lignans and taxifolin

Ovarian cancer is one of the highly prominent gynecological malignancies after breast cancer. Although myriad literature is available, there is no specific biomarker available for the personalized treatment strategy. The unavailability of effective drug therapy for ovarian cancer calls for an urgent push in its development from the multidisciplinary scientific community. Indian Ayurvedic medicine pharmacology is widely appreciated and accepted for its immense healthcare benefits. Bioinformatics and cheminformatics approaches can be effectively used to screen phytochemicals present in the Indian Ayurvedic plants against ovarian cancer target receptors. Recent studies discern that POTE, a cancer-testis antigen (CTA) family, plays a crucial role in the proliferation and progression of cancers including ovarian cancer. Specifically, POTEE paralog has been observed to be hypermethylated in ovarian cancer. This study undertakes an in silico analysis of Indian Ayurvedic plants for their anticancer efficacy against ovarian cancer proliferation target receptor POTEE. Structures of 100 phytochemicals from 11 Ayurvedic plants were screened with ADME criteria, and qualified phytochemicals were subjected to molecular docking and interaction analysis. Only 6 phytochemicals having a high affinity to the target receptor (POTEE) were then subjected to an all-atom replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation for 50 ns. Binding affinities of 6 phytochemicals cedeodarin, deodarin, hematoxylin, matairesinol, quercetin, and taxifolin with POTEE were -8.1, -7.7, -7.7, -7.9, -8.0, and - 7.7 kcal/mol, respectively, and their RMSD were recorded as zero. This study concludes that phytochemicals present in Indian Ayurvedic plants namely Cedrus deodara and Asparagus racemosus possess inhibitory effects against ovarian cancer proliferation receptor POTEE.

Topics: Antigens, Neoplasm; Cell Proliferation; Female; Furans; Hematoxylin; Humans; Lignans; Medicine, Ayurvedic; Molecular Docking Simulation; Ovarian Neoplasms; Phytochemicals; Quercetin

Small organic phenolic compounds from natural sources have attracted increasing attention due to their potential to ameliorate the serious consequences of acute and chronic traumata of the mammalian nervous system. In this contribution, it is reported that phenols from the knot zones of Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) wood, namely, the antioxidant flavonoid (+)-dihydroquercetin (1) and the lignans (-)-secoisolariciresinol (2) and (+)-isolariciresinol (3), affect migration and outgrowth of neurites/processes from cultured neurons and glial cells of embryonic and early postnatal mice. Compounds 1-3, which were available in preparative amounts, enhanced neurite outgrowth from cerebellar granule neurons, dorsal root ganglion neurons, and motoneurons, as well as process formation of Schwann cells in a dose-dependent manner in the low nanomolar range. Migration of cultured astrocytes was inhibited by 1-3, and migration of neurons out of cerebellar explants was enhanced by 1. These observations provide evidence for the neuroactive features of these phenolic compounds in enhancing the beneficial properties of neurons and reducing the inhibitory properties of activated astrocytes in an in vitro setting and encourage the further investigation of these effects in vivo, in animal models of acute and chronic neurological diseases.

Topics: Animals; Astrocytes; Butylene Glycols; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Larix; Lignans; Lignin; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Models, Neurological; Molecular Structure; Naphthols; Neurites; Phenols; Quercetin; Schwann Cells; Stereoisomerism

Insecticide synergists biochemically inhibit insect metabolic enzyme activity and are used both to increase the effectiveness of insecticides and as a diagnostic tool for resistance mechanisms. Considerable attention has been focused on identifying new synergists from phytochemicals with recognized biological activities, specifically enzyme inhibition. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP.), balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and tamarack larch (Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch) have been used by native Canadians as traditional medicine, specifically for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties based on enzyme inhibitory activity. To identify the potential allelochemicals with synergistic activity, ethanol crude extracts and methanol/water fractions were separated by Sephadex LH-20 chromatographic column and tested for in vitro glutathione S-transferase (GST) inhibition activity using insecticide-resistant Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) midgut and fat-body homogenate. The fractions showing similar activity were combined and analyzed by ultra pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A lignan, (+)-lariciresinol 9'-p-coumarate, was identified from P. mariana cone extracts, and L. laricina and A. balsamea bark extracts. A flavonoid, taxifolin, was identified from P. mariana and P. banksiana cone extracts and L. laricina bark extracts. Both compounds inhibit GST activity with taxifolin showing greater activity compared to (+)-lariciresinol 9'-p-coumarate and the standard GST inhibitor, diethyl maleate. The results suggested that these compounds can be considered as potential new insecticide synergists.

Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fat Body; Gastrointestinal Tract; Glutathione Transferase; Insecticide Resistance; Insecticides; Larva; Lignans; Pesticide Synergists; Plant Extracts; Quercetin; Tracheophyta