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  1. Fulltext Anti-Bacillus and nitric oxide inhibitory activities of Malaysian Garcinia mangostana extracts and their major constituents
    Karunakaran, T., Ismail, I.S., Ee, G.C.L.
    International Food Research Journal, 2019;26(2):705-711.
    MyJurnal
    Four types of crude extracts were obtained from the stem bark of Garcinia mangostana from which six xanthone derivatives: α-mangostin, β-mangostin, garcinone D, mangostenol, fuscaxanthone C and dulcisxanthone F were isolated. The structures of these compounds were elucidated and determined using spectroscopic techniques such as MS, 1D and 2D NMR. The in vitro anti-Bacillus assay was performed using the crude extracts as well as α-mangostin and β-mangostin against four Bacillus species; B. subtilis ATCC 6633, B. cereus ATCC 33019, B. megaterium ATCC 14581 and B. pumilus ATCC 14884. The ethyl acetate extract showed strong inhibitory activity against B. subtilis, B. cereus, B. megaterium and B. pumilus in disc diffusion assay with 10.33 ± 0.44 mm, 10.33 ± 0.44 mm, 9.00 ± 0.00 mm and 11.33 ± 0.17 mm inhibition zones, respectively. Nitric oxide inhibition activities indicated that two major compounds (α-mangostin, β-mangostin) exhibited very significant activity in the inhibition of LPS/IFN-γ stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages with IC50 values of 29.81 ± 0.77 and 11.72 ± 1.16 μM, respectively. The chloroform and ethyl acetate extract of G. mangostana showed very potent activities.
  2. Phytochemicals from Calophyllum macrocarpum Hook.f. and its cytotoxic activities
    Karunakaran T, Firouz NS, Santhanam R, Jong VYM
    Nat Prod Res, 2022 Jan;36(2):654-659.
    PMID: 32674628 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2020.1795658
    Species from the Genus Calophyllum are rich source for bioactive phenolic compounds such as coumarins and xanthones. Phytochemical study carried out on the plant, Calophyllum macrocarpum has led to the isolation of three known prenylated xanthones, ananixanthone (1), trapezifolixanthone (2) and 8-deoxygartanin (3) with two common triterpenoids, stigmasterol (4), and friedelin (5). The structures of these compounds were identified and determined using spectroscopic techniques such as NMR and MS. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1 and 2 as well as the extracts were tested against HeLa Chang liver and HEK-293 cell lines. Compound 1 exhibited appreciable cytotoxicity with the IC50 value of 11.08 ± 3.09 µM against HeLa Chang liver cell line and moderate cytotoxicity against HEK-293 cell line while compound 2 showed limited toxicity against these two cell lines.
  3. Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 3-(3-hy-droxy-phen-yl)-1-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one hemihydrate
    Ismail AZ, Gunasekharan M, Karunakaran T, Mohd Faudzi SM
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2023 Mar 01;79(Pt 4):287-291.
    PMID: 37057012 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989023001925
    High-quality single crystals of the title compound, 2C13H11NO2·H2O, were grown and a structural analysis was performed. The asymmetric unit comprises one mol-ecule of 3-(3-hy-droxy-phen-yl)-1-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (3HPPP), which was recently discovered to be a promising anti-MRSA candidate, and a half-mol-ecule of water. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2/c. The crystal structure features inter-molecular pyrrole-N-H⋯O (water), carbon-yl/keto-C-O⋯H-O-phenol and phenol-C-O⋯H (water) hydrogen bonds, which help to consolidate the crystal packing. A Hirshfeld surface analysis for the components in the asymmetric unit showed that H⋯H (40.9%) and H⋯C/C⋯H (32.4%) contacts make the largest contributions to the inter-molecular inter-actions of 3HPPP. Considering the presence of water, in its vicinity H⋯O/O⋯H and H⋯C/C⋯H are the most significant contacts, contributing 48.7 and 29.8%, respectively.
  4. Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles from Scutellaria barbata and its anticancer activity in pancreatic cancer cell (PANC-1)
    Wang L, Xu J, Yan Y, Liu H, Karunakaran T, Li F
    Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol, 2019 Dec;47(1):1617-1627.
