Pharmacological Research - Natural Products最新文献

{"title":"Exploration of the phytochemical evaluation, chemical profile, and antimicrobial activities of cashew nut shell oil, a potential medicinal plant for various applications","authors":"Gerheart Winfred Ashong ,&nbsp;Christian Edem Darko ,&nbsp;Eliot Pappoe ,&nbsp;Boansi Adu Ababio ,&nbsp;Edward Ebow Kwaansa-Ansah","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100291","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100291","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), a by-product of cashew nut processing, is known for its bioactive compounds, potential antimicrobial, antioxidant, and pharmaceutical applications.</div></div><div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and chemical profile of CNSL, providing scientific evaluation for its potential therapeutic and industrial applications.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>After the CNSL was extracted using Soxhlet extraction, its chemical composition was investigated using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS), and functional group identification using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). Also its phytochemical components and antimicrobial activity against organisms were evaluated.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The FTIR and GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of phenolic groups which contributes to the antimicrobial activity observed.</div><div>The phytochemical analysis of CNSL extract revealed the presence of phenols, tannins, terpenoids, amino acids, and flavonoids, across the different solvent extracts.</div><div>The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) showed that the extract was most effective against <em>Streptococcus pyogene</em> and <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> (25 mg/mL) and less effective against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> and <em>E. coli</em> (50 mg/mL).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The CNSL's phytochemical constituents highlight its potential as a natural antimicrobial agent, especially against gram-positive bacteria, indicating its potential applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Further studies are needed to quantify, assess cytotoxicity, and develop CNSL-based products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100291"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the hydrodynamic cavitation-derived green tea catechins for their anti-malarial activity against drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum","authors":"Alex Sebastian Raj","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100285","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100285","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Malaria, a life-threatening disease caused by <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em>, is becoming increasingly challenging due to the rise in drug-resistant strains. Green tea catechins, bioactive polyphenols from <em>Camellia sinensis</em> (L.) Kuntze, exhibit potential anti-malarial properties. This study explores the efficacy of a catechin complex extracted using hydrodynamic cavitation, a method designed to enhance bioavailability through the generation of amorphous crystalline structures rich in <em>cis</em> (epi) catechins. Catechins were extracted from <em>Camellia sinensis</em> (L.) Kuntze leaves using hydrodynamic cavitation. Chromatographic methods quantified total polyphenols, catechins, and caffeine. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterized the extract's physical state. Anti-malarial activity was assessed using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase pLDH and radiolabelled hypoxanthine assays, determining IC₅₀ values against the NF54 strain of <em>P. falciparum</em>. Chromatographic analysis revealed eight catechins with high cis (epi) catechin content. SEM confirmed an amorphous crystalline structure, promoting enhanced bioavailability. The catechin complex exhibited significant anti-malarial activity with an IC₅₀ of 10 µg/ml. At IC₅₀, hypoxanthine uptake was significantly suppressed, indicating metabolic disruption. Higher catechin concentrations inhibited over 80 % of hypoxanthine incorporation, impairing critical nucleotide synthesis pathways. This study highlights hydrodynamic cavitation as a transformative extraction approach, improving catechin efficacy for malaria treatment, especially in combating drug-resistant strains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100285"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144482453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Therapeutic potential and molecular mechanisms of natural flavonoids in liver cancer","authors":"Rohit Tripathi ,&nbsp;Arpita Yadav ,&nbsp;Avadh Biharee ,&nbsp;Jeetendra Kumar Gupta ,&nbsp;Bhupendra Singh ,&nbsp;Prateek Pathak ,&nbsp;Chiagoziem A. Otuechere ,&nbsp;Amita Verma","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Cancer is the prominent cause of death globally, which accounts for the major economic burden in health sector in both developed and developing countries. There are various deleterious forms of cancer affecting the prostate, lung, blood, colon, mouth, liver and other organs. Although modern techniques to diagnose cancer are now available but the effective treatment is still is a challenge to modern therapeutics. Various antibiotics and antimetabolites are commonly employed for the management of cancer which leads to adverse situation due to the development of multidrug resistance.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This review aims to describe the efficacy of poly-phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids, as anti-liver cancer agents along with their molecular mechanisms of action. In view of this, cognate literature databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and the web in general were consulted for comprehensible materials on liver cancer, flavonoids and molecular mechanisms of action.