Cytisine derivatives are a group of alkaloids containing the structural core of cytisine, which are mainly distributed in Fabaceae plants with a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as resisting inflammation, tumors, and viruses, and affecting the central nervous system. At present, a total of 193 natural cytisine and its derivatives have been reported, all of which are derived from L-lysine. In this study, natural cytisine derivatives were classified into eight types, namely cytisine type, sparteine type, albine type, angustifoline type, camoensidine type, cytisine-like type, tsukushinamine type, and lupanacosmine type. This study reviewed the research progress on the structures, plant sources, biosynthesis, and pharmacological activities of alkaloids of various types.
Alkaloids/chemistry* ; Quinolizines/pharmacology* ; Azocines/chemistry* ; Fabaceae

To study the non-flavonoids chemical constituents in water extract of Spatholobi Caulis. Some purification and analysis techniques like silica gel, D101-macroporous adsorptive resins, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies as well as reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography were used to isolate and analyze the phenolic acid esters and other type compounds from Spatholobi Caulis integrally. The structures of these compounds were identified by spectroscopic techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and high resolution mass spectrometries. Twenty-seven compounds, including phenolic acid, coumarin, lignan, terpene, alkaloid, and steroid compounds, were isolated from ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions in water extract of Spatholobi Caulis, and they were identified as β-sitosterol(1), feruli acid methyl ester(2), syringaresinol(3),(+)-medioresinol(4),(+)-epipinoresinol(5), p-acetylphenol(6), bolusanthin Ⅳ(7), evofolin B(8), salicylic acid(9), trans-p-hydroxy-cinnamic acid(10), abscisic acid(11), m-hydroxyphenol(12), C-veratroylglycol(13), p-hydroquinone(14), 8,9-dihydroxymegastigma-4,6-dien-3-one(15), p-hydroxybenzoic acid(16), 6,9-dihydroxymegastigma-4,7-dien-3-one(17), protocatechuic acid(18), protocatechuic acid methyl ester(19), 5,7-dihydroxycoumarin(20), isolariciresinol(21), nicotinic acid(22), daucosterol(23),(+)-pinoresinol(24), stigmasterol(25), allantoin(26) and koaburaside(27), respectively. Furthermore, compounds 2-15, 19-22, 24 and 26 were isolated from genus Spatholobus for the first time.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Esters/analysis* ; Fabaceae/chemistry* ; Hydroxybenzoates/analysis* ; Mass Spectrometry ; Phytochemicals/analysis*

A method was established for simultaneous determination of 21 active constituents including flavanols, isoflavones, flavonols, dihydroflavones, dihydroflavonols, chalcones, pterocarpan, anthocyanidins and phenolic acids in Spatholobi Caulis by ultra fast liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry(UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). Then, it was employed to analyze and evaluate the dynamic accumulation of multiple bioactive constituents in Spatholobi Caulis. The chromatographic separation was performed on a XBridge®C_(18)(4.6 mm×100 mm, 3.5 μm) at 30 ℃ with a gradient elution of 0.3% formic acid aqueous solution-methanol, and the flow rate was 0.8 mL·min~(-1), using multiple-reaction monitoring(MRM) mode. A comprehensive evaluation of the multiple bioactive constituents was carried out by gray correlation analysis(GRA). The 21 target components showed good linearity(r>0.999 0) in the range of the tested concentrations. The average recovery rates of the 21 components were from 97.46% to 103.6% with relative standard deviations less than 5.0%. There were differences in the contents of 21 components in Spatholobi Caulis at diffe-rent harvest periods. Spatholobi Caulis had high quality from early November to early December, which is consistent with the local tradi-tional harvest period. This study reveals the rule of the dynamic accumulation of 21 components in Spatholobi Caulis and provides basic information for the suitable harvest time. At the same time, it provides a new method reference for the comprehensive evaluation of the internal quality of Spatholobi Caulis.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fabaceae/chemistry* ; Phytochemicals/isolation & purification* ; Plant Stems/chemistry* ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The chemical compounds in water extract of Spatholobi Caulis were further studied. The compounds were systematically isolated and purified by using various separation and analysis techniques including silica gel, macroporous adsorptive resins and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies, as well as reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography(RP-HPLC). Twenty-three flavonoids and one chromone were identified by the spectroscopic analysis techniques combining their physicochemical properties, they were identified as isoduartin(1), sativan(2), 8-O-methylretusin(3), 7-hydroxydihydroflavone(4), odoratin(5), butesuperin A(6), biochanin A(7), 3'-methoxydaidzein(8), 7-hydroxychromone(9), calycosin(10), naringenin(11), dihydrocajanin(12),(6 aR,11 aR)-maackiain(13), 2'-hydroxygenistein(14),(6 aR,11 aR)-medicarpin-3-O-glucopyranoside(15),(-)-epiafzelechin(16),(-)-catechin(17),(-)-epicatechin(18), 4',8-dimethoxy-7-O-β-D-glucopyranosylisoflavone(19), ononin(20),(-)-gallocatechin(21), rutin(22), daidzin(23) and sphaerobioside(24). Compounds 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14-16, 19 and 22-24 were isolated from Spatholobi Caulis for the first time.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Fabaceae/chemistry* ; Flavonoids/isolation & purification* ; Phytochemicals/isolation & purification*