    PMID: 31014134 DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2019.1594862
    Nanotechnology has been materialized as a proficient technology for the development of anticancer nanoparticles all the way through an environment-friendly approach. Conventionally, nanoparticles have been assembled by dissimilar methods, but regrettably rely on the negative impact on the natural environment. Amalgamation of nanoparticles by means of plant extract is alternate conservative methods. Scutellaria barbata species was used majorly as food or as medicines against various diseases, and extensive research was conducted for their therapeutic properties. The present research was mainly focused on the synthesis of gold nanoparticles from the Scutellaria barbata by green route method and evaluation of its anticancer activity against pancreatic cancer cell lines (PANC-1). The gold nanoparticles have been characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, TEM, SAED, AFM, and FTIR analysis. The synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possessed effective anticancer activity against pancreatic cancer cell lines (PANC-1). Hence, further research on this plant may lead to the development of novel anticancer drugs which can be used to combat pancreatic cancer.
  5. Cytotoxicity and nitric oxide inhibitory activities of Xanthones isolated from Calophyllum hosei Ridl
    Daud S, Karunakaran T, Santhanam R, Nagaratnam SR, Jong VYM, Ee GCL
    Nat Prod Res, 2020 Sep 09.
    PMID: 32901512 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2020.1819273
    Previous studies on Calophyllum species have shown the existence of a wide variety of bioactive xanthones and coumarins. Phytochemical investigations carried out on the plant, Calophyllum hosei led to the isolation of eleven known xanthones, ananixanthone (1), 9-hydroxycalabaxanthone (2), dombakinaxanthone (3), thwaitesixanthone (4), caloxanthone B (5), trapezifolixanthone (6), β-mangostin (7), osajaxanthone (8), caloxanthone A (9), calozeyloxanthone (10) and rubraxanthone (11). The structures of these compounds were identified and elucidated using spectroscopic techniques such as NMR and MS. The cytotoxicity and nitric oxide production inhibitory activities of selected xanthones as well as the extracts were tested against HL-60 cells and RAW 264.7 murine macrophages, respectively. Among all tested compounds, β-mangostin exhibited appreciable cytotoxicity against HL-60 cells with the IC50 value of 7.16 ± 0.70 µg/mL and rubraxanthone exhibited significant nitric oxide inhibitory activity against LPS induced RAW 264.7 murine macrophages with the IC50 value of 6.45 ± 0.15 µg/mL.
  6. Fulltext Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from aqueous extract of Scutellaria barbata and coating on the cotton fabric for antimicrobial applications and wound healing activity in fibroblast cells (L929)
    Veeraraghavan VP, Periadurai ND, Karunakaran T, Hussain S, Surapaneni KM, Jiao X
    Saudi J Biol Sci, 2021 Jul;28(7):3633-3640.
    PMID: 34220213 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.05.007
    Scutellaria barbata is a perennial herb which was vastly prescribed in Chinese medicine to treat inflammations, infections and it is also used a detoxifying agent. We synthesized silver nanoparticles with Scutellaria barbata extract and characterized the nanoparticles with UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis, TEM, AFM, FTIR and XRD. The biofilm inhibiting property of synthesized silver nanoparticles were examined with XTT reduction assay and the antimicrobial property was examined with well diffusion method. The silver nanoparticles were also coated with cotton fabrics and their efficacy against antimicrobials was analyzed to prove its application. The cytotoxic property of synthesized silver nanoparticles was examined with L929 fibroblast cells using MTT assay. Finally we analyzed the wound healing property of synthesized silver nanoparticles with wound scratch assay. The result of our UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis confirms Scutellaria barbata aqueous extract reduced silver ions and synthesized silver nanoparticles. The characterization studies TEM, AFM, FTIR and XRD confirms the synthesized silver nanoparticles are in ideal shape and size to be utilized as a drug. The XTT reduction assay proves silver nanoparticles effectively inhibits the biofilm formation in both resistant and sensitive strains. Antimicrobial sensitivity tests confirms synthesized silver nanoparticles and cotton coated synthesized silver nanoparticles both are effective against gram positive, gram negative and fungal species. Further the results of MTT assay confirms the synthesized silver nanoparticles are non toxic and finally the wound healing potency of the nanoparticles was confirmed with wound scratch assay. Over all our results authentically confirms the silver nanoparticles synthesized with Scutellaria barbata aqueous extract is potent wound healing drug.
