Natural Products Journal, The - Online First

Urolithiasis is a condition where kidney stones exit through the renal pelvis, causing chronic pain. Kidney stones are usually formed due to the deposition of calcium and oxalate crystals. It is known to be a prevalent health condition that affects a large portion of the global human population. Inopportunely, no medications that show effective prevention of urolithiasis are currently available. Extensive research has highlighted the significant role of commensal microbes in regulating host oxalate homeostasis and oxalate-associated pathological conditions. However, limited knowledge of the pathophysiology of urolithiasis poses difficulties in designing target-based therapeutics. Growing evidence suggests the role of gut microbiota and probiotics in helping reduce the disease burden. Understanding the intricate relationship between gut-associated microbiota and its host symbiosis reveals the therapeutic potential of specific bacteria to prevent and/or treat such metabolic diseases. Oxalobacter formigenes, a bacterium, is considered crucial for degrading dietary oxalates through the oxalyl-CoA decarboxylase enzyme. The absence of this enzyme leads to hyperoxaluria and calcium oxalate urolithiasis, underscoring the impact of microbiota on kidney stone formation. Studies on the urinary microbiome, including those focusing on Oxalobacter formigenes, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium lentum, Enterococcus faecalis, and Escherichia coli, elucidate the metabolism of dietary oxalates, providing a novel approach to kidney stone management. This review aims to consolidate the present information on the urinary microbiome, aetiology, pathogenesis, and disease prevention.

The complex etiology of Gouty Arthritis (GA) makes it a multidimensional illness for which there are now no effective therapeutic therapies that can stop its development entirely. This review examines how effectively different plants and their constituents reduce blood uric acid levels and lessen the predisposition to gout. Research has looked at the possible roles of oxidative stress markers, inflammatory pathways, important transport and signaling proteins, and the health benefits of different plants and their components in the development of GA. Plant remedies have been used for a long time to treat human and animal ailments. Most people in developing countries use traditional plant-based medicine for basic care due to its affordability, availability, and cultural acceptability. This review aims to gather comprehensive information on plants and their compounds that exhibit anti-gout activities, focusing on in vitro and in vivo investigations. The scientific database was searched by using different keywords, and papers published between March 2008 and December 2023 were considered. The inclusion criteria were publications on inflammatory mediators, free radicals, oxidative stress, or proteins in gout etiology or evolution, along with plant-based remedies. Finally, 27 publications based on inclusion and exclusion criteria reported the active compounds and analyzed parameters and outcomes of research carried out with these medicinal plants. This paper extensively explores the potential mechanism of employing medicinal herbs for the management of gout. However, more investigation is needed to fully comprehend the role that various biomarkers play in the development of GA, as well as to investigate the possible functions of different plants and the substances found in them.

Breast cancer, a pervasive global malignancy, is anticipated to undergo a significant increase by 2040. Despite the conventional armamentarium of treatments including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, the intricate landscape of breast cancer, characterized by its multifaceted surface receptors and signalling pathways, presents formidable challenges to treatment efficacy. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), extracted from Camellia sinensis, has emerged as a subject of interest due to its robust antioxidative properties stemming from its chemical structure. EGCG exerts its effects on pivotal stages of tumour growth and proliferation by modulating key signalling pathways such as MAPK, PI3K, NFkB, and ERK1/2 influencing apoptosis and cell cycle regulation. Clinical trials have provided insights into EGCG's potential impact on breast cancer such as mammographic density and pharmacokinetics, indicating its potential as a potent therapeutic agent. Moreover, when administered with conventional chemotherapy, EGCG demonstrates synergistic effects, enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to validate the safety and efficacy of EGCG in breast cancer prevention and treatment.

In this study, we utilized high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF/MS/MS), combined with electrospray ionization in the positive mode (ESI+), to establish a comprehensive framework for chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection.

The primary focus was on performing collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments on levantilide D, a newly identified macrolide, and its well-established analog, levantilide C, in order to elucidate their mass spectral fragmentation patterns.

The results revealed that the cleavage patterns of levantilides were successfully characterized when ionized in the positive mode. These fragmentation profiles provide valuable insights for the rapid and accurate structural identification and quantitative analysis of levantilides when they often occur in trace amounts.

Furthermore, this methodology offers crucial technical references for environmental pollutant monitoring and pharmacokinetic investigations for levantilide-related compounds.

The lack of melanin-producing cells in the epidermis causes white patches to develop in vitiligo, a chronic skin disorder. Although vitiligo seldom causes physical injury, it can have serious psychological and social consequences, such as diminished self-confidence and feelings of inadequacy. While there is no known cure for vitiligo, there are several treatments that can help control the illness and lessen its impact on people's lives. In this review, we take a look at the literature on phytoconstituents and plant extracts as prospective therapeutic agents for vitiligo. Traditional medicine has a long history of using plant extracts for the treatment of many ailments, including skin diseases. The pharmacological effects of natural bioactive substances are diverse, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory capabilities. For this reason, they hold great promise as a vitiligo cure.

The present review comprehensively explores an overview of a versatile essential oil from genus Lavandula. Oil finds wide application in the aromatherapy and cosmetic industry. This paper emphasizes the chemical constituents of the oil that are responsible for the diverse therapeutic applications. Various extraction techniques, such as steam distillation, hydro distillation, supercritical liquid extraction and ultrasound assisted extraction are discussed. Also the article elucidates the mechanism of action that explains the therapeutic application of the oil in microbial infections, oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases. This review also extensively discusses the preclinical and clinical studies of the use of the oil for the management or treatment of psoriasis, depression, wound, anxiety, Alzheimer’s’ disease, myocardial infarction, acute lung injury and acute inflammation. Additionally, the article highlights granted patents and the novel formulation strategies such as hydrogels, nanofibers, emulsions and nanoparticles used to enhance the bioavailability and the targeted delivery of the oil. The review also provides future perspectives, emphasizing the need for further research for harnessing the potential of lavender oil.

In this review, recent advances in the microbial oxidation and ring rearrangement of various terpenoidal compounds by Aspergillus niger are reviewed. Studies on hydroxylation, acid and keto formations, Baeyer-Villiger oxidation, and ring rearrangements are also explored. Moreover, various terpenoidal compound substrates and their metabolites used for fungal biotransformations are compiled. This review attempts to cover the latest developments in the scientific literature from 2018 to 2023.

Quzhiqiao is a Chinese herbal medicine widely used in Zhejiang Province of China, which originates from the cultivar Citrus aurantiun ‘Changshanhuyou’, named Changshanhuyou in Chinese. Citrus aurantiun ‘Changshanhuyou’ is a botanical variety of C. aurantium L., which is obtained after long-term domestication. It belongs to the Rutaceae family and mainly grows in Changshan County, Zhejiang Province, China. Quzhiqiao is an authentic Chinese medicinal material in the Zhejiang area with various pharmacological and curative effects. A comprehensive review and in-depth analysis of scientific literature on Quzhiqiao was conducted, utilizing diverse electronic databases and additional sources. This review provides a comprehensive overview of its chemical components, standardized quality control, pharmacological activity, and mechanism of action, which also outlines future perspectives, highlighting the necessity for further research for harnessing the potential of the therapeutic use of Quzhiqiao.