Leontopodium Leontopodioides Research Articles

The Analysis of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv. Chemical Composition by GC/MS and UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS.

Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv. (L. leontopodioides.) has been used to treat lung diseases in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, a systematic analysis of its chemical components has not been reported so far. In this study, UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS and GC-MS were applied to investigate the chemical composition of the water extracts and essential oils of L. leontopodioides. UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS adopts a heating electrospray ionization source, collecting primary and secondary mass spectrometry data in positive and negative ions, respectively, and uses Compound Discoverer 3.2 software to analyze the collected raw data. As a result, a total of 39 compounds were identified from their high-resolution mass spectra in both positive and negative ionization modes, including 13 flavonoids and their glycosides, 15 phenolic acids, 4 oligosaccharides and glycosides, 4 pentacyclic triterpenoids, and 3 other compounds. Among them, 18 chemical components have not been reported in L. leontopodioides. In the GC-MS section, two common organic solvents (n-hexane and diethyl ether) were used to extract essential oils, and the mass spectra were recorded at 70 eV (electron impact) and scanned in the range of 35∼450 m/z. Compounds were identified using NIST (version 2017), and the peak area normalization method was used to calculate their relative amounts. Finally, 17 components were identified in the volatile oil extracted with n-hexane, accounting for 80.38% of the total volatile oil, including monoterpenoids, phenylpropene, fatty acids, and aliphatic hydrocarbons. In the volatile oil extracted with diethyl ether, 16 components were identified, accounting for 73.50% of the total volatile oil, including phenylpropene, aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoterpenoids, fatty acids, and esters. This study was the first to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of the L. leontopodioides water extract and its essential oil, and a comprehensive chemical composition spectrum was constructed, to lay a foundation for its further pharmacodynamic material basis and quality evaluation.

Neoerysiphe leontopodii sp. nov., a new powdery mildew from China.

A powdery mildew was found on Leontopodium leontopodioides (Asteraceae) in China. Phylogenetic analyses using a combination of internal transcribed spacer and 28S rDNA sequences showed that this species, which clusters as sister to Neoerysiphe joerstadii, is allied to N. galii, N. geranii, and N. nevoi. This species differs from the closely allied N. joerstadii in the number and size of asci (3-10 asci, 55-75 × 20-40 µm versus 16-32 asci, 40-60 × 20-30 µm). This species is morphologically very similar to N. gnaphalii, but clearly differs from this species in having larger chasmothecia and colorless appendages. Therefore, the powdery mildew on L. leontopodioides is described as N. leontopodii sp. nov.

Protective mechanisms of Leontopodium leontopodioides extracts on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute kidney injury viathe NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway.

Sepsis-induced uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a critical cause of multiple organ failure. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most serious complications associated with an extremely high mortality rate in SIRS, and it lacked simple, safe, and effective treatment strategies. Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv (LLB) is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of acute and chronic nephritis. However, it remains unclear whether lipopolysaccharide (LPS) affects LPS-induced AKI. To identify the molecular mechanisms of LLB in LPS-induced HK-2 cells and mice, LLB was prepared by extraction with 70% methanol, while a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced HK-2 cell model and an AKI model were established in this study. Renal histopathology staining was performed to observe the morphology changes. The cell supernatant and kidney tissues were collected for determining the levels of inflammatory factors and protein expression by ELISA, immunofluorescence, and Western blot. The results indicated that LLB significantly reduced the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in LPS-induced HK-2 cells, as well as the secretion of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in the supernatant. The same results were observed in LPS-induced AKI serum. Further studies revealed that LLB remarkably improved oxidative stress and apoptosis based on the content of MDA, SOD, and CAT in serum and TUNEL staining results. Notably, LLB significantly reduced the mortality due to LPS infection. Renal histopathology staining results supported these results. Furthermore, immunofluorescence and Western blot results confirmed that LLB significantly reduced the expression of the protein related to the NF-κB signaling pathway and NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1 which were significantly increased through LPS stimulation. These findings clearly demonstrated the potential use of LLB in the treatment of AKI and the crucial role of the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in the process through which LLB attenuates AKI induced by LPS.

Sphingomonas psychrotolerans sp. nov., isolated from root surface of Leontopodium leontopodioides in the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China.

