Comparative analysis of extraction methods for bioactive compounds in aromatic and medicinal plants

The Potential of Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds in the Fight Against COVID-19

Pressurized hot water extraction of bioactive or marker compounds in botanicals and medicinal plant materials

Sustainable extraction bioactive compounds procedures in medicinal plants based on the principles of green analytical chemistry: A review

The medicinal plants industry, particularly in regard to products rich in biologically active substances for maintaining health, has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade, with sales of over-the-counter drugs containing these substances growing by billions of dollars. Attention has thus also been paid to the safety and effectiveness of these medicines. We are currently witnessing a rapid increase in the number of publications devoted to the development of new separation procedures that are not only fast and cheap but also more efficient and eco-friendlier, improving both yields and quality of extracts quality without using hazardous organic solvents. The new approaches include those that use deep eutectic solvents (DES), which are characterized by unique parameters. In fact, DESs can be used for both the isolation and determination of biologically active substances in medicinal plants. Therefore, the purpose of the review is to gather details on the application of DESs in the separation of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants and to provide a solid background for future research in this area. To cover these aspects, the available data and references in the field of interest are reviewed and summarized.

The bioactive components of plant foods and medicinal plants have attracted interest due to their potential impact on the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and outcomes. This study aimed to conduct a critical and quantitative systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the potential effects of selected phytochemicals from plant-based foods and medicinal plants in CKD and dialysis patients. The review included studies that related plant-based bioactive compounds (curcumin, propolis, sulforaphane, betalain, catechins, rhein, emodin, aloe-emodin, flavonoids, and triptolide) and medicinal plants (green tea, rhubarb, Astragalus membranaceus, and Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F) in CKD and dialysis patients. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, LILACS, Embase, Scopus, and WOS between December 2022 and October 2024. This review was performed according to the PRISMA flowchart and was registered in PROSPERO (595162). In the eight RCTs conducted with curcumin, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and microbiota-modulating properties were reported. As for propolis, in three RCTs, anti-inflammatory, anti-proteinuric, and renal-protective properties were reported. Sulforaphane in one RCT showed antioxidant and cardiovascular benefits, and in another RCT no effects were observed. In one RCT, genistein was shown to be a potential anti-inflammatory agent and improved nutritional status. Allicin in two RCTs showed cardioprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-lowering effects. Finally, beetroot showed a vasodilator effect in one RCT. As for the medicinal plants, green tea, rhubarb, Astragalus membranaceus, and Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F, in six RCTs they showed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antiproteinuric, and renoprotective properties. These results suggest that bioactive compounds of plant-based foods and medicinal plants have promising effects in terms of preventing or treating CKD progression and appear to improve inflammation and antioxidant capacity and support cardiovascular benefits and renoprotective effects; however, it is recommended that further studies be carried out.

Medicinal plants play an important role in traditional medicine and new drug development, but the increased use of wild plant-based traditional medicine presents a potential biodiversity conservation threat. A better understanding of environmental factors on bioactive compounds in medicinal plants is necessary to ensure the suitability of cultivation location, the sustainability of market supply, and the future conservation of the wild populations. Gentiana rigescens Franch. ex Hemsl. has been used as a medicinal plant in China for hundreds of years due to containing iridoid glycoside compounds, but we knew little about how these compounds respond to environmental changes. We therefore investigated the accumulation and distribution of four iridoid glycosides (loganic acid, sweroside, swertiamarin, and gentiopicroside) in G. rigescens individuals from 28 wild populations in the elevation range of 1260–2978 m in southwest China. We also analyzed the impact of environmental factors (geography, climate, and soil) on the content of gentiopicroside (the dominant compound) in this species. We found significant variations of the contents of the four iridoid glycosides in each part of G. rigescens among populations (p < 0.05), and the gentiopicroside contents showed higher variability in the aboveground part (stem, leaf, and flower), when compared with the content in root. Meanwhile, the root gentiopicroside content was negatively correlated with the contents in other parts of the plant individual. The masses and mass ratios of the four iridoid glycosides also varied among different plant parts among populations. In roots, gentiopicroside dominated the mass proportion of the four iridoid glycosides, while the mass proportions of the four iridoid glycosides varied differently in other plant parts (stem, leaf, and flower). The gentiopicroside content in the root was negatively correlated with latitude and soil C:N ratio, but it was positively correlated with mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, soil N:P ratio, and soil N content. However, the effect of climate change on the quality (gentiopicroside content) of G. rigescens materials may be complicated to predict due to the future global warming and spatial heterogeneity of precipitation on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. Our study demonstrates the comprehensive influence of environmental factors on the gentiopicroside contents in G. rigescens. The findings have implications for understanding the environmental impact on the bioactive compounds in medicinal Gentiana plants. Further study is needed on how environmental factors influence on the gene expression of iridoid glycoside biosynthesis.