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>This review pinpoints the pharmacological properties of flavonoids and their various potential therapeutic applications. The nanoparticles formed from flavonoids such as quercetin, kaempferol, fisetin, myricetin, morin, rutin, scutellarin, kurarinol, tangeritin, chyrsin, hesperidin, among others have also been explored for their therapeutic efficacy against liver cancer. These flavonoid-conjugated nanoparticles may offer enhanced bioavailability and targeted drug delivery. Furthermore, this review demonstrated the anticancer effects of flavonoid based compounds against liver cancer via various mechanisms including cell cycle arrest, cytokines release, pro-inflammatory response, autophagy and angiogenesis.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Flavonoids have a high therapeutic potential and could be exploited to develop novel medications in modern medicine. In addition, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the pathogenesis of liver cancer is critical for developing innovative therapies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100288"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144364877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modulation of pro-inflammatory mRNA expression by Sesamum indicum and Coptis teeta","authors":"Lopamudra Sarma ,&nbsp;Manoj Sharma ,&nbsp;Munmi Majumder ,&nbsp;Pallab Kumar Borah ,&nbsp;Rupak Mukhopadhyay ,&nbsp;Raj Kumar Duary","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100289","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Sesamum indicum</em> Linn. and <em>Coptis teeta</em> Wall<em>.</em> are known to demonstrate significant anti-inflammatory activity, albeit their effect on the expression of pro-inflammatory mRNA has remained largely unexplored. In this study, both the plant extracts demonstrated high polyphenolic (phenolic, 477.50 ± 1.60 and 290.35 ± 1.18 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent) 100 g⁻¹; flavonoid, 225.50 ± 2.77 and 129.54 ± 3.16 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹) and antioxidant (ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical scavenging, 89.52 ± 1.25 and 89.95 ± 3.04 %) activities. In lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages differentiated from the human THP-1 monocytic cell line, <em>Sesamum indicum</em> Linn. significantly downregulated the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, namely, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), whereas <em>Coptis teeta</em> Wall<em>.</em> specifically downregulated the gene expression of IL-6. The primary anti-inflammatory compounds were identified as <em>O</em>-coumaric acid, rhamnetin, cucurbitacin H, and harpagoside. The findings offer a promising platform to inform future applications of traditional medicinal plants in functional food and pharmaceutical ingredients development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100289"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144365840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phytochemical profiling by GC-MS, in vivo toxicity bioassay, and insecticidal evaluation of Pluchea carolinensis (Jacq.) Don leaf extracts from Puerto Rico","authors":"Mike Vázquez-Torres ,&nbsp;Irma Cabrera-Asencio ,&nbsp;Nilka Rivera-Portalatín","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100286","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100286","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Medicinal plants are known to produce and synthesize biologically active secondary metabolites that can be derived as natural product formulations for many applications including their potential pharmaceutical use. Leaf extracts from <em>Pluchea carolinensis</em> (Jacq.) Don (Asteraceae), a traditional medicinal plant of the Caribbean region, were obtained by micro-Soxhlet extraction using organic solvents of different polarities, and their phytochemical composition was identified using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). These extracts were mostly composed of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids, triterpenoids, phenols, and other bioactive phytochemicals. Squalene, α-tocopherol, and β-amyrin acetate were phytocompounds identified in these leaf extracts recognized to have hypolipidemic, antiviral, and antidiabetic properties. The toxicity or preliminary cytotoxic activity of <em>Pluchea carolinensis</em> leaf extracts was assessed <em>in vivo</em> using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, where the chloroform extract (PCC) resulted toxic to <em>Artemia franciscana</em>, with an LC₅₀ value of 375.29 μg/mL. The insecticidal activity of <em>P. carolinensis</em> leaf extracts against an insect of agricultural significance was also explored for the first time through contact toxicity bioassays with <em>Ferrisia</em> sp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Results revealed a low insecticidal activity of these leaf extracts against this pest, with the methanolic extract (PCM) having the best effect (LC₅₀ = 16.11 mg/mL after 24 h). The findings of this study underline the importance of further pharmacological research to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticancer, or antioxidant potential of the bioactive secondary metabolites in the chloroform extract of <em>Pluchea carolinensis</em> leaves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100286"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144331130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Compound isolation followed by anti-inflammatory bioactivity-based ADME study, network pharmacology, molecular docking and MD simulation reveals a novel O-methylated flavonol, Ombuin from Ipomoea batatas