A novel rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic bacterial strain, designated Cra20T, was isolated from the root surface of Leontopodium leontopodioides collected in the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, PR China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, indicated that strain Cra20T was affiliated with the genus Sphingomonas, and was most closely related to Sphingomonas gei ZFGT-11T (99.0 %), Sphingomonas naasensis KIS18-15T (97.8%) and Sphingomonas kyeonggiensis THG-DT81T (97.2 %). The average nucleotide identity values between strain Cra20T, S. gei ZFGT-11T, S. naasensis KIS18-15T and S. kyeonggiensis THG-DT81T were 86.2, 84.2 and 78.2 %, respectively. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain Cra20T was 65.6 mol% (whole genome sequence), and Q-10 was the predominant ubiquinone. The major cellular fatty acids of strain Cra20T were summed feature 8 (comprising C18 : 1 ω6c and/or C18 : 1 ω7c, 67.3 %) and C14 : 0 2-OH (6.4 %). On the basis of genotypic, phenotypic and biochemical data, strain Cra20T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name Sphingomonas psychrotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Cra20T (=CGMCC 1.15510T=NBRC 112697T).

Characteristics and controls of vegetation and diversity changes monitored with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the foreland of the Urumqi Glacier No. 1, Tianshan, China

Exposed surfaces following glacial retreat are ideal field laboratories for studying primary vegetation succession. Many related studies based on ground sampling methods have been performed worldwide in proglacial zones, but studies on species diversity and vegetation succession using aerial photography have been rare. In this study, we investigated soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), plant species diversity, and fractional vegetation cover (FVC) along a chronosequence within the foreland of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 by combining field sampling and aerial photography. We then analysed soil development and vegetation succession along distance (distance from glacier terminus) and time (terrain age) gradients as well as the relationships between topographic and environmental variables (aspect, slope, SOC, and TN), distance, time, and species distributions. The results indicated that: (1) plant diversity and FVC showed increasing trends with increases in distance and terrain age, whereas soil nutrient content varied nonlinearly; (2) Silene gonosperma, Leontopodium leontopodioides, and Saussurea gnaphalodes were the dominant species in the early, transient, and later succession stages, respectively. Cancrinia chrysocephala occurred in all stages and had a high abundance in the early and later stages; and (3) the relationships of FVC with soil nutrient content were nonlinear. Moreover, distance and site age played important roles in species distribution. These findings confirm that distance and terrain age positively affect vegetation succession. The increase in FVC facilitated the accumulation of soil nutrition, but this trend was affected by the rapid growth of plants. Caryophyllaceae and Asteraceae were the most common plants during the succession stages, and the former tended to colonise in the early succession stage. We conclude that the UAV-based method exhibits a high application potential for assessing vegetation dynamics in glacier forelands, which has a significance for long-term and repeated monitoring on the process of vegetation colonisation and succession in deglaciated areas.

Complete genome sequence of Sphingomonas sp. Cra20, a drought resistant and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria

Sphingomonas sp. Cra20 is a rhizobacteria isolated from the root surface of Leontopodium leontopodioides in the Tianshan Mountains of China and was found to influence root system architecture. We analyzed its ability for plant-growth promotion and the molecular mechanism involved by combining the physiological and genome information. The results indicated that the bacterium enhanced the drought resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana and promoted growth mainly through the strain-released volatile organic compounds. The genome consisted of one circular chromosome and one circular plasmid, containing a series of genes related to the plant-growth promotion. Furthermore, multiple copies of cold-associated genes, general stress response genes, oxidative stress genes and DNA repair mechanisms supported its survivability in extreme environments. In addition, the strain had the ability to degrade xylene and 2, 4-D via a variety of monooxygenases and dioxygenases. This provides further information and will promote the application of Cra20 as a biofertilizer in agriculture.

Total synthesis of leontopodioside A

Leontopodioside A, isolated from the whole plants of Leontopodium leontopodioides, possesses significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. In this work, we studied the total synthesis of leontopodioside A by two strategies for the first time. The optimized strategy involved nine linear steps and has an overall yield of 16.1%. The key feature of the strategy is that glycosylation of chalcone acceptor first followed by the cyclization to construct the flavone scaffold, which has general applicability for the synthesis of flavonoid glycosides.

