Attilio Anzano, Bruna de Falco, Laura Grauso, Riccardo Motti, Virginia Lanzotti
{"title":"Laurel, Laurus nobilis L.: a review of its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology","authors":"Attilio Anzano, Bruna de Falco, Laura Grauso, Riccardo Motti, Virginia Lanzotti","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09791-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09791-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><i>Laurus nobilis</i> L. (Lauraceae), commonly known as laurel, is an evergreen and edible tree that possess biological properties positively correlated with human health. It is a very popular plant known since ancient times in traditional medicine and considered a symbol of peace and sign of victory in military and sport competitions. Laurel is used as flavoring agent in kitchen for meat, fish, broths, and vegetables. The plant shows a rich content of metabolites including proteins, free sugars, organic acids, PUFA and tocopherols and exhibit a biological potential with a wide range of bioactivity including antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This review is aimed to contribute to the knowledge of the plant by providing a critical overview of the botanic characteristics, the traditional uses, the plant chemistry and the biological activities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 2","pages":"565 - 615"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4569866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Seasonal variations of natural products in European herbs","authors":"Yan Li, Christian Zidorn","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09797-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09797-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present review gives an overview about the status of research on seasonal variation of natural products in herbs growing in or grown in Europe. Due to pronounced differences in weather patterns, papers covering plants from the Mediterranean, the temperate, and the cold climate zones are reviewed separately. Apart from trying to give an overview of the existing newer literature after the year 2000, we try to identify some repeatedly found seasonal trends and discuss some possible explanations for these trends. Moreover, some suggestions, which encompass both research bias and desirable quality standards concerning experimental designs for future studies, are given. The covered investigations are mainly focused on aerial parts and leaves. Some publications are also dealing with flowers and roots. The composition of essential oils of aromatic plants are particularly well investigated. Phenolics are the most often studied compound class, including different types of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins. Additionally, some papers assess the seasonal variation of alkaloids and lipophilic compounds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 5","pages":"1549 - 1575"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11101-021-09797-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4420741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Amomum tsao-ko Crevost & Lemarié: a comprehensive review on traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology","authors":"Siyuan Yang, Yafu Xue, Daju Chen, Zhengtao Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09793-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09793-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tsaoko Fructus, the dried ripe fruit of <i>Amomum tsao-ko</i> Crevost & Lemarié, is used as both medicinal material and food additive. This review summarized the traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacological progress on Tsaoko Fructus. One classical prescription and the other 11 representative prescriptions containing Tsaoko Fructus were reviewed. The indications of these prescriptions are major in treating spleen and stomach disorders and epidemic febrile diseases including malaria. At least 209 compounds have been isolated and identified from Tsaoko Fructus, most of which belong to terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and organic acids. Essential oil, crude extract, and some compounds were observed to have pharmacological activities such as anti-biotics, anti-inflammation, antioxidant, mostly via in vitro experiments. However, the mechanism of its medicinal uses remains unclear. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of Tsaoko Fructus, which will be beneficial to exploring the mechanism and potential medicinal applications of Tsaoko Fructus, as well as developing a rational quality control system for Tsaoko Fructus as a medicinal material in the future.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 5","pages":"1487 - 1521"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11101-021-09793-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4726465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yingjie Liu, Jieyu Wang, Lu Wang, Cheng Zhang, Qingxiang Bai, Xiaomei Lyu, Ruijin Yang
{"title":"Biosynthesis and biotechnological production of salidroside from Rhodiola genus plants","authors":"Yingjie Liu, Jieyu Wang, Lu Wang, Cheng Zhang, Qingxiang Bai, Xiaomei Lyu, Ruijin Yang","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09800-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09800-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Salidroside is a precious phenylethanoid glycoside derived from <i>Rhodiola</i> genus plants, which possesses a broad spectrum of biological properties for application in the cosmetic, medical and food fields. As the supply of salidroside is severely subject to the natural <i>Rhodiola</i> sources, sustainable production of salidroside with more economical and effective approaches has become a research hotspot in recent years. In this review, the biosynthesis pathways and enzymes involved in salidroside production in plants were elucidated in depth. Furthermore, efforts towards enhancement of salidroside production, including cell and tissue culture, enzymatic catalysis, metabolic engineering of micro-organisms were introduced comprehensively. Lastly, the strategies for product development of salidroside are presented with discussions on future prospects for the biosynthesis of salidroside. Given that there is still a certain distance between the current microbial productivity and industrialization requirement, more wisdom is in demand for dynamic regulation of cell growth and product accumulation, specific adsorption of the target compound as well as utilization of more economical carbon sources, so as to boost industrialization of salidroside via microbial fermentation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 5","pages":"1605 - 1626"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4210895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rimma G. Savchenko, Natalya A. Veskina, Viktor N. Odinokov, Galina V. Benkovskaya, Lyudmila V. Parfenova
