Search Results (4)

Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight (CA) is a traditional medicinal and edible plant in China. This study aimed to isolate and characterize the phenolic compounds of C. auriculatum to identify its main antioxidant constituents. Polyphenols were extracted using an ultrasound-assisted ethanol extraction method, followed by partitioning with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate extract was then purified through thin-layer chromatography, silica gel column chromatography, and reverse-phase silica gel column chromatography. Three monomeric compounds—cynandione A (I), 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone (II), and radix piperacanthone (III)—were identified through their physical and chemical properties, UV and IR spectra, and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Vitamin C (VC) and 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone were used as controls to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the two most abundant monomers. Antioxidant assays demonstrated that 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone and cynandione A exhibited strong antioxidant activity at lower concentrations, whereas 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone showed significantly weaker activity. Furthermore, cynandione A displayed superior cellular antioxidant activity compared to 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone, indicating its potential as a promising bioactive compound. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the phenolic composition of C. auriculatum and highlights cynandione A as a key antioxidant, paving the way for future research on its therapeutic applications. Full article

Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight. (CA), Cynanchum bungei Decne. (CB) and Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl. (CW) are three close species belonging to the Asclepiadaceous family, and their dry roots as the bioactive part have been revealed to exhibit anti-tumor, neuroprotection, organ protection, reducing liver lipid and blood lipid, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and other activities. Until 2021, phytochemistry investigations have uncovered 232 compounds isolated from three species, which could be classified into C₂₁-steroids, acetophenones, terpenoids, and alkaloids. In this review, the morphology characteristics, species identification, and the relationship of botany, extraction, and the separation of chemical constituents, along with the molecular mechanism and pharmacokinetics of bioactive constituents of three species, are summarized for the first time, and their phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical safety are also updated. Moreover, the direction and limitation of current research on three species is also discussed. Full article

A new phenolic compound, 2-O-β-laminaribiosyl-4-hydroxyacetophenone (1), was isolated from Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix (CWR, the root of Cynanchum wilfordii Hemsley), along with 10 known aromatic compounds, including cynandione A (2), bungeisides-C (7) and –D (8), p-hydroxyacetophenone (9), 2′,5′-dihydroxyacetophenone (10), and 2′,4′-dihydroxyacetophenone (11). The structure of the new compound (1) was elucidated using spectroscopic methods and chemical methods. The structure of cynandione A (2), including a linkage mode of the biphenyl parts that remained uncertain, was unambiguously confirmed using the 2D ¹³C–¹³C incredible natural abundance double quantum transfer experiment (INADEQUATE) spectrum. Additionally, health issues related to the use of Cynanchi Auriculati Radix (CAR, the root of Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight) instead of CWR have emerged. Therefore, constituents present in methanolic extracts of commercially available CWRs and CARs were examined using UV-sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), resulting in common detection of three major peaks ascribed to cynandione A (2), p-hydroxyacetophenone (9), and 2′,4′-dihydroxyacetophenone (11). Thus, to distinguish between these ingredients, a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method, combined with only UV irradiation detection, focusing on wilfosides C1N (12) and K1N (13) as marker compounds characteristic of CAR, was performed. Furthermore, we propose this method as a simple and convenient strategy for the preliminary distinction of CWR and CAR to ensure the quality and safety of their crude drugs. Full article

Caudatin is a potential antitumor agent isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine “baishouwu”, which was the root tuber of Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight. In our previous studies, caudatin showed selectivity on human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721 among several different tumor cell lines, and further in vivo tests validated the inhibitory action of caudatin against hepatic cancer using an H₂₂ solid tumor model in mice, but to our knowledge, the biopharmaceutical properties of caudatin are largely unknown. In this study, a simple, rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of caudatin in rat plasma and tissues, which kept the run time to detect one sample within 4 min, was developed and validated. Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution studies of caudatin in conventional rats and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model rats were then conducted for the first time. Statistically significant differences were observed between conventional rats and diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC rats with respect to pharmacokinetic parameters, including maximum concentration (C_max), time to reach C_max (T_max), half-life (t_1/2), area under the concentration-time curve (AUC_0-t, AUC_0-∞), mean residence time (MRT_0-t and MRT_0-∞), and oral clearance (CL/F). Increased exposures of caudatin were found in the plasma and livers of HCC model rats, which would be helpful for a better understanding of pharmacological effect of caudatin in treating HCC disease. Full article