Search Results (6)

Tordylium trachycarpum Boiss. (Apiaceae) has long been used by traditional healers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to alleviate gastrointestinal disorders and oral inflammation; however, its phytochemical composition and pharmacological properties remain scientifically unverified. In this study, we report the first phytochemical profiling and plant-assisted synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) using the methanolic extract of T. trachycarpum as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) analyses, confirming their nanoscale formation, crystallinity, and elemental composition. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) identified 22 bioactive metabolites, with methoxsalen (30.91%), triphenylphosphine oxide (12.54%), desulphosinigrin (10.79%), isopimpinellin (6.72%), and α-glyceryl linolenate (6.39%) as the predominant constituents. Both the crude extract and the biosynthesized CuNPs were evaluated for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activities. The CuNPs displayed enhanced antimicrobial potency, with MIC values of 250 µg/mL against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans, and 500 µg/mL against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis. They also exhibited superior antioxidant activity in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and metal chelating activity (MCA) assays, along with moderate inhibition of key metabolic and neurological enzymes, including acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase. These findings highlight T. trachycarpum as a promising phytochemical source for sustainable nanoparticle synthesis and reveal the multifunctional potential of biosynthesized CuNPs as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents with prospective applications in drug discovery and nanomedicine. Full article

Background/Objectives: With the rapid aging of the global population, the interest in therapies for age-related diseases has increased substantially. The skin is particularly important, as aging-related changes are visible and negatively impact quality of life. Therefore, the identification of senotherapeutic candidates that are effective against skin aging is of considerable importance. Given the cost and reproducibility limitations of existing senescence models, this study established three dermal fibroblast senescence models induced by etoposide, hydrogen peroxide, and ultraviolet A, representing intrinsic and extrinsic aging. Furthermore, considering the adverse effects of current photoaging treatments, such as tretinoin and methoxsalen, we investigated the senotherapeutic potential of araliadiol, a plant-derived compound, in these models. Methods: Senescence induction and validation were assessed using trypan blue-based cell counting, senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining, and adenosine triphosphate content assays. The senotherapeutic potential of araliadiol was further evaluated using quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Compared with non-senescent fibroblasts, senescent cells exhibited increased SA-β-gal positivity, elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, and upregulated p16 and p21 expression. The senolytic agent ABT-737 selectively induced apoptosis in senescent fibroblasts but not in non-senescent fibroblasts, validating the models. Araliadiol showed no senolytic activity but demonstrated potential senomorphic effects, including reduced expression of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) genes (IL1β, IL6, IL8, CCL2, and CXCL1) and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation, suppression of MMP-1 (up to 2.35-fold reduction) and MMP-3 (up to 30.53-fold reduction) expression and AP-1 activation, and increased extracellular procollagen type I content (up to 18.35% increase). Conclusions: Araliadiol exerted senomorphic—but not senolytic—effects across three validated dermal fibroblast senescence models, supporting its potential as a natural topical therapeutic agent for mitigating skin aging. Full article

Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. (Sosnowsky’s hogweed), originally introduced to Central and Eastern Europe as a fodder crop, has become a highly invasive species due to its ecological adaptability, high reproductive capacity, and efficient seed dispersal. Despite its negative impact on native flora and its health risks to humans and animals, the species also represents a valuable source of biologically active compounds. In this study, we demonstrate that the leaves of H. sosnowskyi contain substantial amounts of furanocoumarins—phototoxic compounds with notable therapeutic potential, particularly as natural photosensitizers in anticancer therapies. To extract furanocoumarins from H. sosnowskyi, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was employed, with optimization of key parameters including extraction solvent (hexane), temperature (70 °C), extraction time (10 min), and solvent-to-solid ratio (20:1). Four major compounds—angelicin (2.3 mg/g), psoralen (0.15 mg/g), methoxsalen (0.76 mg/g), and bergapten (3.14 mg/g)—were identified and quantified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. To purify the extract and selectively isolate the target compounds, a solid-phase extraction method was developed using a Strata Eco-Screen sorbent and stepwise elution with a hexane–acetone mixture. As a result, pure angelicin, pure methoxsalen, and various mixtures of the furanocoumarins were obtained. These findings highlight the potential of H. sosnowskyi as a sustainable source of furanocoumarins for pharmaceutical applications. Full article