  7. Fulltext Accelerated Solvent Extractions (ASE) of Mitragyna speciosa Korth. (Kratom) Leaves: Evaluation of Its Cytotoxicity and Antinociceptive Activity
    Goh YS, Karunakaran T, Murugaiyah V, Santhanam R, Abu Bakar MH, Ramanathan S
    Molecules, 2021 Jun 17;26(12).
    PMID: 34204457 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26123704
    Mitragyna speciosa Korth (kratom) is known for its psychoactive and analgesic properties. Mitragynine is the primary constituent present in kratom leaves. This study highlights the utilisation of the green accelerated solvent extraction technique to produce a better, non-toxic and antinociceptive active botanical extract of kratom. ASE M. speciosa extract had a dry yield (0.53-2.91 g) and showed a constant mitragynine content (6.53-7.19%) when extracted with organic solvents of different polarities. It only requires a shorter extraction time (5 min) and a reduced amount of solvents (less than 100 mL). A substantial amount of total phenolic (407.83 ± 2.50 GAE mg/g and flavonoids (194.00 ± 5.00 QE mg/g) were found in ASE kratom ethanol extract. The MTT test indicated that the ASE kratom ethanolic leaf extract is non-cytotoxic towards HEK-293 and HeLa Chang liver cells. In mice, ASE kratom ethanolic extract (200 mg/kg) demonstrated a better antinociceptive effect compared to methanol and ethyl acetate leaf extracts. The presence of bioactive indole alkaloids and flavonols such as mitragynine, paynantheine, quercetin, and rutin in ASE kratom ethanolic leaf extract was detected using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis supports its antinociceptive properties. ASE ethanolic leaf extract offers a better, safe, and cost-effective choice of test botanical extract for further preclinical studies.
  8. A new pyranoxanthone from Garcinia nervosa
    Wong KW, Ee GCL, Ismail IS, Karunakaran T, Jong VYM
    Nat Prod Res, 2017 Nov;31(21):2513-2519.
    PMID: 28412841 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2017.1315717
    Phytochemical studies on the stem bark of Garcinia nervosa has resulted in the discovery of one new pyranoxanthone derivative, garner xanthone (1) and five other compounds, 1,5-dihydroxyxanthone (2), 6-deoxyisojacareubin (3), 12b-hydroxy-des-D-garcigerrin A (4) stigmasterol (5), and β-sitosterol (6). The structures of these compounds were elucidated with the aid of spectroscopic techniques, such as NMR and MS. The crude extracts of the plant were assessed for their antimicrobial activity.
  9. Acetyl- and O-alkyl- derivatives of β-mangostin from Garcinia mangostana and their anti-inflammatory activities
    Karunakaran T, Ee GCL, Ismail IS, Mohd Nor SM, Zamakshshari NH
    Nat Prod Res, 2018 Jun;32(12):1390-1394.
    PMID: 28715912 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2017.1350666
    Pure β-mangostin (1) was isolated from the stem bark of Garcinia mangostana L. One monoacetate (2) and five O-alkylated β-mangostin derivatives (3-7) were synthesised from β-mangostin. The structures of these compounds were elucidated and determined using spectroscopic techniques such as 1D NMR and MS. The cytotoxicities and anti-inflammatory activities of these five compounds against RAW cell 264.7 were tested. The structural-activity relationship studies indicated that β-mangostin showed a significant activity against the LPS-induced RAW cell 264.7, while the acetyl- as well as the O-alkyl- β-mangostin derivatives did not give good activity. Naturally occurring β-mangostin demonstrated comparatively better anti-inflammatory activity than its synthetic counterparts.
  10. The Malaysian genus Calophyllum (Calophyllaceae): a review on its phytochemistry and pharmacological activities
    Zailan AAD, Karunakaran T, Abu Bakar MH, Mian VJY
    Nat Prod Res, 2021 Oct 12.
