Review of Pharmacological Effects of Antrodia camphorata and Its Bioactive Compounds

Antrodia camphorata is a unique mushroom of Taiwan, which has been used as a traditional medicine for protection of diverse health-related conditions. In an effort to translate this Eastern medicine into Western-accepted therapy, a great deal of work has been carried out on A. camphorata. This review discusses the biological activities of the crude extracts and the main bioactive compounds of A. camphorata. The list of bioactivities of crude extracts is huge, ranging from anti-cancer to vasorelaxation and others. Over 78 compounds consisting of terpenoids, benzenoids, lignans, benzoquinone derivatives, succinic and maleic derivatives, in addition to polysaccharides have been identified. Many of these compounds were evaluated for biological activity. Many activities of crude extracts and pure compounds of A. camphorata against some major diseases of our time, and thus, a current review is of great importance. It is concluded that A. camphorata can be considered as an efficient alternative phytotherapeutic agent or a synergizer in the treatment of cancer and other immune-related diseases. However, clinical trails of human on A. camphorata extracts are limited and those of pure compounds are absent. The next step is to produce some medicines from A. camphorata, however, the production may be hampered by problems related to mass production

A Review of the Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Phyllanthus urinaria L.

The genus Phyllanthus (L.) is one of the most important groups of plants belonging to the Phyllantaceae family. Phyllanthus urinaria (L.) is an annual perennial herbal species found in tropical Asia, America, China, and the Indian Ocean islands. P. urinaria is used in folk medicine as a cure to treat jaundice, diabetes, malaria, and liver diseases. This review provides traditional knowledge, phytochemistry, and biological activities of P. urinaria. The literature reviewed for this article was obtained from the Web of Science, SciFinder, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar journal papers published prior to December 2017. Phytochemical investigations reveal that the plant is a rich source of lignans, tannins, flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids, and other secondary metabolites. Pharmacological activities include anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective effects. Thus, this present review summarizes the phytochemical constituents and their biological activities including biological studies on various crude extracts and fractions both in vitro and in vivo, and on clinical trial information about P. urinaria. This review compiles 93 naturally occurring compounds from P. urinaria along with their structures and pharmacological activities. The review is expected to stimulate further research on P. urinaria, and its pharmacological potential to yield novel therapeutic agents

Methyl Brevifolincarboxylate Attenuates Free Fatty Acid-Induced Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation in Hepatocytes through AMPK/NF-κB Signaling Pathway

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the leading causes of chronic liver diseases worldwide. This study examined the potential protective effects of a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound, methyl brevifolincarboxylate (MBC) on fatty liver injury in vitro. The results showed that MBC at its non-cytotoxic concentrations, reduced lipid droplet accumulation and triglyceride (TG) levels in the oleic acid (OA)-treated human hepatocarcinoma cell line, SK-HEP-1 and murine primary hepatocytes. In OA-treated SK-HEP-1 cells and primary murine hepatocytes, MBC attenuated the mRNA expression levels of the de novo lipogenesis molecules, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (Acc1), fatty acid synthase (Fasn) and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (Srebp1c). MBC promoted the lipid oxidation factor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (Pparα), and its target genes, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (Cpt1) and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (Acox1) in both the SK-HEP-1 cells and primary murine hepatocytes. The mRNA results were further supported by the attenuated protein expression of lipogenesis and lipid oxidation molecules in OA-treated SK-HEP-1 cells. The MBC increased the expression of AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. On the other hand, MBC treatment dampened the inflammatory mediator’s, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and IL-1β secretion, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB expression (mRNA and protein) through reduced reactive oxygen species production in OA-treated SK-HEP-1 cells. Taken together, our results demonstrated that MBC possessed potential protective effects against NAFLD in vitro by amelioration of lipid metabolism and inflammatory markers through the AMPK/NF-κB signaling pathway

<i>In Vitro</i> Production of Echioidinin, 7-<i>O</i>-Methywogonin from Callus Cultures of <i>Andrographis lineata</i> and Their Cytotoxicity on Cancer Cells

<div><p><i>Andrographis lineata</i> is an herbal medicinal plant used in traditional medicine as a substitute for <i>Andrographis paniculata</i>. Here, using mature leaf explants of <i>A</i>. <i>lineata</i> we demonstrate for the first time the callus induction established on MS medium containing 1.0 mg l^–1 IAA. Dried callus was subjected to solvent extraction with acetone. Further the acetone residue was separated by silica gel column chromatography, crystallized and characterized on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance (proton and c13) and liquid chromatographic mass spectroscopy. This analysis revealed the occurrence of two known flavones namely, 7-<i>O</i>-methylwogonin (MW) and Echioidinin (ED). Furthermore, these compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity against leukemic cell line, CEM. We identify that ED and MW induced cytotoxicity in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Further increase in the LDH release upon treatment with ED and MW further confirmed our cytotoxicity results against leukemic cell line. Strikingly, MW was more potent than ED when compared by trypan blue and MTT assays. Our results recapitulate the utility of callus cultures for the production of plant specific bioactive secondary metabolites instead of using wild plants. Together, our <i>in vitro</i> studies provide new insights of <i>A</i>. <i>lineata</i> callus cultures serving as a source for cancer chemotherapeutic agents.</p></div

Cytotoxicity analysis of 7-<i>O</i>-methylwogonin (MW) on leukemic cell line, CEM.

<p>(A) Structure of MW. (B) Evaluation of cell viability using trypan blue assay following 10, 50, 100 and 250 μM of MW or DMF (vehicle control) treatment. Cells were harvested, trypan blue stained and counted every 24 h until it reached stationary phase. (C) Determination of % cell viability by MTT assay in CEM cells. Cells were cultured with 10, 50, 100 and 250 μM of MWor vehicle control for 24, 48 and 72 h. The % of cell viability was calculated considering DMF treated cells as 100% and plotted with representation of error bars. (D) Measurement of LDH release following treatment with MW. After the exposure of CEM cells with MW at different concentrations (10, 50, 100 and 250 μM) for 24, 48 and 72 h, the release of LDH was measured at 490 nm. Results are presented as percentage of LDH release. Each experiment was done three independent times with good agreement.</p

Structural elucidation of echioidinin (C₁₆H₁₂O₅) by spectral analysis.

<p>(A) ¹H NMR spectra (B) ¹³C NMR spectra (C) Liquid chromatography mass spectra (D) Structure of echioidinin.</p

Callus induction from mature leaf explants of <i>Andrographis lineata</i> on MS medium.

<p>(A) Callus was induced from leaf explants on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l^-1 IAA (Bar = 2.5 mm) after 4 weeks. (B) Schematic representation of phytochemical analysis of callus of <i>Andrographis lineata</i> for isolation of bioactive compounds.</p