Aqueous-ethanol extracts (70%) from the leaves of Eranthis longistipitata Regel. (Ranunculaceae Juss.)—collected from natural populations of Kyrgyzstan—were studied by liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). There was no variation of the metabolic profiles among plants that were collected from different populations. More than 160 compounds were found in the leaves, of which 72 were identified to the class level and 58 to the individual-compound level. The class of flavonoids proved to be the most widely represented (19 compounds), including six aglycones [quercetin, kaempferol, aromadendrin, 6-methoxytaxifolin, phloretin, and (+)-catechin] and mono- and diglycosides (the other 13 compounds). In the analyzed samples of E. longistipitata, 14 fatty acid–related compounds were identified, but coumarins and furochromones that were found in E. longistipitata were the most interesting result; furochromones khelloside, khellin, visnagin, and cimifugin were found in E. longistipitata for the first time. Coumarins 5,7-dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin, scoparone, fraxetin, and luvangetin and furochromones methoxsalen, 5-O-methylvisammioside, and visamminol-3′-O-glucoside were detected for the first time in the genus Eranthis Salisb. For all the above compounds, the structural formulas are given. Furthermore, detailed information (with structural formulas) is provided on the diversity of chromones and furochromones in other representatives of Eranthis. The presence of chromones in plants of the genus Eranthis confirms its closeness to the genus Actaea L. because chromones are synthesized by normal physiological processes only in these members of the Ranunculaceae family. Full article

Osteopenia or osteoporosis occurs frequently in alcoholics and patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease. Methoxsalen (MTS), 8-methoxypsoralen, improved osteoporosis in ovariectomized and diabetic mouse models; however, its effects on alcohol-induced osteopenia and steatosis have not been reported. This study examined the effects of MTS on alcohol-induced bone loss and steatosis. Rats in the alcohol groups were fed a Liber-DeCarli liquid diet containing 36% of its calories as alcohol. MTS was at 0.005% in their diet, while alendronate (positive control; 500 μg/kg BW/day) was administered orally for eight weeks. The pair-fed group received the same volume of isocaloric liquid diet containing dextrin-maltose instead of alcohol as the alcohol control group consumed the previous day. In the alcohol-fed rats, the MTS and alendronate increased the bone volume density, bone surface density and trabecular number, while the bone specific surface, trabecular separation and structure model index were decreased in the tibia. MTS down-regulated tibial tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5 (TRAP) expression compared to the alcohol control group. MTS or alendronate prevented chronic alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation and the triglyceride level in the alcohol-fed rats by decreasing the lipogenic enzyme activities and increasing the fatty acid oxidation enzyme activities. MTS reduced significantly the serum levels of alcohol, TRAP and tumor necrosis factor-α compared to the alcohol control group. Overall, these results suggest that MTS is likely to be an alternative agent for alcoholic osteopenia and hepatosteatosis. Full article

This study evaluated whether bergapten and methoxsalen could prevent diabetes-induced osteoporosis and its underlying mechanism. For 10 weeks, bergapten or methoxsalen (0.02%, w/w) was applied to diabetic mice that were provided with a high-fat diet and streptozotocin. Bone mineral density (BMD) and microarchitecture quality were significantly reduced in the diabetic control group; however, both bergapten and methoxsalen reversed serum osteocalcin, bone-alkaline phosphatase and femur BMD. These coumarin derivatives significantly increased bone volume density and trabecular number, whereas they decreased the structure model index of femur tissue in diabetic mice. Conversely, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5 (TRAP) staining revealed that these derivatives reduced osteoclast numbers and formation in diabetic bone tissue. Additionally, both bergapten and methoxsalen tended to downregulate the expression of osteoclast-related genes such as receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), nuclear of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) and TRAP in diabetic femurs, with NFATc1 and TRAP expression showing significant reductions. Our data suggest that both bergapten and methoxsalen prevent diabetic osteoporosis by suppressing bone resorption. Full article