    PMID: 34636709 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2021.1982936
    Genus Calophyllum from the family of Calophyllaceae is an evergreen broad-leaved tree that is endemic to Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia. They have been reported for various ethnomedicinal uses in traditional medicine. Previous studies of Malaysian Calophyllum species revealed them to be a rich source of bioactive phytoconstituents such as xanthones, coumarins, terpenoids, and chromanone acids. To date, the extracts and compounds from Malaysian Calophyllum species have shown a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities. For example, calanolide A, a coumarin isolated from Malaysian C. lanigerum, has now reached clinical development to become an anti-HIV drug. This article presents an overview of the significant phytochemical and pharmacological activities of Malaysian Calophyllum species to aid researchers in further discovery of potential benefits of various species of this genus.
  11. Fulltext Preliminary Insight of Pyrrolylated-Chalcones as New Anti-Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Anti-MRSA) Agents
    Gunasekharan M, Choi TI, Rukayadi Y, Mohammad Latif MA, Karunakaran T, Mohd Faudzi SM, et al.
    Molecules, 2021 Sep 01;26(17).
    PMID: 34500755 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26175314
    Bacterial infections are regarded as one of the leading causes of fatal morbidity and death in patients infected with diseases. The ability of microorganisms, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), to develop resistance to current drugs has evoked the need for a continuous search for new drugs with better efficacies. Hence, a series of non-PAINS associated pyrrolylated-chalcones (1-15) were synthesized and evaluated for their potency against MRSA. The hydroxyl-containing compounds (8, 9, and 10) showed the most significant anti-MRSA efficiency, with the MIC and MBC values ranging from 0.08 to 0.70 mg/mL and 0.16 to 1.88 mg/mL, respectively. The time-kill curve and SEM analyses exhibited bacterial cell death within four hours after exposure to 9, suggesting its bactericidal properties. Furthermore, the docking simulation between 9 and penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a, PDB ID: 6Q9N) suggests a relatively similar bonding interaction to the standard drug with a binding affinity score of -7.0 kcal/mol. Moreover, the zebrafish model showed no toxic effects in the normal embryonic development, blood vessel formation, and apoptosis when exposed to up to 40 µM of compound 9. The overall results suggest that the pyrrolylated-chalcones may be considered as a potential inhibitor in the design of new anti-MRSA agents.
  12. Celastrol attenuates high-fructose diet-induced inflammation and insulin resistance via inhibition of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity in rat adipose tissues
    Abu Bakar MH, Mohamad Khalid MSF, Nor Shahril NS, Shariff KA, Karunakaran T
    Biofactors, 2022 Jan;48(1):111-134.
    PMID: 34676604 DOI: 10.1002/biof.1793
    High fructose consumption has been linked to low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance that results in increased intracellular 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) activity. Celastrol, a pentacyclic triterpene, has been demonstrated to exhibit multifaceted targets to attenuate various metabolic diseases associated with inflammation. However, the underlying mechanisms by which celastrol exerts its attributive properties on high fructose diet (HFrD)-induced metabolic syndrome remain elusive. Herein, the present study was aimed to elucidate the mechanistic targets of celastrol co-administrations upon HFrD in rats and evaluate its potential to modulate 11β-HSD1 activity. Celastrol remarkably improved glucose tolerance, lipid profiles, and insulin sensitivity along with suppression of hepatic glucose production. In rat adipose tissues, celastrol attenuated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)-driven inflammation, reduced c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) phosphorylation, and mitigated oxidative stress via upregulated genes expression involved in mitochondrial biogenesis. Furthermore, insulin signaling pathways were significantly improved through the restoration of Akt phosphorylation levels at Ser473 and Thr308 residues. Celastrol exhibited a potent, selective and specific inhibitor of intracellular 11β-HSD1 towards oxidoreductase activity (IC50 value = 4.3 nM) in comparison to other HSD-related enzymes. Inhibition of 11β-HSD1 expression in rat adipose microsomes reduced the availability of its cofactor NADPH and substrate H6PDH in couple to upregulated mRNA and protein expressions of glucocorticoid receptor. In conclusion, our results underscore the most likely conceivable mechanisms exhibited by celastrol against HFrD-induced metabolic dysregulations mainly through attenuating inflammation and insulin resistance, at least via specific inhibitions on 11β-HSD1 activity in adipose tissues.