BackgroundProductivities of bioactive compounds in high-value herbs and medicinal plants are often compromised by uncontrollable environmental parameters. Recent advances in the development of plant factories with artificial lighting (PFAL) have led to improved qualitative and/or quantitative production of bioactive compounds in several medicinal plants. However, information concerning the effect of light qualities on plant pharmaceutical properties is limited. The influence of three different light-emitting diode (LED) spectra on leaf fresh weight (FW), bioactive compound production and bioactivity of Artemisia annua L. against the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum NF54 was investigated. Correlation between the A. annua metabolites and antimalarial activity of light-treated plant extracts were also determined.ResultsArtemisia annua plants grown under white and blue spectra that intersected at 445 nm exhibited higher leaf FW and increased amounts of artemisinin and artemisinic acid, with enhanced production of several terpenoids displaying a variety of pharmacological activities. Conversely, the red spectrum led to diminished production of bioactive compounds and a distinct metabolite profile compared with other wavelengths. Crude extracts obtained from white and blue spectral treatments exhibited 2 times higher anti-Plasmodium falciparum activity than those subjected to the red treatment. Highest bioactivity was 4 times greater than those obtained from greenhouse-grown plants. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed a strong correlation between levels of several terpenoids and antimalarial activity, suggesting that these compounds might be involved in increasing antimalarial activity.ConclusionsResults demonstrated a strategy to overcome the limitation of A. annua cultivation in Bangkok, Thailand. A specific LED spectrum that operated in a PFAL system promoted the accumulation of some useful phytochemicals in A. annua, leading to increased antimalarial activity. Therefore, the application of PFAL with appropriate light spectra showed promise as an alternative method for industrial production of A. annua or other useful medicinal plants with minimal environmental influence.

Abstract. Muflikhati Z, Sianipar NF, Syamsunarno MRAA, Anas. 2023. Understanding of genes encoding bioactive compounds from potential medicinal plants in indonesia as cancer cell inhibitors. Biodiversitas 24: 4645-4660. Indonesia has abundant plant diversity and enormous potential to be developed as a source of medicinal plants due to the content of bioactive chemicals in them. Potential medicinal plants from Indonesia, such as Andrographis paniculata (Sambiloto), Curcuma longa (Kunyit), Moringa oleifera (Moringa), Phyllanthus niruri (Meniran), Orthosiphon stamineus (Kumis kucing), Typhonium flagelliforme (Keladi tikus), and Zingiber officinale (Jahe), contain bioactive compounds with mechanisms that act as anticancer. Bioactive compounds with anticancer mechanisms in plants can be controlled by specific genes. Therefore, it is important to elaborate on bioactive compounds and the genes involved. This article aims to discuss the genes encoding bioactive compounds in Indonesian medicinal plants and the mechanisms that can inhibit cancer cell growth. Several genes encode anticancer compounds, such as lectin-coding genes, the stigmasterol-coding CYP710A gene, the tocopherol-coding ?-TMT gene, the fatty acid-coding FAD gene, the doxorubicin-coding DXR gene, and the chalcone synthase-coding CHS gene. These genes have mechanisms to increase the expression of several apoptosis-promoting proteins, including BCL-2 family members, in several cancer cell models. This article also describes the potential utilization and creation of molecular markers linked to genes encoding anticancer chemicals and can be used as a reference for research on medicinal plants that is still limited. Knowledge of genes encoding anticancer compounds in plants can support future research in the development of cancer drugs.