{"title":"Ecdysteroids: isolation, chemical transformations, and biological activity","authors":"Rimma G. Savchenko, Natalya A. Veskina, Viktor N. Odinokov, Galina V. Benkovskaya, Lyudmila V. Parfenova","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09792-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09792-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ecdysteroids are polyhydroxylated sterols, and are widespread in the plant and animal world. To date, over 520 ecdysteroids have been isolated from natural sources. The most accessible and studied representative of this class of compounds is 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E)—a universal hormone for the development and vital activity of insects and crustaceans. Moreover, ecdysteroids exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological activity for humans, without exerting toxic, androgenic, or estrogenic effects. In this regard, the search for new structures of ecdysteroids and their semi-synthetic analogs obtained as a result of various chemical transformations is in high demand. The review summarizes data for the period 2011–2021 regarding recent advances in the isolation of novel natural ecdysteroids, the chemical modifications, biological activity of semi-synthetic analogs and their prospects for practice.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 5","pages":"1445 - 1486"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4502843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Uche Maryann Chukwudulue, Alfred Francis Attah, Festus Basden Chiedu Okoye
{"title":"Linking phytochemistry to traditional uses and pharmacology of an underexplored genus – Psydrax: a review","authors":"Uche Maryann Chukwudulue, Alfred Francis Attah, Festus Basden Chiedu Okoye","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09798-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09798-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The genus <i>Psydrax</i> is one of the ethno-medicinally important genera of the Rubiaceae family which has only received a limited scientific attention, despite coming from a pharmacologically and phytochemically important plant family. The genus has found applications in ethnomedical management of diabetes, stomach disorders, inflammations, cardiovascular diseases, epilepsy, wounds, malaria and fever. To unveil knowledge gaps, stimulate research interest and unravel opportunities for drug discovery from the genus <i>Psydrax</i>, we have carried out an extensive review on its traditional applications, phytochemistry and pharmacology for the first time. Literature on these topics was obtained from Google Scholar, Pubmed and ScienceDirect journal articles published from 1788 to September, 2021. Only articles written in English were reviewed. While several species of <i>Pysdrax</i> used in traditional medicine have not been chemically explored for drug discovery, over a hundred secondary metabolites have so far been identified in few species of the genus, and majority of these chemotaxonomic markers are iridoids. Bioactive extracts and some isolated constituents of <i>Psydrax</i> species have shown various in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties including anti-hyperglycemia, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant and antimicrobial, and thus, support some of the ethnomedical uses of the plants. For an evidence-informed application of the genus, <i>Psydrax</i>, in traditional medicine, more ethnobotanical surveys, elaborate in vivo pharmacological assays, in-depth toxicity and holistic phytochemical studies are required to fully exploit more species of the genus prior to future clinical studies. Following documented traditional uses of <i>Psydrax</i> species, the deliberate cultivation of medicinal plants under this genus is recommended for sustainability in medicinal plant utilization.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 5","pages":"1577 - 1604"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11101-021-09798-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4161977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Achievements in the production of bioplastics from microalgae","authors":"Young-Kwon Park, Jechan Lee","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09788-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09788-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plastic waste generation has been increasing considerably, which bring about several environmental problems such as microplastics. In addition to the plastic pollution, the reduction in the use of petrochemical plastics is a key aspect to enhance sustainability. To alleviate the problems, the development of an innovative solution is rightly expected. Bioplastics are an alternative for conventional petrochemical plastics, recently gaining in a lot of attention. Microalgae can be an attractive source for the production of bioplastics given that they have a very distinctive growth yield in comparison to typical lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, the employment of microalgae to produce bioplastics affords a golden opportunity to enhance sustainability of plastic usage. Given recent scientific research achievements in bioplastic production from microalgae, a review of the achievements is required. In this regard, this study was aimed at providing a review on the production of bioplastics using microalgae, which laid great emphasis on determining the current state of microalgal bioplastic production technologies and offering potential processes and applications. The prospect of bioplastic production based on microalgae is also discussed, and important points and challenges facing further research into the microalgal bioplastics are highlighted.