)-3-[1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane-2-yl]-4-methoxybenzoate methyl ester(1), iteafuranal B(2), syringaresinol(3), dihydrokaempferol(4), trimethoxybenzene(5), eicosane(6), and nonacosane(7), respectively. Among them, compound 1 was a new nor-neolignan compound named iteanorneoligan A, and the rest of the compounds were identified from I. yunnanensis for the first time. The anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect of the compound was evaluated based on Sk-hep-1 cells model via MTT assay, and compound 2 showed a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of Sk-hep-1 cells with an IC_(50) of 9.4 μmol·L~(-1). The antioxidant capacity was determined via DPPH, ABTS~(·+), and O■ radical scavenging ability, and compound 1 exhibited a significant ABTS~(·+) radical scavenging effect with an IC_(50) of 0.178 mg·mL~(-1). DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20231208.201 PMID: 38621940 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 4. Molecules. 2024 Feb 13;29(4):833. doi: 10.3390/molecules29040833. Phytochemical and Micro-Morphological Characterization of Atraphaxis pyrifolia Bunge Growing in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Abilkassymova A(1)(2)(3), Kozykeyeva R(3)(4), Aldana-Mejía JA(3), John Adams S(3), Datkhayev U(2), Turgumbayeva A(1)(5), Orynbassarova K(4), Saroja SG(3), Khan IA(3)(6), Ross SA(2)(3)(6). Author information: (1)Higher School of Medicine, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan. (2)School of Pharmacy, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan. (3)National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA. (4)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, Shymkent 160019, Kazakhstan. (5)School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1W 6UW, UK. (6)Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Division of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA. Atraphaxis pyrifolia is a native species of Central Asia, known for curing several disorders. The species has little knowledges about its chemical composition and any information about its morphological characteristics despite its importance in traditional Asian medicine. This is one of the first approaches to the phytochemical and morphological characterization of this species. Micro-morphology was performed on the stem, and leaf parts of this plant to profile the morpho-anatomical characters using brightfield, fluorescence, polarized and scanning electron microscopy. Leaves were extracted with hexane and methanol. The hexane extract was analyzed using GC-MS analysis revealing the major presence of γ-sitosterol and nonacosane. The methanolic extract was submitted to Vacuum Liquid Chromatography and Sephadex LH-20. HPTLC, HR-ESI-MS and NMR techniques were used to identify the main compounds. Four glycosylated flavonoids were isolated: 8-O-acetyl-7-O-methyl-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosylgossypetin (Compound 1), and 7-O-methyl-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosylgossypetin (Compound 3), and two other compounds reported for the first time in the literature (Compounds 2 and 4). The findings presented herein furnish pertinent information essential for the identification and authentication of this medicinal plant. Such insights are invaluable for facilitating robust quality control measures and serve as a foundational framework for subsequent endeavours in metabolic, pharmacological, and taxonomical analyses. DOI: 10.3390/molecules29040833 PMCID: PMC10891614 PMID: 38398586 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. 5. Sci Total Environ. 2024 Feb 25;913:169719. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169719. Epub 2024 Jan 1. Deciphering the impact of microenvironmental factors on cuticular hydrocarbon degradation in Lucilia sericata empty Puparia: Bridging ecological and forensic entomological perspectives using machine learning models. Sharif S(1), Wunder C(2), Amendt J(3), Qamar A(4). Author information: (1)Institute of Legal Medicine, Forensic Biology, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: swaimasharif@gmail.com. (2)Institute of Legal Medicine, Forensic Biology, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: wunder@uni-mainz.de. (3)Institute of Legal Medicine, Forensic Biology, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: amendt@em.uni-frankfurt.de. (4)Section of Entomology, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, U.P., India. Electronic address: ayesha.zo@amu.ac.in. Blow flies (Calliphoridae) play essential ecological roles in nutrient recycling by consuming decaying organic matter. They serve as valuable bioindicators in ecosystem management and forensic entomology, with their unique feeding behavior leading to the accumulation of environmental pollutants in their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), making them potential indicators of exposure history. This study focuses on CHC degradation dynamics in empty puparia of Lucilia sericata under different environmental conditions for up to 90 days. The three distinct conditions were considered: outdoor-buried, outdoor-above-ground, and indoor environments. Five predominant CHCs, n-Pentacosane (n-C25), n-Hexacosane (n-C26), n-Heptacosane (n-C27), n-Octacosane (n-C28), and n-Nonacosane (n-C29), were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The findings revealed variations in CHC concentrations over time, influenced by environmental factors, with significant differences at different time points. Correlation heatmap analysis indicated negative correlations between weathering time and certain CHCs, suggesting decreasing concentrations over time. Machine learning techniques Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) models explored the potential of CHCs as age indicators. SVM achieved an R-squared value of 0.991, demonstrating high accuracy in age estimation based on CHC concentrations. MLP also exhibited satisfactory performance in outdoor conditions, while SVM and MLP yielded unsatisfactory results indoors due to the lack of significant CHC variations. After comprehensive model selection and performance evaluations, it was found that the XGBoost model excelled in capturing the patterns in all three datasets. This study bridges the gap between baseline and ecological/forensic use of empty puparia, offering valuable insights into the potential of CHCs in environmental monitoring and investigations. Understanding CHCs' stability and degradation enhances blow flies' utility as bioindicators for pollutants and exposure history, benefiting environmental monitoring and forensic entomology. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169719 PMID: 38171456 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest None.