According to the World Health Organization, the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID 19 has caused a pandemic around the world. The rapid infection has posed significant threats to international health and the economy. Till now, there is no treatment available. This contribution focuses on specific phytochemicals, essential oils and probiotics against SARS-CoV-2. Different electronic scientific databases and search engines were employed. The potential effects of phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins and essential oils from different edible sources as well as probiotics against SARS-CoV-2 and coronaviruses have been reviewed. Inhibition mechanisms on SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses either experimented or predicted by molecular docking modeling software were presented. The confirmed compounds belong to the alkaloids, tannins and terpenoides bioactive classes as pedunculagin, tercatain, punicalin, punicalagin, punicalin, geraniin, chebulagic acid, punicalagin, emetine and ginkgolide A can be preventing the infection or introducing treatments against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. Lactobacillus plantarum strain N4, Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415, Lactobacillus salivarius prevented the infection by trapping the coronavirus or stimulated the cellular defense by the production of nitric oxide. Utilize the rich plants with bioactive compounds or use them in the preparation of functional foods is a simple way to provide people with protection against SARS-COV-2.

A method for the rapid in situ identification of bioactive compounds in fresh plants has been developed using in vivo nanospray coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS). Using a homemade in vivo nanospray ion source, the plant liquid was drawn out from a target region and ionized in situ. The ionized bioactive compounds were then identified using Q-Orbitrap HR-MS. The accurate mass measurements of these bioactive compounds were performed by full-scan or selected ion monitoring (SIM), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used in the structural elucidation. Without sample pretreatment, 12 bioactive compounds in 7 different plant species were identified, namely, isoalliin in onion; butylphthalide in celery; N-methylpelletierine, pelletierine, and pseudopelletierine in pomegranate; chlorogenic acid in crabapple; solamargine, solasonine, and solasodine in nightshade; aloin and aloe-emodin in aloe; and menthone in mint. This work demonstrates that in vivo nanospray HR-MS is a good method for rapid in situ identification of bioactive compounds in plants.

Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and Ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation are among the main environmental factors acting on herbal yield and biosynthesis of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of biologically effective UV-B light (280-315nm) and PAR (400-700nm) on herbal yield, content and composition, as well as antioxidant capacity of essential oils and polyphenols of lemon catmint (Nepeta cataria L. f. citriodora), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and sage (Salvia officinalis L.) under controlled greenhouse cultivation. Intensive UV-B radiation (2.5kJm(-2) d(-1) ) influenced positively the herbal yield. The essential oil content and composition of studied herbs were mainly affected by PAR and UV-B radiation. In general, additional low-dose UV-B radiation (1kJm(-2) d(-1) ) was most effective for biosynthesis of polyphenols in herbs. Analysis of major polyphenolic compounds provided differences in sensitivity of main polyphenols to PAR and UV-B radiation. Essential oils and polyphenol-rich extracts of radiated herbs showed essential differences in antioxidant capacity by the ABTS system. Information from this study can be useful for herbal biomass and secondary metabolite production with superior quality under controlled environment conditions.

Variations in the leaf metabolite profile between hydroponic and field grown Moringa oleifera Lam. genotypes