Fructus Arctii is a traditional Chinese medicine. The main counterfeit species are the seeds of Arctium tomentosum, Onopordum acanthium, Silybum marianum, Saussurea costus, Amorpha fruticosa. Traditional identification methods or molecular barcoding techniques can identify Fructus Arctii and its counterfeit species. However, the identification of the mixture of it and its spurious species is rarely reported. In this paper, we sequenced the ITS2 sequences of Fructus Arctii and 5 kinds of spurious species mix powder by high-throughput sequencing to identify the mixed powder species and providing new ideas for the identification of Fructus Arctii mix powder. The total DNA in mixed powder was extracted, and the ITS2 sequences in total DNA was amplified. Paired-end sequencing was performed on the DNA fragment of the community using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The sequence was analyzed by the software FLASH, QIIME and GraPhlAn etc. The results showed that the high quality ITS2 sequences of 39910 mix samples were obtained from the mixed samples, of which the total ITS2 sequence of the samples genus was 34 935. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the samples contained Fructus Arctii, A. tomentosum, O. acanthium, S. marianum, S. costus and A. fruticosa. Using ITS2 sequences as DNA barcodes, high-throughput sequencing technology can be used to detect the Fructus Arctii and its spurious specie in mixed powder, which can provide reference for the quality control, safe use of medicinal materials of Fructus Arctii and the identification of mixed powder of traditional Chinese medicine.
Arctium ; chemistry ; classification ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Drug Contamination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; standards ; Fabaceae ; Fruit ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Milk Thistle ; Onopordum ; Phylogeny ; Saussurea

Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook) Raffin (Fabaceae), also known as flame of forest, is a semi-deciduous tree, distributed throughout Madagascar, India, Africa, and Northern Australia. Various parts of the plant are traditionally used for the treatment of different ailments such as inflammation, rheumatism, bronchitis, diabetes, anemia, fever, gynecological disorders, and pneumonia. The plant possess antioxidant, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, wound healing, antiarthritic, larvicidal, antimalarial, antiemetic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiinflammatory, analgesic, antidiarrhoeal, antiheamolytic, diuretic, and anthelmintic activities. This review is an up-to-date compilation on its traditional uses in context to phytochemical and pharmacological perspectives.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Antiemetics ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology

Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus and Hedysarum polybotrys belong to different genera, but have similar drug efficacy in traditional Chinese medicine theory, and H. polybotrys was used as the legal A. membranaceus var. mongholicus previously. In this study, similarities and differences between them were analyzed via their ITS/ITS2 fragments information. The ITS (internal transcribed spacer) regions were amplified using polymerase chain reaction and then sequenced in two-way. The alignment lengths of ITS regions were 616 bp, in which 508 loci were consistent, and 103 loci were different, accounting for 82.47% and 16.72% of the total ITS nucleotides in length, respectively. As genotype determines phenotype, 1HNMR-based metabolomic approach was further used to reveal the chemical similarities and differences between them. Thirty-four metabolites were identified in the 1H NMR spectra, and twenty-seven metabolites were the common components. Amino acids, carbohydrates and other primary metabolites were similar, while a large difference existed in the flavonoids and astragalosides. This study suggests that A. membranaceus var. mongholicus and H. polybotrys show similarities and differences from molecular and chemical perspectives, which has laid a foundation for elucidating the effective material basis of drug with similar efficacy and resources utilization.
Astragalus membranaceus ; chemistry ; genetics ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; genetics ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; Metabolome ; Metabolomics

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of aqueous extract of several kinds of herbs on human platelet aggregation and expression of P-selectin in vitro.

