Morus alba L. is well-known for its medicinal and economic value, particularly in Asian countries. Among the isolated compounds from this plant, steppogenin is exhibited as a flavonoid with promising pharmacological properties. This study focused on isolating bioactive compounds, notably steppogenin, from the ethyl acetate extract of M. alba. Additionally, a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method for the simultaneous quantification of steppogenin and isolated compounds was developed and validated. The calibration curve showed excellent linearity, with a correlation coefficient (R 2 ) value greater than 0.9957. The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.006 to 0.018 μg/mL, whereas the limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.020 to 0.061 μg/mL. In precision tests conducted intra-day and inter-day, the accuracy was between 97.32% and 106.39%, with relative standard deviations (RSD) less than 2.27% and 1.65%, respectively. The presence of steppogenin and other flavonoids was confirmed by the study, contributing to the understanding of the chemical composition of M. alba. This validated analytical method offers a reliable means of quantifying steppogenin and aiding future research into its therapeutic potential.

Ovarian cancer is a primary global health concern, often diagnosed at advanced stages with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Natural products have emerged as potential sources of safe and effective therapies. From the seeds of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (nutmeg), 24 compounds, including neolignans and diarylnonanoid derivatives, were isolated and structurally elucidated. The cytotoxic activities of these isolated metabolites against cisplatin-sensitive and resistant human ovarian cancer cell lines were evaluated. In particular, myrifragranone C (23) exhibited cytotoxicity against all test cancer cell lines A2780, TOV-112D, and SK-OV3 with IC50 values of 14.1, 16.9, and 33.4 μM, respectively. Furthermore, compound 23 induced the death of A2780 and SK-OV3 cancer cells via apoptosis. Western blotting revealed that compound 23 significantly increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and poly-ADP ribose polymerase and promoted apoptosis via the mitogenactivated protein kinase signaling pathway. Our findings may provide a preliminary understanding of the antiovarian cancer effect of the active compound myrifragranone C as a potential treatment using natural products.

Salvia miltiorrhiza is a traditional medicinal plant used in Asian medicine for various therapeutic purposes. This plant contains numerous bioactive secondary metabolites, particularly abietane-type diterpenoids. In this study, 16 abietane-type diterpenoids were isolated from S. miltiorrhiza root extracts and structurally identified through advanced spectroscopic techniques. Among them, tanshinone IIA (6) and 15,16-dihydrotanshinone I (11) exhibited potent α-glucosidase inhibition, with IC 50 values of 48.38 ± 0.57 and 48.02 ± 0.47 µM, respectively. Enzyme kinetic studies revealed that these compounds served as non-competitive inhibitors of α-glucosidase. Our findings indicate that natural compounds from S. miltiorrhiza show promise as safe and effective α-glucosidase inhibitors, providing an alternative approach to diabetes treatment. This study contributes to the growing interest in utilizing natural sources for α-glucosidase inhibition and their potential application in healthcare and disease management.

Diabetes, characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, has a significant impact on cardiovascular, neural, and vascular systems. α-Glucosidase inhibitors have emerged as potential therapeutic agents for type 2 diabetes, as they slow carbohydrate digestion and reduce postprandial blood sugar levels. In this study, we investigated the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Celastrus orbiculatusThunb., renowned for its diverse phytochemical constituents and potential medicinal applications. Through the application of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, we successfully isolated and structurally elucidated 16 compounds from the stems of C. orbiculatus. The in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of these compounds was evaluated. Notably, celaphanol A (1) and (+) lariciresinol (7) exhibited strong α-glucosidase inhibition, with IC 50 values of 8.06 ± 0.30 and 48.02 ± 0.47 µM, respectively. Enzyme kinetics analysis revealed that the most active compound 1 acted as a non-competitive inhibitor against α-glucosidase, with a K i> value of 7.77 ± 0.16 µM. These findings underscore C. orbiculatus as a valuable source for discovering and developing new α-glucosidase inhibitors. Furthermore, compound 1 shows promise as a candidate for natural herbal therapy targeting α-glucosidase inhibition. This suggests the potential for further investigation into its effectiveness through in silico or in vivo studies using a diabetes model.

Objective To investigate the anti-proliferative effects of 20-hydroxyecdysone isolated from the bark of Dacrycarpus imbricatus (Blume) de Laub. Methods Column chromatography was used for isolation of compounds from plant material. The structure of the isolated compound was identified by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, including HSQC, HMBC, NOE-difference experiments. The isolated compound was tested for its anti-proliferative activity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and OCI-AML cells. Results Compound 1 was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of Dacrycarpus imbricatus barks by column chromatography. Its chemical structure was identified as 20-hydroxyecdysone (20HE), a cholestane-type ecdysteroid, by a combination of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometric analyses. Our goal was to test the anti-proliferative activity of 20HE using the OCI-AML cell line. 20HE significantly decreased OCI cell number at a concentration of 1 mg/mL, whereas lower concentrations were ineffective. Moreover, this decrease was due to partial blockage of the G