Humanity is suffering from huge and severe difficulties, including changes in climate, soil degradation, scarcity of water and the security of food and medicines, among others. The aquaponics system acts as a closed loop consisting of aquaculture elements and hydroponics, which may contribute to addressing these problems. The aquaponics method is quickly expanding as the requirement to increase the production of sustainable herbal products, including medicinal compounds and foods, in freshwater systems and replenish phosphorous reserves shrinks. The current work is designed to increase the production of the antioxidants withaferin A and withanolide A in two varieties (Jawahar-20 and Poshita) of W. somnifera using the aquaponics technique. Total 100 seedlings (one month old) grown in soil initially were taken to be grown in aquaponics for a time period of 6 months.And 100 seedlings were placed in pots containing soil as control for study after six months. It was observed that the higher content of withaferin A was analyzed in the root and stem samples of Jawahar-20 and Poshita from the six-month-old plant of W. somnifera. The maximum content of withanolide A was examined in the root samples of the six month-old plants of Poshita (1.879 mg/g) and Jawahar-20 (1.221 mg/g). While the 6 month old Poshita seedling grown in soil recorded less withaferin A (0.115 ± 0.009b) and withanolide A (0.138 ± 0.008d). It is concluded that Poshita was found to be more promising for the enhanced production of withaferin A and withanolide A in the aquaponics system. Moreover, the root was observed as the best source for the production of withaferin A and withanolide A and the best age of the plant is 2 years for the production compounds in medicinal plants with futuristic perspective to hill agriculture integrated farming. compounds. Thus aquaponics can be an effective approach with enhanced yield of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants with futuristic perspective to hill agriculture and integrated farming.

A wide range of chromatographic methods for the analysis of phenolic compounds in medicinal plants has been published over the years. However, no chromatographic methods with pulsed amperometric detection using a gold electrode have been described to analyze phenolic acids and flavonoids. Moreover, there is a lack of information regarding a modified mobile phase with β-cyclodextrin to determine these compounds in plants by RP-HPLC. For this reason, the present study developed and validated an HPLC–PAD method to determine 12 phenolic compounds in medicinal plants from Amazonia. The isocratic mobile phase was constituted by sodium phosphate 50 m mol L−1, methanol 30% (v/v), and β-cyclodextrin 1 m mol L−1 at pH 2.0. The method demonstrated low detection and quantification limits and robustness. The accuracy ranged from 82–114% for chlorogenic acid and rutin, respectively. Six species of medicinal plants from Amazonia used for medicinal and nutritional purposes were characterized and showed the presence of at least one of the phenolic compounds in the study.

Precursor feeding, elicitation and culture medium parameters are traditional in vitro strategies to enhance bioactive compounds of medicinal, aromatic, and ornamental plants (MAOPs). Machine learning can help researchers find the best combination of these strategies to increase the secondary metabolites content of MAOPs. Many requirements for human life, from food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to clothes, fuel and building materials depend on plant-derived natural products. Essential oils, methanolic and ethanolic extracts of in vitro undifferentiated callus and organogenic cultures of medicinal, aromatic, and ornamental plants (MAOPs) contain bioactive compounds that have several applications for various industries, including food and pharmaceutical. In vitro culture systems provide opportunities to manipulate the metabolomic profile of MAOPs. Precursors feeding, elicitation and culture media optimization are the traditional strategies to enhance in vitro accumulation of favorable bioactive compounds. The stimulation of plant defense mechanisms through biotic and abiotic elicitors is a simple way to increase the production of secondary metabolites in different in vitro culture systems. Different elicitors have been applied to stimulate defense machinery and change the metabolomic profile of MAOPs in in vitro cultures. Plant growth regulators (PGRs), stress hormones, chitosan, microbial extracts and physical stresses are the most applied elicitors in this regard. Many other chemical tolerance-enhancer additives, such as melatonin and proline, have been applied along with stress response-inducing elicitors. The use of stress-inducing materials such as PEG and NaCl activates stress tolerance elicitors with the potential of increasing secondary metabolites content of MAOPs. The present study reviewed the state-of-the-art traditional in vitro strategies to manipulate bioactive compounds of MAOPs. The objective is to provide insights to researchers involved in in vitro production of plant-derived natural compounds. The present review provided a wide range of traditional strategies to increase the accumulation of valuable bioactive compounds of MAOPs in different in vitro systems. Traditional strategies are faster, simpler, and cost-effective than other biotechnology-based breeding methods such as genetic transformation, genome editing, metabolic pathways engineering, and synthetic biology. The integrate application of precursors and elicitors along with culture media optimization and the interpretation of their interactions through machine learning algorithms could provide an excellent opportunity for large-scale in vitro production of pharmaceutical bioactive compounds.