  13. Phytochemicals from Calophyllum canum Hook f. ex T. Anderson and their neuroprotective effects
    Lizazman MA, Jong VYM, Chua P, Lim WK, Karunakaran T
    Nat Prod Res, 2023 Jun;37(12):2043-2048.
    PMID: 35997666 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2022.2116021
    Previous phytochemical investigations reported that Calophyllum spp have biosynthesized a wide range of bioactive phenolics such as xanthones and coumarins. The phytochemical study conducted on the stem bark of C. canum has led to the isolation of eight trioxygenated xanthones namely: 5-methoxytrapezifolixanthone (1), 5-methoxyananixanthone (2), caloxanthone C (3), 1,5-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-4-isoprenylxanthone (4), 6-deoxyisojacareubin (5), euxanthone (6), trapezifolixanthone (7), ananixanthone (8), together with three common triterpenoids, β-sitosterol (9), friedelin (10), and stigmasterol (11). Furthermore, xanthones 1 and 2 were isolated for the first time as naturally occurring xanthones from the plant extract. The structures of these compounds were identified and elucidated using advanced spectroscopic techniques such as 1 D & 2 D NMR, MS, and FTIR. The neuroprotective property of selected compounds was tested through in vitro stroke model. Among all tested compounds, 1 µm of compounds 8, 9, and 10 showed significant neuroprotective activity via reduction of apoptosis by ∼ 50%.
  14. Chemical constituents from the stem barks of Calophyllum recurvatum P.F. Stevens and Calophyllum andersonii P.F. Stevens, and their in-vitro hepatotoxic activity
    Firouz NS, Karunakaran T, Mokhtar N, Santhanam R, Jong VYM, Abu Bakar MH
    Nat Prod Res, 2024 Jan 22.
    PMID: 38247357 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2305222
    Bioactive phenolics can be found in abundance in Calophyllum species. Phytochemical studies are carried out on the stem bark of Calophyllum recurvatum and Calophyllum andersonii, which has led to the isolation and elucidation of phytochemicals, thwaitesixanthone (1), teysmanone A (2), soulattrolide (3), calanone (4), isocalanone (5) and friedelin (6), respectively. The cytotoxic activities of compounds (2), (3), (4) and (5) as well as plant extracts were tested against HeLa Chang liver, HepG2 and HL-7702 cell lines. Phenylpyranocoumarins, teysmanone A (2) and soulattrolide (3) portrayed appreciable cytotoxicity activities at 42.57 ± 1.20 and 34.53 ± 3.41 µg/mL, respectively against HepG2 cell line comparable to the positive control, curcumin. Meanwhile, n-hexane extract from C. recurvatum exhibited cytotoxicity with the IC50 value of 36.43 ± 0.64 and 26.25 ± 4.83 µg/mL against HeLa Chang liver and HepG2 cell lines. All the tested compounds and plant extracts displayed non-cytotoxic properties on HL-7702 cell line.
  15. Phenolics and triterpenoids from stem bark of Calophyllum lanigerum var. austrocoriaceum (Whitmore) P. F. Stevens and their cytotoxic activities
    Mokhtar N, Karunakaran T, Santhanam R, Abu Bakar MH, Jong VYM
    Nat Prod Res, 2024;38(5):873-878.
    PMID: 37005001 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2023.2196075
    Genus Calophyllum is well-known for its phenolic constituents, especially coumarins, which have shown to have a wide range of significant biological activities. In this study, four known phenolic constituents and two triterpenoids have been isolated from the stem bark of Calophyllum lanigerum. The compounds were two pyranochromanone acids are known as caloteysmannic acid (1), isocalolongic acid (2), a simple dihydroxyxanthone, namely euxanthone (3), one coumarin named calanone (4), and two common triterpenoids, friedelin (5), and stigmasterol (6). Chromanone acids were reported for the first time in this Calophyllum species. Cytotoxic evaluations were carried out on n-hexane extract (87.14 ± 2.04 µg/mL; 81.46 ± 2.42 µg/mL) followed by the chromanone acids (1 [79.96 ± 2.39 µM; 83.41 ± 3.39 µM] & 2 [57.88 ± 2.34; 53.04 ± 3.18 µM]) against two cancerous cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MG-63 cell lines, respectively. The results showed that all tested samples exhibited moderate cytotoxicity.