Characteristics of Leontopodium leontopodioides leaf stochiometry with altitude and their relationship with soil nutrients in Qilian Mountains, Northwest China

Foliar stoichiometry provides information on the biotic and abiotic changes of environment. We examined the stoichiometric characteristics of plant leaves at different altitudes to understand how plants adapt to environmental changes. Foliar stoichiometry of Leontopodium leontopodioides at various altitudes (2400, 2600, 2800, 3000 and 3200 m) were analyzed in the Qilian Mountains of China. Across the altitude gradient, mean value of leaf carbon content (LC), nitrogen content (LN), and phosphorous content (LP) of L. leontopodioides was 401.27, 23.99 and 1.22 g·kg-1, respectively. The mean value of LC:LN, LC:LP and LN:LP was 16.8, 352.5 and 20.7, respectively. LC, LC:LN, LC:LP and LN:LP initially increased with increases in altitude, rea-ching the maximum at 2600 m, then decreased, reaching the minimum at 3000 m, and finally increased again. LP exhibited the opposite trend. LN demonstrated an initial decrease with altitude, reaching the minimum at 2800 m, followed by an increase at higher altitudes. LC did not correlate with LN, but was significantly negatively correlated with LP. LN was significantly positively correlated with LP. There was no correlation between LN and any other stoichiometry ratios. LP showed a significantly negative correlation with other stoichiometry ratios. LC:LN, LC:LP, and LN:LP were positively correlated with each other. Both soil total nitrogen and total phosphorus affected LC and LN, whereas LP was significantly negatively correlated with soil total phosphorus. The results suggested that the growth of L. leontopodioides in the study region was mainly limited by P availability.

Elevational variations of leaf stochiometry in Leontopodium leontopodioides on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China.

Topography has major impacts on the trade-off of plant survival strategies. Exploring the differential pattern of leaf ecological stoichiometry along the elevation gradient contributes to a better understanding of plant's response to environmental changes and its ecological adaptability. We investigated leaf C, N, and P concentrations and stoichiometric ratios of Leontopodium leontopodioides at three elevations, including from 4400 m to 4700 m, from 4701 m to 5000 m, and from 5001 m to 5300 m, on the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China. The results showed that the concentrations of leaf C, N, and P of L. leontopodioides were 405.36 g·kg-1, 18.42 g·kg-1 and 0.94 g·kg-1, respectively. Leaf C/N, C/P, and N/P were 22.67, 467.61 and 20.30, respectively. The concentrations of leaf N and P of L. leontopodioides consistently increased with the increases of elevation. The coefficient of variations for leaf C, N and P concentrations and ratios of L. leontopodioides were all less than 30%, with an order of P (30%) > C/P (29%) > C/N (18%) > N (17%) > N/P (15%) > C (3%). The growth of L. leontopodioides on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau was mainly limited by P availability.

Acyl atractyligenin and carboxyatractyligenin glycosides from Antennaria rosea subsp. confinis

Eight previously undescribed acyl atractyligenin and carboxyatractyligenin glycosides were isolated from whole Antennaria rosea subsp. confinis (Greene) R. J. Bayer (Compositae) [syn. Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv. (Asteraceae)] plants and their structures were determined by spectroscopic and chemical methods. The compounds were trivially named leontopodiosides F–M. Seven of the compounds showed potent in vitro inhibitory activity toward pancreatic lipase with IC50 values ranging from 3.4 to 52.5 μM, suggesting that they participate in the previously observed effect this plant has in reducing triglyceride absorption in rats.

Spectrum–effect relationships between high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints and anti-inflammatory activities of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv.

Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv. is used therapeutically to prevent numerous diseases. Historically, L. leontopodioides extracts have been used to treat influenza infections, bronchitis, acute and chronic nephritis, proteinuria, hematuria, and diabetes. However, the bioactive compounds that are responsible for the associated therapeutic effects have not yet been characterized. In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography was utilized to study the anti-inflammatory properties of L. leontopodioides through analysis of spectrum-effect relationships. The bioactive compounds that correlated with anti-inflammatory activities were partially identified. Following aqueous extraction, a variety of different polar organic solvents including petrol ether extracts, ethyl acetate extracts, n-butanol extracts, and residual aqueous extracts were successfully isolated from L. leontopodioides. These extracts were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography to generate HPLC fingerprints. A total of 32 common peaks were selected following a similarity analysis (SA). The spectrum-effect relationship was subsequently studied and inflammatory factors were identified following acute inflammatory experiments. The results revealed that the main peaks associated with anti-inflammatory activities were x1, x3, x4, x13, x14, x16 for interleukin-1 (IL-1), x5, x8, x9, x18, x26, x27, x30, x31, x32 for interleukin-6 (IL-6), and x28 and x29 for leukotriene B4 (LTB4). Following analysis of HPLC data, peaks x9 and x14 were identified as chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid, respectively. The current study utilized HPLC and pharmacological analyses to formulate a spectrum-effect relationship and identify bioactive compounds in L. leontopodioides.