whole plant","authors":"Aishik Banerjee ,&nbsp;Soumyadeep Paul ,&nbsp;Arnab Seth ,&nbsp;Biplab Debnath ,&nbsp;Anoop Kumar ,&nbsp;Shaileyee Das","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inflammation is a critical biological response to harmful stimuli such as pathogens and damaged cells. However, excessive or chronic inflammation contributes to various diseases, including cardiovascular conditions, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. Key proteins such as NF-κB, STAT1, and MAPK1 regulate inflammatory processes and cytokine production. Identifying compounds that modulate these pathways is essential for developing effective therapies. Phytochemicals, bioactive plant-derived compounds, have gained prominence for their potential to modulate multiple cellular pathways with minimal toxicity. Among these, sweet potato (<em>Ipomoea batatas</em>), an underutilized plant, is rich in bioactive compounds with potential anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigates the anti-inflammatory potential of <em>Ipomoea batatas</em> phytochemicals using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations.</div><div>Methanol extracts of <em>Ipomoea batatas</em> were analyzed via GC-MS and LC-MS, identifying 216 compounds, of which 12 with favorable ADME profiles were selected. Target prediction using SuperPred and GeneCards databases identified key inflammation-related proteins, and pathway analysis using STRING revealed significant involvement in pathways like neurotrophin signaling and PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoints. Molecular docking studies highlighted Ombuin, a flavonoid, as having the strongest binding affinity with NF-κB1 (-8.9 kcal/mol), outperforming Sorafenib, a standard therapeutic agent. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stability of the Ombuin-NF-κB1 complex.</div><div>These findings emphasize the therapeutic potential of Ombuin as an anti-inflammatory agent, particularly in inflammation-driven cancers. By targeting critical proteins and pathways involved in inflammation, Ombuin demonstrates significant promise for clinical exploration and development. Further experimental studies are needed to validate its efficacy, optimize pharmacokinetics, and evaluate its combinatory potential with existing therapies for inflammation and cancer management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100284"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144470209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tangeretin, a natural flavonoid with promising anticancer effects: A comprehensive review","authors":"Olalekan Bukunmi Ogunro ,&nbsp;Oladimeji Taiwo Babatunde ,&nbsp;Olufemi Samuel Araoyinbo","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100287","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100287","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The search for improved cancer treatments continues due to drug resistance and adverse side effects of current therapies. Flavonoids offer a potentially promising alternative, with tangeretin emerging as a notable natural product with an anti-cancer effect.</div></div><div><h3>Key findings</h3><div>Tangeretin has shown remarkable potential in impeding cancer cell progression. It possesses antimutagenic properties and may prevent cancer development upon exposure to mutagens. Additionally, tangeretin disrupts the cell cycle, aids in DNA repair, and reduces cancer risk. It can trigger intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, inhibit tumour angiogenesis and metastasis, and induce autophagy while alleviating inflammation caused by chemotherapy. Notably, tangeretin has demonstrated synergistic interactions with chemotherapeutic agents such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin, and 5-FU, enhancing their efficacy and potentially overcoming drug resistance. These anticancer effects are partly achieved through modulation of signalling pathways like MAPK, Notch, and PI3K/Akt/mtor. Importantly, tangeretin exhibits versatility by effectively combating various cancer types.</div></div><div><h3>Summary</h3><div>This comprehensive review underscores tangeretin’s multifaceted pharmacological attributes and advocates for its inclusion in clinical studies as a promising addition to the arsenal of cancer-fighting therapies, particularly in combination with standard chemotherapeutics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100287"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cardio-protective effects of aqeuous extract of Hunteria umbellata seed on cyclosporine- induced hyperpensive rats","authors":"L.J. Babatola ,&nbsp;A.A. Adebayo ,&nbsp;A.A. Bolarinde ,&nbsp;G. Oboh","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100283","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100283","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hunteria umbellata seed is a medicinal plant seed that has been reported for treatment of several degenerative diseases, but with paucity of information on its uses in the treatment/management of hypertension. This study investigated the effects of aqueous extract of Hunteria umbellata seed (HUE) on some mechanisms [(Nitric oxide (NO), arginase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE)] linked with the pathology of hypertension in cyclosporine-induced rats. Forty male albino rats (150 – 180 g) were randomly divided into five groups of eight animals per group and were induced with 35 mg/kg cyclosporine (CYP) except the control group (group 1), group 2 was untreated, while group 3 was treated with standard drug, 10 mg/kg Lisinopril (LIN), group 4 and 5 were treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg aqueous extract of HUE respectively. Measurement of the rats systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure was carried out, the experiment lasted for seven (7) days, after which the rats were sacrificed, the heart tissues were excised and homogenized in cold phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) and homogenate was kept at −4°C for further analysis. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profiling of HUE was also carried out. The results showed an elevated level of SBP and DBP with significant (p &gt; 0.05) increase in the Arginase level, AChE activity, and MDA content in the untreated group compared with the control group. However, treatment with LIN and HUE caused reduction in blood pressure level with a significant (p &lt; 0.05) decrease in the enzymes activity. There was a significant (p &lt; 0.05) decreased in NO content of the untreated group when compared with the control group, however, comparing treated with the untreated group revealed an increase in the NO content. There was an observable significant (p &lt; 0.05) decrease in the SOD and CAT activity of untreated group when compared to the control group, whereas, a significant (p &gt; 0.05) increase in the LIN and HUE treated group occurred with decreased MDA content. The HPLC profile showed cafeic acid to be the most abundant phenolic compound in HUE. Therefore, this study revealed that HUE is effective on some of the enzymes linked with hypertension, hence it could be useful in the management of hypertension.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100283"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS profiling and multifaceted antioxidant, antihyperglycemic and anticancer potential of Cannabis sativa sugar leaves: An unexplored source of cannabidiol, terpenes and polyphenols","authors":"Chitchamai Ovatlarnporn ,&nbsp;Sasikarn Sripetthong ,&nbsp;Sirinporn Nalinbenjapun ,&nbsp;Gechly Yok ,&nbsp;Abdul Basit","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100282","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100282","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Cannabis sativa</em> is one of the most extensively researched plant species that holds promising therapeutic and ethnomedicinal significance. Various parts of the species including fan leaves, flowers and trichomes are well documented for their richness in cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) contents. However, an overlooked part of <em>C. sativa</em>, the sugar leaves, which are wasted during harvesting has plethora of CBD and THC and yet to investigated. In this study we investigated the ethanol extract of sugar leaves of <em>C. sativa</em> (CSLE) for chemical composition through UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis and pharmacological potential by using various <em>in vitro</em> antioxidant, antidiabetic, nitric oxide inhibition and anticancer studies. Furthermore, <em>in silico</em> molecular docking analysis was performed for 10 selected compounds against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS profiling of CSLE revealed the tentative identification of 37 compounds including CBD, THC, terpenes and flavonoids. The cytotoxicity studies presented highest activity against breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, IC₅₀= 18.12 ± 1.13 µg/mL) followed by lung, liver and colorectal cancer cell lines. Similarly, CSLE showed significant antidiabetic activity by inhibiting α-glucosidase (IC₅₀= 3.13 ± 2.78 µg/mL) and α-amylase. The <em>in vitro</em> antioxidant assays gave highest activity in ABTS followed by DPPH method as well as potentially inhibited nitric oxide (NO) formation. The computational analysis revealed good docking interaction of CBD, THC, selected terpene and flavonoids against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. Overall, the findings present the sugar leaves of <em>C. sativa</em> as the undisputed rich source of CBD, THC, terpenes and flavonoids with multifaceted therapeutic potential in diabetes, inflammation and different types of cancers. However, there is need of further investigations on toxicity profile and in-depth pharmacological evaluation through <em>in vivo</em> disease bearing animal models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100282"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thymoquinone and therapeutic potentials: Updated evidences from clinical trials","authors":"Youmna A. Gouda ,&nbsp;Dina K. Kassab ,&nbsp;Mohamed Ali ,&nbsp;Osama A. Badary","doi":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thymoquinone (TQ), the primary active componentof the <em>Nigella sativa</em>(Black seed) oil, has demonstrated a broad spectrum of pharmacological effects in preclinical<em>in vitro</em> and in animal models. However, clinical research evaluating its safety and efficacy in humans remains limited, partly due to biopharmaceutical limitations. This reviewaims to summarize and critically assess the current clinical evidence for TQ.A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopusdatabases and ClinicalTrials.gov, with the keywords\"thymoquinone\" and \"clinical trial\". of the search identified ten completed clinical studies exploring the clinical utility of TQ in various human conditions,including type 2 diabetes, cancer, COVID-19, epilepsy and chronic periodontitis. Moreover, sevenclinical studiesare ongoing. Overall, published trials suggest that TQ is generally well-tolerated and may provide therapeutic benefits in select conditions. Nonetheless, the small number of trials, limited sample sizes, and variability in dosing and formulations present challenges in drawing definitive conclusions. Further well-designed, large-scale clinical studies are warranted to establish the efficacy, optimal dosing strategies, and long-term safety of TQ in human populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101014,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacological Research - Natural Products","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100281"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}