  16. Fulltext Exploring the Potential Use of Hylocereus polyrhizus Peels as a Source of Cosmeceutical Sunscreen Agent for Its Antioxidant and Photoprotective Properties
    Vijayakumar R, Abd Gani SS, Zaidan UH, Halmi MIE, Karunakaran T, Hamdan MR
    Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2020;2020:7520736.
    PMID: 32454871 DOI: 10.1155/2020/7520736
    Currently, consumers' demand for sunscreens derived from natural sources that provide photoprotection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is pushing the cosmetic industry to develop breakthrough formulations of sun protection products by incorporating plant antioxidants as their active ingredients. In this context, the present study was initiated to evaluate the antioxidant and photoprotective properties of the underutilized Hylocereus polyrhizus peel extract (HPPE) using in vitro spectrophotometric techniques. The phytochemical screenings of HPPE conducted via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) revealed the presence of phenolic acids and flavonoids as the major secondary metabolites in HPPE. The antioxidant potentials evaluated based on 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical and total antioxidant capacity assays were in the range of 22.16 ± 0.24%-84.67 ± 0.03% with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 36.39 ± 0.04 μg/mL and 23.76 ± 0.14%-31.87 ± 0.26% (IC50 = 21.93 ± 0.07 μg/mL), respectively. For the photoprotective evaluation, the results showed that HPPE had significantly high absorbance values (3.1-3.6) at 290-320 nm with an exceptional sun protection factor (SPF) value of 35.02 ± 0.39 at 1.00 mg/mL. HPPE also possessed a broad-spectrum shielding power against both UVA and UVB radiations. Hence, in terms of practical implications, our findings would offer an exciting avenue to develop a photoprotective formulation incorporating the ethanolic extract of Hylocereus polyrhizus peels as a synergistic active ingredient for its excellent UV absorption properties and the strong antioxidant activities.
  17. Fulltext Di-n-but-yl[N'-(3-meth-oxy-2-oxidobenzyl-idene)-N-phenyl-carbamohydrazono-thio-ato]tin(IV): crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational study
    Yusof ENM, Kwong HC, Karunakaran T, Ravoof TBSA, Tiekink ERT
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2021 Mar 01;77(Pt 3):286-293.
    PMID: 33953953 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989021001870
    The title diorganotin Schiff base derivative, [Sn(C4H9)2(C15H13N3O2S)], features a penta-coordinated tin centre defined by the N,O,S-donor atoms of the di-anionic Schiff base ligand and two methyl-ene-C atoms of the n-butyl substituents. The resultant C2NOS donor set defines a geometry inter-mediate between trigonal-bipyramidal and square-pyramidal. In the crystal, amine-N-H⋯O(meth-oxy) hydrogen bonding is found in a helical, supra-molecular chain propagating along the b-axis direction. The chains are assembled into a layer parallel to (01) with methyl-ene-C-H⋯π(phen-yl) inter-actions prominent; layers stack without directional inter-actions between them. The analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surface showed the presence of weak methyl-ene-C-H⋯π(phen-yl) inter-actions and short H⋯H contacts in the inter-layer region. Consistent with the nature of the identified contacts, the stabilization of the crystal is dominated by the dispersion energy term.
  18. A new coumarin from stem bark of Mesua hexapetala
    Karunakaran T, Ee GC, Teh SS, Daud S, Mah SH, Lim CK, et al.
    Nat Prod Res, 2016 Jul;30(14):1591-7.
    PMID: 26710827 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2015.1120727
    A new alkylated coumarin derivative, hexapetarin (1) along with three other xanthones, trapezifolixanthone (2), cudraxanthone G (3) and 1,3,7-trihydroxy-2,4-di (3-methyl-2-butenyl)xanthone (4), and four common triterpenoids, friedelin (5), stigmasterol (6), beta-sitosterol (7) and gamma-sitosterol (8) were isolated from the stem bark of Mesua hexapetala (Clusiaceae), a plant, native to Malaysia. The structures of these compounds were elucidated and determined using spectroscopic techniques such as NMR and MS. Anti-inflammatory activity assay indicated hexapetarin (1) to possess moderate anti-inflammatory activity, while 1,3,7-trihydroxy-2,4-di (3-methyl-2-butenyl)xanthone (4) gave very good activity.