Hydroquinone and terpene glucosides from Leontopodium leontopodioides and their lipase inhibitory activity

Three new glucosides of hydroquinone, monoterpene, and megastigmane, benzyl 2,5-dihydroxybenzoate 5-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (isotrichocarpin, 1), (2S,3R)-3,7-dimethyl-6-octene-1,2,3-triol 2-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (leontopodioside D, 4), and (6R,7R,8R,9S)-6,9-epoxy-7,8-dihydroxymegastigman-4-en-3-one 8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (leontopodioside E, 7) were isolated from the whole herbs of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv. (Asteraceae), along with nebrodenside A (2), pungenin (3), betulalbuside A (5), geranyl O-β-d-glucopyranoside (6), and 3β-hydroxy-β-ionone 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (8). Their structure were determined by spectroscopic and chemical methods. All the known compounds were reported from this species for the first time. Compounds 2–6 showed potent in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity, suggesting their participation in the reductive effect of the herbs on triglyceride absorption.

Chemical composition, antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of essential oil of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauverd

The essential oil (EO) from the aerial parts of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauverd was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC–FID and GC–MS. Sixty-five compounds were identified which represent 96.2% of the total composition of the EO. The major components of the EO were palmitic acid (11.6%), n-pentadecanal (5.7%), linalool (3.8%), β-ionone (3.3%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (3.2%), bisabolone (3.2%) and β-caryophyllene (3.2%). The EO exhibited an excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis according to the MIC values tested by micro-dilution method. It also exhibited a significant cytotoxicity against HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines with the IC50 values of 67.44 and 70.49 μg/mL according to the MTT assay. However, the antioxidant activity test revealed that the EO exhibited a weak DPPH radical-scavenging activity. In conclusion, the EO of L. leontopodioides could be regarded as a bioactive natural product and deserves further study for its potential therapeutic effects.

Isobenzofuranones from the aerial parts of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Wild.) Beauv.

A phytochemical investigation to obtain new triglyceride (TG) accumulation inhibitors resulted in the isolation of six new isobenzofuranones, leontopodiols A (1), B (2), leontopodiosides C (3), D (4), E (5), F (6), together with three known ones (7–9) from the aerial parts of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Willd.) Beauv. The structures of these isolates were identified by routine NMR experiments, optical rotation determination, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation, along with chemical reaction. Moreover, compounds 1, 2, 5, and 7–9 displayed TG accumulation inhibitory effects on HepG2 cells.

Bioactive constituents from the whole plants of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Wild.) Beauv.

Five new compounds, leontoaerialosides A (1), B (2), C (3), D (4), and E (5) were obtained from the 70% EtOH extract of the whole plants of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Wild.) Beauv. Their structures were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Moreover, compounds 4 and 5 showed significant effects on stimulating the hepatic glucose uptake in HepG2 cells.

Ent-kaurene diterpenoids and lignan from Leontopodium leontopodioides and their inhibitory activities against cyclooxygenases-1 and 2

Two new ent-kaurene diterpenoids, 13α,15α-dihydroxy-18-carboxy-19-nor-ent-kaur-16-ene-2β-O-(2′-angelate)-β-d-glucopyranoside (leontocin A, 1), 13α,15α-dihydroxy-18-carboxy-19-nor-ent-kaur-16-ene-2β-O-(2′-angelate-6′-acetyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (leontocin B, 2), and one new lignan, 2,3-bis[(3,4-di-hydroxyphenyl)methylene]-monoethyl ester-butanedioic acid (leontolignan A, 3), together with three known phenolic acids (4-6) were isolated from the aerial parts of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Asteraceae). Their structures were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic methods. All isolates were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities by measuring their inhibitory effects against cyclooxygenase-1 and 2 in vitro.