METHODSBlood was collected from volunteers. Effects of the prepared water extracts of herbs on platelet aggregation were monitored on a Packs-4 aggregometer. The fluorescence intensity of water extracts of Caulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae on the expression of P-selectin in human platelets of healthy persons was measured with flow cytometry.

RESULTSOut of several herbs investigated, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae potently inhibited platelet aggregation after incubation with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for 15 min. Caulis Spatholobi Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae inhibited adenosine-5'-diphosphate (ADP) or platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation in PRP in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast to Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae, Caulis Spatholobi could not inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Despite its inability to inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in PRP, Caulis Spatholobi had a greater anti-aggregating activity in PRP induced by ADP or PAF. Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami showed significant inhibitory effects on the expression of P-selectin.

CONCLUSIONSCaulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae have potent anti-platelet properties, and their inhibitory actions are mediated via different mechanisms. Caulis Spatholobi inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation but not by thrombin, indicating that its mechanism of action might be independent of the thromboxane pathway. The effect of Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami were associated with suppressing the expression of P-selectin.

Adult ; Blood Platelets ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Curcuma ; chemistry ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; Humans ; P-Selectin ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Platelet Function Tests ; Water ; chemistry ; Young Adult

The dynamic changes of germination percentage, germination potential, thousand-seed weight, antioxidase activity in Desmodium styracifolium seeds with different storage time were tested, and electrical conductivity, contents of soluble sugar, soluble protein, starch in seed leach liquor were also determined in order to reveal the mechanism of seed deterioration. The results as the following. (1) The germination percentage, germination potential and thousand-seed weight of D. styracifolium seeds declined, while the seed coat color darkened with the extension of storage time. (2) The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) decreased with the prolongation of storage period. The SOD activity declined fastest in 1,095-1,185 d of storage, while the POD activity declined significantly in 365-395 d of storage. (3) The electrical conductivity and the contents of soluble sugar, starch in seed leach liquor increased, while the content of soluble protein declined with the extension of storage time. (4) Correlation analysis indicated that the germination percentage, germination potential and thousand-seed weight of D. styracifolium seeds have a significantly positive correlation with SOD and POD activity, while have a significantly negative correlation with the electrical conductivity, contents of soluble sugar and starch. It can be concluded that during the storage of D. styracifolium seeds, physiological and biochemical changes including decrease in antioxidase activity, rise in electrical conductivity, degradation effluent of soluble sugar and starch, degradation of soluble protein were the main factors leading to the seed deterioration.
Color ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Germination ; Peroxidases ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Seeds ; chemistry ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Starch ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo establish the quality standard of Entadae Semen, and provide scientific basis for its quality control.

METHODTLC and HPLC were used for qualitative identification and quantitative analysis of phaseoloidin and entadamide A-O-β-D-glucopyranoside in Entadae Semen. The test of water content, ash and ethanol-soluble extractives of Entadae Semen was carried out according to the methods recorded in appendix of Chinese Pharmacopeia (2010 edition).

RESULTThe TLC was well separated with clear spots. The linear range of phaseoloidin was between 0.014 to 2.747 g x L(-1) (r = 0.999 6, n = 9) with an average recovery rate of 101.06% (RSD 0.90%, n = 6); the linear range of entadamide A-O-β-D-glucopyranoside was between 0.002 to 0.452 g x L(-1) (r = 0.999 7, n = 9) withan average recovery rate of 101.52% (RSD 1.09%, n = 6). The content of phaseoloidin in sample is between 5.12% to 9.24%, entadamide A-O-β-D-glucopyranoside is between 0.55% to 2.17%, alcohol-soluble extracts is between 30.9% to 45.2%, water is between 6.6% to 8.6%, and total ash is between 2.4% to 2.9%.

CONCLUSIONThe established standard is acceptable for quality control of Entadae Semen.

China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Thin Layer ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; standards ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; Quality Control