Polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs) represent a distinct subclass of specialized metabolites predominantly found in the plant kingdom, particularly within the Guttiferae (Clusiaceae) family. These compounds exhibit remarkable structural diversity and a wide range of biological activities. Seco- and nor-PPAPs, two unique variants of PPAPs with diverse skeletal structures, have been extensively investigated. As of June 2023, 200 compounds have been isolated from four genera, with Hypericum being the primary source. Notably, 115 of these compounds were identified in the past four years, indicating a significant increase in research activity. Seco- and nor-PPAPs can be categorized into six main subgroups based on the original PPAP scaffolds. Biological studies have revealed their potential in various therapeutic applications, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-Alzheimer's disease (anti-AD), multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal, anti-depressant, neuroprotective, and immunosuppressive effects. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the occurrence, structures, and bioactivities of natural seco- and nor-PPAPs, offering valuable insights for the further development of PPAPs.
Phloroglucinol/analogs & derivatives* ; Humans ; Molecular Structure ; Animals ; Clusiaceae/chemistry* ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Biological Products/pharmacology*

The present study investigated the chemical constituents from Uncaria sessilifructus and their neuroprotective activities. The compounds were separated and purified from the 90% ethanol extract of U. sessilifructus by various chromatographic methods, including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative HPLC. Seven compounds were obtained, and their structures were identified as uncanidine J(1), uncanidine K(2), 17-O-ethylhirsutine(3), tetrahydroalstonine(4), akuammigine(5), hirsutine(6), and hirsuteine(7) by physicochemical properties and various spectral techniques, including UV, IR, MS, and NMR. Compounds 1 and 2 are two new compounds. Compound 3 is a new natural product, and compound 4 was isolated from U. sessilifructus for the first time. In addition, the isolated compounds were evaluated for their neuroprotective effects on oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) injury in primary cortical neurons in rats. The results showed that compounds 1-7 had different degrees of protective effects on OGD/R injury. The EC_(50) values of compounds 2-4 were(0.17±0.03),(1.70±0.38), and(1.79±0.23) μmol·L~(-1), respectively.
Animals ; Biological Products ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ethanol ; Glucose ; Indole Alkaloids ; Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacology* ; Oxygen ; Rats ; Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids ; Silica Gel ; Uncaria/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE: To develop a convenient method for rapid purification of fresh Pheretima proteins and assess the inhibitory effect of these proteins against pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: The crude extract of fresh Pheretima was obtained by freeze-drying method and then purified by size exclusion chromatography. The composition of the purified proteins was analyzed by mass spectrometry. MRC-5 cells were treated with 5 ng/mL TGF-β1 alone (model group) or in combination with SB431542 (2 μmol/L) or the purified proteins (13.125 μg/mL), and the cytotoxicity of purified proteins and their inhibitory effects on cell proliferation were detected with CCK8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to detect the changes in cell apoptosis, and the cellular expressions of α-SMA, Vimentin, E-cadherin, collagen I, Smad2/3 and P-Smad2/3 were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting. In the animal experiment, adult male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to intratracheal instillation of bleomycin followed by treatment with the purified proteins (5 mg/mL) for 21 days, after which HE and Masson staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the lung tissue of the mice. RESULTS: We successfully obtained purified proteins from fresh Pheretima protein by size exclusion chromatography. Treatment with the purified proteins significantly inhibited TGF-β1-induced proliferation of MRC-5 cells (P < 0.01), reduced the cellular expressions of α-SMA, Vimentin and collagen I (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01), increased the expression of E-cadherin (P < 0.01), and inhibited the expressions of Smad2/3 and P-Smad2/3 (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01). In male C57BL/6 mice models of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, treatment with the purified proteins obviously reduced the number of inflammatory cells and fibrotic area in the lungs. CONCLUSION The purified proteins from fresh Pheretima obtained by size exclusion chromatography can inhibit pulmonary fibrosis in mice by regulating the TGF-β/ Smad pathway.
Animals ; Biological Products/pharmacology* ; Bleomycin/adverse effects* ; Cadherins/metabolism* ; Collagen Type I ; Lung/pathology* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Oligochaeta/chemistry* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Vimentin/metabolism*

Two new 2-carboxymethyl-3-hexyl-maleic anhydride derivatives, arthrianhydride A (1) and B (2), along with three known compounds 3-5, were isolated from the fermentation broth of a grasshopper-associated fungus Arthrinium sp. NF2410. The structures of new compounds 1 and 2 were determined based on the analysis of the HR-ESI-MS and NMR spectroscopic data. Furthermore, compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated on inhibitory activity against the enzyme SHP2 and both of them showed moderate inhibitory activity against SHP2.
Anhydrides/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Biological Products/pharmacology* ; Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; Fungi/chemistry* ; Grasshoppers/microbiology* ; Molecular Structure ; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 11/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Secondary Metabolism

OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to evaluate the protective effects of bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins present in four species extracted with methanol. METHODS: The total phenolic content of the methanolic extracts was measured spectrophotometrically. The effect of the extracts on cell viability in U266 cells was measured. The effects of extracts on free radical scavenging were assessed by the DPPH test and FRAP assay. Antibacterial effects of the natural products in this report were investigated by using the disc diffusion method. RESULTS: Our results clearly demonstrated that the methanolic extracts were characterized by a high amount of phenolic compounds. It has been speculated that ME-TA and ME-TAl exhibit a significant (P < 0.05) and dose-dependent antiradical potential. The exposure of cells to high doses of extracts almost completely suppressed cell growth in vitro. ME-TA and ME-TAl showed significant cytotoxic effects at a concentration of 100 μg/mL in the U266 cell line. ME-TAl and ME-CF inhibited the growth of B. subtilis and S. aureus, respectively, to the same extent as 10 μg/μL of chloramphenicol at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. CONCLUSION Overall, these results suggest that plants used in traditional medicine have a novel application as free radical scavengers, bacterial inhibitors and tumor suppressors.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Biological Products ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Humans ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; Multiple Myeloma ; Phytochemicals ; analysis ; pharmacology ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; pharmacology