Acyl flavone and lignan glucosides from Leontopodium leontopodioides

Two new acyl flavone glucosides, luteolin-4⿲-O-(6-p-hydroxybenzoyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (leontopodioside A, 1) and luteolin-4⿲-O-[6-(2-methylbutyryl)]-β-d-glucopyranoside (leontopodioside B, 2), and a new acyl lignan glucoside, lariciresinol-9-angeloyl-4-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (leontopodiosideC, 3) were isolated from the whole plants of Leontopodium leontopodioides (Asteraceae). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Compounds 1⿿3 exhibited α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 55.6, 39.7, and 474.9μM, respectively, in comparison with acarbose (626.3μM).

Antagonistic effects of extracts from Artemisia rupetris L. and Leontopodium leontopodioides to CC chemokine receptor 2b (CCR2b)

The present study was designed to establish a suitable assay to explore CCR2b receptor antagonists from the natural products of Artemisia rupetris and Leontopodium leontopodioides. An aequorin assay was developed as a cell-based assay suitable for 384-well microplate and used for screening CCR2b receptor antagonists from natural products. Through establishing suitable conditions, the assay was shown to be suitable for screening of CCR2b receptor antagonists. Seven compounds were identified in preliminary screening. Five of them showed evident dose-response relationship in secondary screening. The structure–activity relationship study suggested that 7-position hydroxyl group of flavonoids was necessary, a polar group should be introduced on the 3-position, and the substituents on 2-position benzene ring of flavonoids have little influence on the potentency of the inhibition activity on CCR2b receptor. The ortho-position dihydroxyl structure in quinic acid compounds may be important. In conclusion, Compounds HR-1, 5, 7, and AR-20, 35 showed activity as antagonist of CCR2b receptor, which shed lights on the development of novel drugs as CCR2b receptor antagonists for preventing inflammation related diseases.

Phenolics from Leontopodium leontopodioides inhibiting nitric oxide production

Two new compounds, a neolignan (1), and a benzofuran derivative (2), along with 6 known compounds (3–8), were isolated from the aerial parts of Leontopodium leontopodioides. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated as (7R,8S)-3,5′-dimethoxy-4′,7-epoxy-8,3′-neolignane-5,9,9′-triol (1) and (2R)-12-hydoxy-4-methoxy-tremeton (2) on the basis of their spectroscopic data, respectively. All of the isolates were evaluated for their effects on the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW264.7 macrophages and compounds 1 and 8 exhibited inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 35.80 and 24.41μM, respectively.

Adaptive characteristics of grassland community structure and leaf traits along an altitudinal gradient on a subtropical mountain in Chongqing, China

Community structure and leaf traits are important elements of terrestrial ecosystems. Changes of community structure and leaf traits are of particular use in the study of the influence of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. Patterns of community structure (including species richness, above- and below-ground biomass) and leaf traits (including leaf mass per area (LMA), nitrogen content both on mass and area bases (N mass and N area), and foliar δ13C) from 19 grassland plots along an altitudinal transect at Hongchiba in Chongqing, China, were analyzed. Species richness along the altitudinal transect had a hump-shaped pattern. Above-ground biomass had a quadratic decrease along the altitudinal gradient whereas below-ground biomass had the opposite pattern. Change of above-ground biomass of various taxonomic groups with altitude was also studied. Poaceae showed strong negative relationships and Asteraceae showed a hump-shaped relationship with increase of altitude. Five common species of the grassland, Trifolium pratense, Geranium wilfordii, Aster tataricus, Leontopodium leontopodioides, and Spiraea prunifolia, were particularly studied for variation of leaf traits along the altitudinal gradient. Averaged for all species, LMA, N area and foliar δ13C had positive correlations with altitude. N mass did not change significantly as altitude increased. LMA and N area showed significant positive relationships with foliar δ13C. The adaptive features of leaf traits among different species were not consistent. The study highlights specific adaptation patterns in relation to altitude for different plant species, provides further insights into adaptive trends of community structure and leaf traits in a specific ecological region filling a gap in the definition of global patterns, and adds to the understanding of how adaptive patterns of plants may respond to global climate change.