  19. Ethnicity influences disease characteristics and symptom severity in allergic rhinitis patients in Malaysia
    Amini P, Abdullah M, Seng LS, Karunakaran T, Hani N, Bakar SA, et al.
    Int Forum Allergy Rhinol, 2016 Jun;6(6):624-30.
    PMID: 26919193 DOI: 10.1002/alr.21442
    BACKGROUND: The number of available reports regarding the influence of ethnicity on clinical features of allergic rhinitis (AR), especially disease severity in tropical climates, is limited. We aimed to compare clinical parameters and disease severity in AR patients of different ethnicities.

    METHODS: Malay, Chinese, and Indian AR patients (n = 138) with confirmed sensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dematophagoides farinae, and Blomia tropicalis were tested for mite-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) levels. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect data on nasal symptom score (NSS), ocular symptom score (OSS), sum of symptoms score (SSS), quality of life score (QLS), symptomatic control score (SCS), and total sum of scores (TSS) and correlate the derived data with patients' demography, mite-polysensitivity, and sIgE levels.

    RESULTS: AR-related symptoms were most severe in Malays and least in Chinese (p < 0.01). Age (r = 0.516 to 0.673, p < 0.05) and duration of AR (r = 0.635 to 0.726, p < 0.01) correlated positively with severity domains (NSS, SSS, QLS, and TSS) in Chinese. Duration of concurrent allergies was highest in Malays (p < 0.05). Polysensitivity predicted increased sIgE levels in Malays (r = 0.464 to 0.551, p < 0.01) and Indians (r = 0.541 to 0.645, p < 0.05) but affected NSS, SSS, and TSS only in Indians (r = 0.216 to 0.376, p < 0.05). sIgE levels were lowest among Chinese but correlated strongly with NSS, OSS, SSS, and TSS (r = 0408 to 0.898, p < 0.05).

    CONCLUSION: Clinical parameters in AR may be influenced by race. Symptoms were most severe among Malays but did not correlate with other variables examined. Although Indian ethnicity did not impact disease severity, duration of concurrent allergies and mite-polysensitivity was associated with more severe disease. Age, duration of disease, and sIgE levels may be useful indicators of disease severity in Chinese.

  20. Clausenidin from Clausena excavata induces apoptosis in hepG2 cells via the mitochondrial pathway
    Waziri PM, Abdullah R, Yeap SK, Omar AR, Abdul AB, Kassim NK, et al.
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2016 Dec 24;194:549-558.
    PMID: 27729282 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.10.030
    ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Clausena excavata Burm.f. is used locally in folk medicine for the treatment of cancer in South East Asia.

    AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine the mechanism of action of pure clausenidin crystals in the induction of hepatocellular carcinoma (hepG2) cells apoptosis.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pure clausenidin was isolated from Clausena excavata Burm.f. and characterized using (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra. Clausenidin-induced cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay. The morphology of hepG2 after treatment with clausenidin was determined by fluorescence and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The effect of clausenidin on the apoptotic genes and proteins were determined by real-time qPCR and protein array profiling, respectively. The involvement of the mitochondria in clausenidin-induced apoptosis was investigated using MMP, caspase 3 and 9 assays.

    RESULTS: Clausenidin induced significant (p<0.05) and dose-dependent apoptosis of hepG2 cells. Cell cycle assay showed that clausenidin induced a G2/M phase arrest, caused mitochondrial membrane depolarization and significantly (p<0.05) increased expression of caspases 3 and 9, which suggest the involvement of the mitochondria in the apoptotic signals. In addition, clausenidin caused decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl 2 and increased expression of the pro-apoptotic protein, Bax. This finding was confirmed by the downregulation of Bcl-2 gene and upregulation of the Bax gene in the treated hepG2 cells.

    CONCLUSION: Clausenidin extracted from Clausena excavata Burm.f. is an anti-hepG2 cell compound as shown by its ability to induce apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Clausenidin can potentially be developed into an anticancer compound.

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