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Bioactive Compounds in Plant Extracts: Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Anticancer Properties and Applications

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 3313

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM), Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Interests: anti-inflammatory; antioxidant; anticancer; bioactive compounds; plant extracts; pharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), Department of Biology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: natural compounds; bioactivities; anti-inflammatory; antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
2. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: vascular biology; inflammation; pharmacology; natural products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is increasing interest in plant-derived bioactive compounds. These compounds are not only involved in the actions of various plant extracts which have long been used in traditional and complementary medicines, but also as sources of lead compounds for developing new drugs or therapeutics for treating various diseases and conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, pain, and chronic inflammation. Many of these compounds, such as polyphenols, have been widely studied.

This Special Issue focusses on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties of plant-derived bioactive compounds and their roles in the prevention and treatment of related diseases and conditions. It includes original research papers and reviews and covers all aspects of the topic, ranging from chemical analysis, synthesis, pharmacology, and toxicology to mechanism of actions including potential molecular targets and signaling pathways, as well as clinical applications.

Prof. Dr. Chun Guang Li
Prof. Dr. Alberto C. P. Dias
Dr. Saiwang Seto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • anti-inflammatory
  • antioxidant
  • anticancer
  • bioactive compounds
  • plant extracts
  • properties
  • bioactivity
  • drug targets
  • application

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4508 KiB  
Article
Protective Effect of Perilla Seed Meal and Perilla Seed Extract against Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis through Suppressing Inflammatory Cytokines in Mice
by Natticha Sumneang, Komsak Pintha, Sarawut Kongkarnka, Maitree Suttajit and Napapan Kangwan
Molecules 2024, 29(9), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29091940 - 24 Apr 2024
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Abstract
An excessive inflammatory response of the gastrointestinal tract is recognized as one of the major contributors to ulcerative colitis (UC). Despite this, effective preventive approaches for UC remain limited. Rosmarinic acid (RA), an enriched fraction from Perilla frutescens, has been shown to [...] Read more.
An excessive inflammatory response of the gastrointestinal tract is recognized as one of the major contributors to ulcerative colitis (UC). Despite this, effective preventive approaches for UC remain limited. Rosmarinic acid (RA), an enriched fraction from Perilla frutescens, has been shown to exert beneficial effects on disease-related inflammatory disorders. However, RA-enriched perilla seed meal (RAPSM) and perilla seed (RAPS) extracts have not been investigated in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. RAPSM and RAPS were extracted using the solvent-partitioning method and analyzed with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mice with UC induced using 2.5% DSS for 7 days were pretreated with RAPSM and RAPS (50, 250, 500 mg/kg). Then, the clinical manifestation, colonic histopathology, and serum proinflammatory cytokines were determined. Indeed, DSS-induced UC mice exhibited colonic pathological defects including an impaired colon structure, colon length shortening, and increased serum proinflammatory cytokines. However, RAPSM and RAPS had a protective effect at all doses by attenuating colonic pathology in DSS-induced UC mice, potentially through the suppression of proinflammatory cytokines. Concentrations of 50 mg/kg of RAPSM and RAPS were sufficient to achieve a beneficial effect in UC mice. This suggests that RAPSM and RAPS have a preventive effect against DSS-induced UC, potentially through alleviating inflammatory responses and relieving severe inflammation in the colon. Full article
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14 pages, 2440 KiB  
Article
Hepatoprotective Effects of Biochanin A on Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Cirrhosis in Experimental Rats
by Mohamed Yousif Ibrahim, Zaenah Zuhair Alamri, Ameena S. M. Juma, Sarah Ashour Hamood, Suhayla Hamad Shareef, Mahmood Ameen Abdulla and Soher Nagi Jayash
Molecules 2023, 28(22), 7608; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28227608 - 15 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1182
Abstract
The protective effect of biochanin A (BCA) on the histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and biochemistry of thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver cirrhosis in vivo was investigated. There was a significant reduction in liver weight and hepatocyte propagation, with much lower cell injury in rat groups treated with [...] Read more.
The protective effect of biochanin A (BCA) on the histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and biochemistry of thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver cirrhosis in vivo was investigated. There was a significant reduction in liver weight and hepatocyte propagation, with much lower cell injury in rat groups treated with BCA (25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg) following a TAA induction. These groups had significantly lower levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). The liver homogenates showed increased antioxidant enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), as well as decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. The serum biomarkers associated with liver function, namely alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma glutamyl transaminase (GGT), returned to normal levels, comparable to those observed in both the normal control group and the reference control group. Taken together, the normal microanatomy of hepatocytes, the inhibition of PCNA and α-SMA, improved antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx), and condensed MDA with repairs of liver biomarkers validated BCA’s hepatoprotective effect. Full article
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13 pages, 953 KiB  
Article
The Cytotoxic Activity of Dammarane-Type Triterpenoids Isolated from the Stem Bark of Aglaia cucullata (Meliaceae)
by Purnama, Kindi Farabi, Dudi Runadi, Hadi Kuncoro, Desi Harneti, Nurlelasari, Tri Mayanti, Mohamad Nurul Azmi, Sofa Fajriah and Unang Supratman
Molecules 2023, 28(13), 4946; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28134946 - 23 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1113
Abstract
The Aglaia genus, a member of the Meliaceae family, is generally recognized to include a number of secondary metabolite compounds with diverse structures and biological activities, including triterpenoids. Among the members of this genus, Aglaia cucullata has been reported to have unique properties [...] Read more.
The Aglaia genus, a member of the Meliaceae family, is generally recognized to include a number of secondary metabolite compounds with diverse structures and biological activities, including triterpenoids. Among the members of this genus, Aglaia cucullata has been reported to have unique properties and thrives exclusively in mangrove ecosystems. This plant is also known to contain various metabolites, such as flavaglines, bisamides, and diterpenoids, but there are limited reports on the isolation of triterpenoid compounds from its stem bark. Therefore, this research attempted to isolate and elucidate seven triterpenoids belonging to dammarane-type (17) from the stem bark of Aglaia cucullata. The isolated compounds included 20S,24S-epoxy-3α,25-dihydroxy-dammarane (1), dammaradienone (2), 20S-hydroxy-dammar-24-en-3-on (3), eichlerianic acid (4), (20S,24RS)-23,24-epoxy-24-methoxy-25,26,27-tris-nor dammar-3-one (5), 3α-acetyl-cabraleahydroxy lactone (6), and 3α-acetyl-20S,24S-epoxy-3α,25-dihydroxydammarane (7). Employing spectroscopic techniques, the chemical structures of the triterpenoids were identified using FTIR, NMR, and HRESITOF-MS. The cytotoxic activity of compounds 17 was tested with the PrestoBlue cell viability reagent against MCF-7 breast cancer, B16-F10 melanoma, and CV-1 normal kidney fibroblast cell lines. The results displayed that compound 5 had the highest level of bioactivity compared to the others. Furthermore, the IC50 values obtained were more than 100 μM, indicating the low potential of natural dammarane-type triterpenoids as anticancer agents. These findings provided opportunities for further studies aiming to increase their cytotoxic activities through semi-synthetic methods. Full article
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