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the deadliest disease in the world, with endothelial injury occurring throughout the course of the disease. Therefore, improvement in endothelial function is of essential importance in the prevention of ASCVD. Red yeast rice (RYR), a healthy traditional Chinese food, has a lipid modulation function and also plays a vital role in the improvement of endothelial reactivity and cardiovascular protection; thus, it is significant in the prevention and treatment of ASCVD. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms of RYR and its related products in the improvement of endothelial function in terms of endothelial reactivity, anti-apoptosis of endothelial progenitor cells, oxidative stress alleviation and anti-inflammation.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Atherosclerosis ; pathology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Biological Products ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; pathology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Endothelium, Vascular ; cytology ; drug effects ; physiology ; Humans ; Inflammation ; prevention & control ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects

Antrodia camphorata, a well-known and highly valued edible medicinal mushroom with intriguing activities like liver protection, has been traditionally used for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease. A. camphorata shows highly medicinal and commercial values with the demand far exceeds the available supply. Thus, the petri-dish cultured A. camphorata (PDCA) is expected to develope as a substitute. In this paper, nineteen triterpenes were isolated from PDCA, and thirteen of them were the unique anthroic acids in A. camphorata, including the main content antcin K, which suggested that PDCA produced a large array of the same anthroic acids as the wild one. Furthermore, no obvious acute toxicity was found suggesting the edible safety of PDCA. In mice alcohol-induced liver injury model, triglyceride (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) had been reduced by the PDCA powder as well as the main content antcin K, which indicated that the PDCA could protect alcoholic liver injury in mice model and antcin K could be the effective component responsible for the hepatoprotective activities of PDCA against alcoholic liver diseases.
Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Animals ; Antrodia ; chemistry ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Biological Products ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Cholestenes ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Cholesterol, VLDL ; blood ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ethanol ; toxicity ; Female ; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal ; chemistry ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; prevention & control ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Mice ; Molecular Structure ; Triglycerides ; blood ; Triterpenes ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

Annexin A2, a multifunctional tumor associated protein, promotes nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation by interacting with NF-κB p50 subunit and facilitating its nuclear translocation. Here we demonstrated that two ginsenosides Rg5 (G-Rg5) and Rk1 (G-Rk1), with similar structure, directly bound to Annexin A2 by molecular docking and cellular thermal shift assay. Both Rg5 and Rk1 inhibited the interaction between Annexin A2 and NF-κB p50 subunit, their translocation to nuclear and NF-κB activation. Inhibition of NF-κB by these two ginsenosides decreased the expression of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), leading to caspase activation and apoptosis. Over expression of K302A Annexin A2, a mutant version of Annexin A2, which fails to interact with G-Rg5 and G-Rk1, effectively reduced the NF-κB inhibitory effect and apoptosis induced by G-Rg5 and G-Rk1. In addition, the knockdown of Annexin A2 largely enhanced NF-κB activation and apoptosis induced by the two molecules, indicating that the effects of G-Rg5 and G-Rk1 on NF-κB were mainly mediated by Annexin A2. Taken together, this study for the first time demonstrated that G-Rg5 and G-Rk1 inhibit tumor cell growth by targeting Annexin A2 and NF-κB pathway, and G-Rg5 and G-Rk1 might be promising natural compounds for targeted cancer therapy.
Active Transport, Cell Nucleus ; drug effects ; Annexin A2 ; chemistry ; deficiency ; genetics ; metabolism ; Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Biological Products ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Cell Nucleus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; drug effects ; Drug Discovery ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Ginsenosides ; chemistry ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; NF-kappa B p50 Subunit ; metabolism ; Protein Conformation

Usnic acid and its derivatives, a group of organic molecules with great importance, are characteristic to lichens, possessing pharmacological activities such as anti-virus, anti-bacteria, anti-humor, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anaesthetic effects. Many of them have been widely used as medicine, but also bring side effects such as dermatitis and liver damages. In the past decades, great efforts by isolation, organic synthesis, and structure modification methods were put on discovery of UA derivatives with higher biological activities or less side effects. This paper describes herein the most progress on natural sources, isolation and structure elucidation, structural characteristics, synthesis and modification results, pharmacological activities and toxicities of UA and its derivatives, hopefully to provide valuable reference for further research.
Benzofurans ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Biological Products ; Lichens ; chemistry

In this review, we intensively focus on the advances in research of natural products (NPs) discovery carried out by domestic scholars in China from 2015 through 2017. In general, a total of 1811 publications (1479 in English and 332 in Chinese) were accumulated regarding newly isolated NPs from plants, microorganisms, and marine sources. As a result, 277 selected papers concerning naturally occurring compounds with extraordinary frameworks, origins, and promising activities were discussed in this review article, mainly organized according to their structural classes and novelties.
Animals ; Biological Products ; chemistry ; history ; pharmacology ; China ; Drug Discovery ; history ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Molecular Structure