Diterpenes from Coleus forskohlii (WILLD.) BRIQ. (Labiatae).
Three new minor labdane diterpene glycosides, forskoditerpenoside C, D, and E (1-3), and a novel labdane diterpene forskoditerpene A (4) were isolated from the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Coleus forskohlii. Their structures and relative stereochemistry were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses including 1D-, 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS experiments. Compounds 1-3 showed an unusual 8,13-epoxy-labd-14-en-11-one glycoside pattern. They showed relaxative effects on isolated guinea pig tracheal spirals in vitro. Compound 4 with a cyclopropyl, confirmed by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction determination, is the first known labdane derivative with a spiro element.
Cytotoxicity of South-African medicinal plants towards sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Traditional medicine plays a major role for primary health care worldwide. Cancer belongs to the leading disease burden in industrialized and developing countries. Successful cancer therapy is hampered by the development of resistance towards established anticancer drugs.


AIM
In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of 29 extracts from 26 medicinal plants of South-Africa against leukemia cell lines, most of which are used traditionally to treat cancer and related symptoms.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
We have investigated the plant extracts for their cytotoxic activity towards drug-sensitive parental CCRF-CEM leukemia cells and their multidrug-resistant P-glycoprotein-overexpressing subline, CEM/ADR5000 by means of the resazurin assay. A panel of 60 NCI tumor cell lines have been investigated for correlations between selected phytochemicals from medicinal plants and the expression of resistance-conferring genes (ABC-transporters, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes).


RESULTS
Seven extracts inhibited both cell lines (Acokanthera oppositifolia, Hypoestes aristata, Laurus nobilis, Leonotis leonurus, Plectranthus barbatus, Plectranthus ciliates, Salvia apiana). CEM/ADR5000 cells exhibited a low degree of cross-resistance (3.35-fold) towards the L. leonurus extract, while no cross-resistance was observed to other plant extracts, although CEM/ADR5000 cells were highly resistant to clinically established drugs. The log10IC50 values for two out of 14 selected phytochemicals from these plants (acovenoside A and ouabain) of 60 tumor cell lines were correlated to the expression of ABC-transporters (ABCB1, ABCB5, ABCC1, ABCG2), oncogenes (EGFR, RAS) and tumor suppressors (TP53). Sensitivity or resistance of the cell lines were not statistically associated with the expression of these genes, indicating that multidrug-resistant, refractory tumors expressing these genes may still respond to acovenoside A and ouabain.


CONCLUSION
The bioactivity of South African medicinal plants may represent a basis for the development of strategies to treat multidrug-resistant tumors either by phytotherapeutic approaches with whole plant preparations or by classical drug development with isolated compounds such as acovenoside A or ouabain.
Silica in Soils1
Publisher Summary Silica in free and combined forms is a dominant component of the solid material of many soils, and dissolved silica is commonly a major solute of soil solutions. Breakdown of primary silicates, translocation of silica in solution, and deposition of secondary silica-containing substances are involved in the development of soils. Ions essential for the growth of plants are released to the soil solution as silicates weather, and these ions may be held against leaching at exchange sites on other silicates. Silica is absorbed in appreciable quantities by some plants and is returned to the surface of the soil as the plants decay. The nature and transformations of silica and silicates in soil are, thus, fundamental to an understanding of many aspects of soil and plant sciences.