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"22 4","pages":"1147 - 1165"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4121485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Immunomodulatory properties of triterpenes","authors":"Gülin Renda, İçim Gökkaya, Didem Şöhretoğlu","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09785-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09785-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The immune system is one of the main defence mechanisms of the human body. Inadequacy of this system or immunodeficiency results in increased risk of infections and tumours, whereas over-activation of the immune system causes allergic or autoimmune disorders. A well-balanced immune system is important for protection and for alleviation of these diseases. There is a growing interest to maintain a well-balanced immune system, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. Many biological extracts, as well as natural products, have become popular due to their wide array of immunomodulatory effects and influence on the immune system. Triterpenes, one of the secondary metabolite groups of medicinal plants, exhibit immunomodulatory properties by various mechanisms. Different triterpenes, including components of commonly consumed plants, can promote some protection and alleviation of disease symptoms linked with immune responses and thus enhance overall well-being. This review aims to highlight the efficacy of triterpenes in light of the available literature evidence regarding the immunomodulatory properties of triterpenes. We have reviewed widely investigated immunomodulatory triterpenes; oleanolic acid, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, pristimerin, ursolic acid, boswellic acid, celastrol, lupeol, betulin, betulinic acid, ganoderic acid, cucumarioside, and astragalosides which have important immunoregulatory properties. In spite of many preclinical and clinical trials were conducted on triterpenes related to their immunoregulatory actions, current studies have several limitations. Therefore, especially more clinical studies with optimal design is essential.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 2","pages":"537 - 563"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2021-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11101-021-09785-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4732769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Amaryllidaceae alkaloids: an untapped source of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors","authors":"Strahil Berkov, Mariyana Atanasova, Borislav Georgiev, Jaume Bastida, Irini Doytchinova","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09790-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09790-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The AChE inhibitory activity of alkaloid extracts and compounds has been in the focus of research on the plants of Amaryllidoideae subfamily since the approval of galanthamine in 2001 by FDA for treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. A small fraction of the huge biodiversity of the plants producing Amaryllidaceae alkaloids has been studied as a source of AChE inhibitors. Less than 20% of the known Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have been tested in vitro for their ability to inhibit AChE. Galanthamine, lycorine and haemanthamine are scaffolds for semi-synthesis of potent AChE inhibitors. In the last years, galanthamine has been studied in silico for drug optimization and synthesis of potent dual-binding AChE inhibitors. In silico studies of other Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have also provoked the interest of researchers in the last years. The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive review on studies of the AChE inhibitory activity of extracts and compounds from the plants of Amaryllidoideae subfamily covering the literature from the last two decades.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 5","pages":"1415 - 1443"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2021-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11101-021-09790-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4732767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Antonio J. León-González, Inmaculada Navarro, Nuria Acero, Dolores Muñoz-Mingarro, Carmen Martín-Cordero
{"title":"The fruit of Corema album (L.) D. Don, a singular white berry with potential benefits in nutrition and health","authors":"Antonio J. León-González, Inmaculada Navarro, Nuria Acero, Dolores Muñoz-Mingarro, Carmen Martín-Cordero","doi":"10.1007/s11101-021-09787-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11101-021-09787-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><i>Corema album</i> (L.) D. Don (<i>Ericaceae</i>) is an endemic bush that grows along the Atlantic littoral of the Iberian Peninsula. Its edible white berries (known as camarinas, camariñas, camarinhas, white crowberry, among other vernacular names) have been used in popular medicine as an antipyretic and are consumed in localised areas of Portugal and Spain as appetisers and in the preparation of juices and jams. The aim of the present review is to summarise the knowledge of the chemical composition and pharmacological studies performed with <i>C. album</i> fruit and extracts. These berries are rich in phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids, stilbenes, flavonols, flavanones, prenylated flavanone, flavanols, and anthocyanins. The total phenolic content of various extracts of the pulp of these berries has been positively correlated with their antioxidant capacity. In this respect, the treatment with acetone, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts of this fruit has protected HepG2 cells against chemically induced oxidative stress. The chemoprotective effect of these extracts is mediated by preventing reactive oxygen species formation, reduced glutathione depletion, antioxidant enzyme over-activity, and oxidative damage to proteins and lipids. Furthermore, the presence of pentacyclic triterpenes, such as ursolic and oleanolic acids, in <i>C. album</i> berries confers reflectance UV properties to this fruit and derived extracts. In short, existing studies suggest that the development of <i>C. album</i> crops should be considered as a promising opportunity to obtain these remarkable berries. Moreover, further experiments should also be designed to evaluate their in vivo effect and to ascertain the underlying mechanism of action.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":733,"journal":{"name":"Phytochemistry Reviews","volume":"21 2","pages":"525 - 536"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2021-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11101-021-09787-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4914513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}