GC-MS ANALYSIS AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF METHANOL EXTRACT OF LEAVES OF HYPERICUM HOOKERIANUM WIGHT & ARN
Objective: The present investigation was an attempt to study the anticancer activity of the methanol extract of the leaves of H. hookerianum. GC-MS analysis revealed that the methanol extract of leaves contained important secondary metabolites viz. oxygenated hydrocarbons and phenolic hydrocarbons. These phytochemicals w e r e p r e s u m e d responsible for various pharmacological actions like antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Cytotoxic changes observed in MCF 7 cell line by the treatment of methanol extract included cell aggregation, cell rounding and cell death. The overall result indicates that the methanol extract of leaves of H. hookerianum showed promising baseline information for its potential use as an anti cancer agent.
Hypericum japonicum: a Double-Headed Sword to Combat Vector Control and Cancer
Mosquito control with naturally derived herbal insecticides has gained much momentum, with the increased insecticide resistance of vectors and the multiple infectious diseases spread by them. Yet, recent studies also suggest that mosquitoes could probably transmit some cancerous cells or cancer-causing viruses from one individual to another between their blood meals. The current research thus focused on the screening and characterization of novel plants with both mosquitocidal and anticancerous properties. Accordingly, different solvent extracts of Hypericum japonicum, a key plant in Chinese medicine, were screened for its larvicidal efficacy using the fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti (major vector of Dengue and chikungunya). Methanolic extracts of the plant showed effective larvicidal property with LC50 7.37 ppm and LC9011.59 ppm values. The anticancerous property of the plant extract was also evaluated by in vitro cytotoxicity assay against Daltons Lymphoma Ascites (DLA) cells. The results indicated that H. japonicum plant extracts at very low concentrations of LC500.95 ppm and LC901.85 ppm were potent cytotoxic agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and the foremost report of Hypericum japonicum as a potent mosquitocidal and anticancerous agent. Identification and characterization of such plant-derived bioactive plants thus could serve as a double-headed sword against the spread of infectious diseases and cancer.
The conversion of natural (+)-aromadendrene into chiral synthons-I
Abstract (-)-Apoaromadendrone (3) can be obtained easily in large quantities from (+)-aromadendrene which is the main constituent in a commercially available distillation tail of the oil of Eucalyptus globules. Acid catalyzed selective cleavage of the C3-C4 bond of the cyclopropane ring in 3 gave (-)-isoapoaromadendrone(9) in high yield. The regioselectivity of the cyclopropane ring opening was proved by NMR spectroscopy in combination with chemical transformations. Ozonolysis of 9 afforded the keto alcohol 14 which is a suitable chiral intermediate for the syntheses of guaianes and guaianolides.